OSO — When Carrie and Chuck Snow moved to Oso in the fall of 1993, the couple had no idea that their restoration of the farmhouse they purchased in the valley between the mountains would become the basis for a cottage industry.
In 1997, the Snows opened the Mystic Mountain Nursery at their refurbished home, and kept it running until 2004, when they went on to pursue other career options, but when Chuck was injured in an auto accident, Carrie decided she would start up the plant nursery and antique gift store again.
The Mystic Mountain Nursery reopened on May 1 of this year, and while Carrie Snow is still proud of her selection of plants and antiques, she wants to let travelers through the area know about her next service, which will be the opening of a bed and breakfast this fall.
“We’ll be closed between January and March, because that’s when it’s nasty up here and no one will want to come, but we’ll use that time and space to grow our plants,” said Snow, who noted that she limited this year’s crop to annuals, perennials and herbs because they opened so late in the spring, but added that she plans to include fruit trees, shrubs and rhododendrons in next year’s crop. “Our antique store carries a mix of furniture, jewelry and glassware from the 1920s on up, as well as gourmet foods, children’s books, candles and seeds. We’re always open to carrying more food lines.”
The antique store is still being restored to more closely resemble a building dating back to the 1800s, while the bed and breakfast that’s set to open on Oct. 1 will boast two freshly refurbished bedrooms with similarly authentic period decor — one with a kingsized bed, and the other with two three-quarters-sized beds and a rollaway bed — leading out into a spacious and rustically appointed common area, complete with the more modern feature of a flatscreen TV.
“It’s ideal for a couple or a small family to stay the night,” said Snow, who had run a bed and breakfast out of one of the property’s other buildings during the Mystic Mountain Nursery’s first run. “And in the morning, they’ll be served a full breakfast made from scratch.”
In addition to the availability of any number of nearby outdoor activities, Snow touted the host of animals in pens on site to entertain the kids — from turkeys, peacocks and emus to miniature goats, donkeys and horses — and promised visitors a pumpkin patch, with surrey rides and cider cookies, from Oct. 1-31.
For more information, log onto the Mystic Mountain Nursery’s website at www.mysticmountainbnb.com or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MysticMountain-NurseryAntiques, or call them at 360-435-5888.
