A few minutes south of Buffalo, New York is the historic Village of East Aurora. Visiting this quaint village made for an enjoyable afternoon side trip.
The streets were lined with beautiful homes with manicured lawns. The town reminded me of a Norman Rockwell painting, and I think they strive to preserve that image.
Millard Fillmore’s birthplace and museum is located in East Aurora. They are only open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sunday afternoons (We found this to be the case several times on the trip, and frankly it was a bit frustrating. Sorry to rant.) It was interesting to peer into the windows of this tiny handmade home.
Fans of The Antiques Roadshow are familiar with the Roycroft movement. Around the turn of the century, Elbert Hubbard founded the artistic and philosophical community of Roycroft in East Aurora. This was the center of the Arts and Crafts movement in America. Bound books, useful and beautiful furniture, pottery, metalwork, jewelry and much more were created on this campus. The emphasis was on creating handmade objects that were both beautiful and useful. Natural realism was the goal of the craftsmen.
The campus continues to have classes for craftsmen, and it also houses a gift shop and antique store.
I love that the tradition of fine craftsmanship continues here. The antique store’s prices were reasonable which shocked me. No, I didn’t find anything to buy, but it was fun browsing.
The Roycroft Inn has been restored, and visitors can stay and dine here. I wish we would have gone inside.
There is also a museum in a house a few blocks from the campus, but it was also closed.
FYI: Elbert Hubbard and his wife died when their lifeboat capsized after the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915.
We then heading to Main Street to visit the largest variety store in the world – Vidler’s 5 & 10. It is a true shopping experience.
Vidler’s is huge – it is two stories and probably half a block long. You can find just about anything you need or want here.
The old-fashion candy counter was amazing.
Not everything in the store was quaint and old-fashioned. There were plenty of gourmet items, jewelry, and even clothes.
Children can delight it taking a 10 cent ride on Sandy the mechanical horse. What fun! It brought back memories.
Next door to Vidler’s was Firefly Cupcakes. In 2013 Firefly Cupcakes was voted best cupcakes in Western New York, and I can understand why. They were super yummy.
There were so many creative choices including vegan and gluten free cupcakes. It was difficult to decide. Finally I chose coconut, my standby favorite, and I was glad I did. Ever-Lovin’ had a Snickerdoodle cupcake.
Be still my heart. The Stumptown coffee was some of the best coffee I have ever tasted.
Visiting East Aurora was delightful. I do wish we would have had more time.
Blessings to you and yours,