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Welcome to the PRESERVED VINTAGE FARMSTORE at Erstwhile Farm.
We’ve embarked on a new chapter on the farm, and opened The Preserved Vintage Farmstore, specializing in unique vintage finds, upcycled and handmade items, holistic care products, select organic vegetables, and organic farm grains and straws. For the whole backstory on the 5th generation family farm, check out our Farm History here.
The preserving of the environment/nature has always been important to us in our lifestyle choices, such as:
simple, natural living
using nature for our farm’s supplemental power source via solar panels
recycling and upcycling
handmade products
secondhand finds
custom-curated gift boxes for yourself or someone else! (Shop Lanette’s Vignettes)
sustainable/regenerative organic farming and gardening
heavily mulched garden with farm’s organic straw bales
homegrown food line of seasonal fresh, shelf-stable, and canned preserved for cellar storage
on-the-farm kitchen for home-canning and preserving
healthy, small-batch food options as enhancements to our farmstore orders
holistic healing remedies and care products
enjoying nature, music, crafting, prayer, and family
Lanette with pounds of fresh organic garlic scapes.
“I have loved finding and collecting old things for MANY years. I remember my first official “vintage purchase” was at a garage sale in Seward, NE when I was about 12 years old. I bought an old brass lighter with black stamped leather wrapped around it for ten cents. I know…a lighter??? But I just thought it was so cool looking. I think I still have that lighter somewhere! I think about old things and how they were used and touched and part of lives in the past. I feel they should be preserved and continue to be treasured in some way. But I have found so many neat vin-tique finds over the years, and I now need to find them new homes where they will continue to be treasured and loved.” -Lanette
At our farmstore, you’ll find, well… whatever we found, up-cycled, made from scratch, or grew here on the farm! We LOVE items in their “work clothes.” Because we don’t want to overconsume on materialism or contribute to fast-fashion trends, you won’t find any new trade-show items or bulk-purchased new items here.
We strive to live by the phrase “use what you got” and not be wasteful. These values are the cornerstone of how we live and also part of the foundation of the products you see on this site.
There is truly something special about the nostalgia and often the integrity and originality of these pieces in our shop. We hope you love browsing for “new-to-you” things to love… as much as we love finding, creating, and growing them for you!
If you choose to shop our online shops, have fun filling your cart with things that enhance your home and wellness. We welcome visitors to the farm to tour our fields, gardens, farmstore, and barnstore to get a feel for life on a small-scale organic farm. Click here to schedule a farmstore shopping visit with us!
Thank you so much for shopping with us. Your order helps us sustain our small organic 5th generation family farm. :)
Please note, we are closed on Sundays to spend time with God & our family.
With love from our organic family farm outside of Columbus, Nebraska…
The Stecs
Lanette & Larry