From the 1800s until the 1940s, the Scoville Brown Warehouse in Wellsville, New York, hummed with the sounds of a bustling grocery wholesaler. Though the wares have changed, the sounds of a busy building remain. Also evident is the “Hearts Delight” slogan, still visible on the north side of the brick interior. This is the home of Scoville Brown Cooperative where owner and craftsman Jim Braunscheide conducts his business of taking the old and turning it into something new.
Speaking with him on a salvage job site in February, it’s cold, and he has to step inside his warm shop (about a half-mile away) to talk. This particular project is an 1880 house with a demolition contract.
“It would be laying on the ground in three hours,” Jim says. “This would all be thrown away if I didn’t get my hands on it. That’s what I’m most inspired by – saving history.”
Jim has been working on the job for a month, salvaging as much as he can. He sends over a photograph of an ornate architectural detail, a wood accent with a beautiful floral motif hand-carved into it. Jim intentionally left the cobwebs and dust intact to demonstrate what excites him most about it.
“Just to walk in, to get your hands on something original, something that untouched, that’s what inspires me.”
He sends another photo of his kitchen at home (another half-mile from his shop); natural light spills onto every surface, spotlighting his handiwork. Everything in the kitchen is reclaimed and reused – except for the appliances. All of the woodwork, cabinetry and lighting are repurposed.
“Like anyone in their craft, my work has evolved over time. I began to see new, repurposed objects in the items I collected or salvaged. I combined what I learned as a young man building with what I learned through the antiques business and started designing and building furniture, lighting and accessories.”
What Jim brings to Market Hill is a variety of antiques and architectural finds.
“These works are my artistic expression and interpretation of where history, creativity and functionality meet,” he says.
“Market Hill is amazing. As a contractor, I can say, structurally, it’s impressive, and as a vendor, it simplifies all of the little things that make it difficult to sell on your own. From the building to the breezeway to the air-conditioning – everything.”
Come find Scoville Brown Cooperative at Market Hill. Meet Jim, and find something with an interesting story that’s been given a new chapter.
For more information, visit, scovillebrown.com.