We have another wonderful customer story to share with you today out of Spooner Wisconsin. There are so many fun and imaginative uses for our portable buildings, especially our Cape Cod cabin sheds. Our story today comes from Mckenzie Lakes Orchard, where Craig and Kim Yolitz have successfully turned one of our cabin sheds into a retail store!
Craig and Kim Yolitz have a long established track record of successfully tending their apple orchards, beehives, vegetables, chickens and more on their small plot of land in rural Wisconsin.
Craig takes primary responsibility for the apple trees and the beehives. Here you can see a photo of the hives where Craig harvests the honey.
He got interested in beekeeping because he was looking for a way to ensure that his apple orchard would get properly pollinated each year. Delicious honey became a huge side benefit, of which he harvested much more than they could ever use themselves.
Kim also has many wonderful homegrown projects that keep her busy. Kim has specialized in making beautiful handmade pottery for many years. In addition to pottery, she has tends a small flock of chickens which provide plenty of pastured eggs for themselves and more to spare! She also makes a variety of jams and jellies from local produce in the summertime.
Because of all of their hard work, the day came Craig and Kim decided that they should try selling some of their produce and handiwork. Thus they began to open their garage on weekends to do just that. The garage soon gained popularity, but there was a vibe that did not feel quite right. Kim said “It felt just a little too much like a garage sale.” So Craig and Kim started the journey of trying to find a better way to do retail. This is when they started to look at their options for a stand alone building.
Craig is the experienced DIY type, who loves the challenge of figuring out how to do just about anything. But in the case of the retail store, he felt like it just made the most sense to get a prefab building so that they would be able to get in business quickly without having to worry about all the details of putting up a new building. Craig and Kim settled on a 12×24 cape cod cabin shed from Northwood Outdoor. Craig installed the 6 inch stone base himself, and Northwood delivered the cabin shed. Craig stated that the delivery process was quick, clean, and simple.
The cabin shed came standard with a 4 foot porch on the front which adds a lovely touch of character to the store as well as offers some additional retail space, and of course… space to play the ukulele!
Ever since installing the cabin shed, they keep the new store open on a much more consistent basis. Since the bulk of the products that they sell are seasonal in nature. They decided that they would only be open May through October every year. If you have never visited their little store, you are missing out! You can get more information on their instagram and facebook page.
The Yolitz’s did not have to do a lot of prep work to make the building into a retail store. They did not insulate the shed, but discovered that it would get quite hot in the shed during the hottest parts of summer. To remedy the heat, they installed a window AC unit that is able to keep the building much cooler. Beyond simple cooling, they gave the walls a nice coat of paint and added a durable area rug on the floor.
One thing is for sure, installing the cabin shed store has indeed made a difference in the traffic flow for their retail business. Customers love coming to the very casual environment to look around a surprisingly wide variety of items in a store that is only 240 square feet. The Yolitz’s have various local family members who are also involved in producing artisan style crafts and goods and have allowed them to also sell their products in the store.
Craig and Kim chose to work with Northwood Outdoor because they were impressed with the quality of the sheds. Craig said that you can purchase a shed anywhere you want… but that you can’t get the same quality that Northwood Outdoor offers just anywhere.
We were happy to work with Craig and Kim Yolitz and would be happy to work with you as well! Cabin sheds like the Yolitz’s are beautiful and very versatile buildings. A cabin shed can serve a wide variety of purposes. Need an idyllic backyard retreat? A guesthouse or off-grid cabin? Or maybe you just want a simple storage solution with a bit more class? Whatever the case, you may want to consider the cabin shed.
And don’t forget to stop by McKenzie Lakes Orchard the next time you are in Spooner Wisconsin and fill up on some excellent local produce and handmade goods! Click here for directions.
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