Selling nostalgia by the block
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- There seems to be a bit of magic in these painted blocks of wood.
"Nostalgia is what we're all about," says Jim Gardner, executive director of Shepherd's Heart Foundation.
The nonprofit operation started as a hat and T-shirt silk-screening business in 1989. The wooden collectibles of churches, barns, schools and other nostalgic landmarks, however, rapidly rose to the forefront and have become the cornerstone of Shepherd's Heart.
Hold one of these blocks of wood in your hand, and the memories come roaring back. The magic begins.
The Idora Park ballroom: Wearing your "String of Pearls" and dressed to the nines, you and your sweetheart are "In the Mood" to dance the night away.
The Isaly building: You discover the sweet delight of an Isaly's skyscraper cone as the ice cream drips down your arm on a hot summer day.
Idora's carousel: You keep a firm grip on your cotton candy as Dad lifts you onto the back of a wild-eyed steed for an up-down-and-around ride.
Idora's Wildcat: Screams of joy and terror mingle with the clack-clack-clack and rumble of the wooden roller coaster, and you quickly learn how the beastie got its name.
The Home Savings and Loan building: In time of peace and time of war, the Home Savings and Loan clock marks time until Johnny comes marching home.
Warm feelings: Collectibles such as the pieces in the Idora series, Frostop, Salem's landmark car-hop drive in; schools, churches' stained-glass windows, covered bridges and lighthouses coast to coast sell because "people want to hold onto their past. They want the memories," Gardner said.
With only word-of-mouth marketing and distribution in a few Boardman shops, Shepherd's Heart's Idora pieces were popular even before the March 6 fire destroyed Idora's ballroom, he said.
Other pieces in the Idora series include the old mill and rapids ride, the penny arcade, the french fry stand, and the front gate marquee.
Shepherd's Heart Foundation also makes collectibles of the gazebo and St. James Meeting House, both at Boardman Park.
More to come: Gardner said the Idora Park series will continue. The rocket ride, Kiddieland attractions and the streetcar that ran between Idora Park and downtown have been suggested as items to be added next. In December 2000, Shepherd's Heart also began making smaller, thinner versions of the Idora Park pieces, which can be used as holiday ornaments.
School groups and alumni associations, church groups and civic clubs commission pieces and sell them as fund-raisers, Gardner said. Several Salem-area school districts have commissioned blocks depicting school logos and mascots.
Jim said he and his wife, Diane, started Shepherd's Heart Foundation to help Diane's brother, Doug -- who has multiple handicaps and met one closed employment door after another -- to find success and meaning in his life. Now the foundation not only sparks purpose and meaning for its employees with special needs, but nostalgia for its customers.
XFor more information about buying Shepherd's Heart Foundation collectibles or commissioning pieces for fund raising, contact Gardner at (330) 332-2029.