VARIETY ABOUNDS AT COUNTRY HODGEPODGE

Julee Williams holds a stuffed cow, one of many unusual items that are available at The Country Hodgepodge.

Old-fashioned ladies hats evoke a by-gone era in the new store on Jackson Boulevard.

Subtle Victorian fragrances waft through the air inside The Country Hodgepodge, a new store that opened in Jackson on Nov. 1.

Harboring a quiet and refined atmosphere, the gifts store is in the building at 615 E. Jackson Blvd. that used to be home to the Ranch House restaurant.

Merlin and Julee Williams operated the restaurant for the past nine years. They remodeled the building and opened The Country Hodgepodge.

"It's a new type of business for us," said Julee Williams. "We got out of the restaurant business because we were aging three days to one. It's very hard work, especially in the kitchen. We put in a lot of hours."

Williams said she and her husband are also putting in a lot of hours at the new business, but it's enjoyable work. Their 21-year-old son and 23-year-old daughter are helping, as they did at the restaurant.

"It has taken all of us three months to get the business ready," she said. "We've been remodeling about 12 hours a day every day. We've painted, washed and painted again -- inside and out."

Currently, four rooms in the store are packed with antiques, collectibles, furniture, paintings, crafts and consignment items.

A 1,200-square-foot room is being readied, which will give the business about 3,000 square feet of display space.

"We purchase as many different types of things as we can," said Williams, who lives in Jackson. Her husband is from the Sikeston area and she is from Minnesota. They met in California and moved here nine years ago.

"We have unusual and creative items, and we have crafts from about 40 people."

Old-fashioned hats, table settings, greeting cards, pillows and "stuffed cows" are a few of the many interesting items at The Country Hodgepodge.