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Featured Vendor of the Month: Too Much Good Stuff

by Leslee Freeman

Welcome to the Artisan Emporium. We’re a hidden treasure. We’re not located in the plaza, but we’re a plaza of our own. It’s like 160 little shops under one roof.

Let me introduce myself. I’m WS9 & C29, or should I say, I’m Leslee Freeman. I’ve lived in Ashland for over 20 years, and dealt in estate liquidation for all twenty years plus. For many years I had an estate liquidation business in Ashland called, Freeman’s Estate Liquidation Service. I sold estate items wholesale in a store setting, and I also did several auctions, and sales from my building, and at clients’ homes. It was very hard work, but I loved the people I worked with, and I loved my customers!

Now in semi-retirement, I have a wonderful space in the Artisan Emporium, and a show case at the checkout counter full of jewelry. I call my space, “Too Much Good Stuff.” I deal in antiques, collectibles, art, and jewelry; anything that is unique and high quality. It could be brand new.

I decided to continue my interest in liquidating, but on a much smaller scale. Sharing a store with a huge family of vendors. I go to hundreds of yard sales during the summer looking for high quality, useful and indulgent items to pass on to you; often at wholesale prices.

Right now, in my space I have a wonderful black vinyl bar from the sixties; a great eating counter for small living space, or a great bar for out by the swimming pool. I even have a Victorian marble top garden table.

My goal is to keep it moving, I have a short attention span, and there is so much stuff out there I just want to keep recycling it into the system.

Besides my space, there are over 160 other unique vendors with a variety of great merchandise.

We’re easy to find in the Wendy’s shopping center. Open 7 days a week. Monday through Friday 11am to 6pm, Saturday 11am – 5pm and Sunday Noon – 5pm.

A great place to bring your out of town guests. I know they will enjoy browsing to great music in the background, while being assisted by a warm and fuzzy staff with big smiles.

It gives me great joy to have happy customers, while living in paradise…. Ashland.

P.S. “Please get your pets spayed or neutered, and protect them from the hot weather.”

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Ashland Artisan Emporium

The Ashland Artisan Emporium is owned by Michelle Christian, wife and mother of 3 daughters. Her husband, Travis, is the business manager for Adroit Construction in Ashland, Oregon. The Emporium was the vision of Michael Rydbom, Michelle's father. In April of 2010, Michael asked his daughter if she would be willing to help transform the old DJ's Video space into a crafter's marketplace. Michelle had always admired her dad's entrepreneurial spirit and was eager to make him proud, so even though she already had two kids, a real estate career and one more daughter on the way, she said yes. On November 1, 2010, the store opened it's doors to a welcome reception from the community. They were voted Best New Business of 2010 only months later by the Ashland Sneak Preview. Within weeks of opening, the store was at capacity and had quickly become the "go-to" store for all things unique and affordable.

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