Cory’s Carpets opens seasonal storefront for goods

Cory Wojciuch opened a storefront for her business, Cory’s Carpets, this spring. The business is located on County Hwy. EE, about 2 1/2 miles south of State Hwy. 64. The store features washable homemade carpets, as well as handmade cards, dish cloths, potholders and decor. Photo by Julia Wolf

By Julia Wolf

When the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to craft fairs, Cory Wojciuch decided to try a seasonal storefront to sell her goods.

Wojciuch’s business, Cory’s Carpets, is located at 19744 County Hwy. EE, about 2 1/2 miles south of State Hwy. 64 in Cornell. The store carries a variety of homemade goods, the result of years of crafting on Wojciuch’s part.

“My mom was a craft person, I guess,” said Wojciuch of how she got into crafts.

She says the business was open for a little while in the fall, before it was reopened in the spring for the season.

The namesake of Wojciuch’s business, carpets, is her main focus. She says the amount of time it takes to make one of the area rugs, really depends.

“The hardest part is to load the machines,” said Wojciuch.

Wojciuch uses a rug loom to make the washable carpets and says feeding each of the strings through the loom takes time.

“I can make two different sizes, as far as the width,” said Wojciuch.

One size is 23-24 inches wide and the other is about 30 inches wide.

“But, I can make them any length,” said Wojciuch, adding she has made runners for people.

Wojciuch says customization for the rugs can be tricky, since she sometimes has difficulty getting the supplies, so she usually only offers the colors she has available at the time.

She also makes bags on the rug loom and says they would work good for a beach bag, since she uses a plastic-like material for them.

Wojciuch also makes wooden flower decor, blankets, potholders and doll blankets.

Metal flowers, made out of a food can, are one of Wojciuch’s more popular items, remembering how she used to carry the large decor into craft shows over her shoulder.

“That does take a little while, the cutting,” said Wojciuch of making the flowers.

She also creates gift sets, which contain a wash cloth, potholders and a scrubbie, all in coordinating colors.

“So, they can have it for just a quick gift for Mother’s Day or a birthday, or whatever,” said Wojciuch.

Wojciuch also makes an assortment of cards, with seasonal ones for holidays Christmas and Easter, along with sympathy, birthday, graduation, anniversary and wedding.

“All kinds of varieties,” said Wojciuch.

She says, if someone has a type of card in mind she doesn’t already make, they are welcome to request it and she will make it if she can find the stamp. Her cards are also available at other local businesses for purchase.

Crafting is rooted in the family, and Wojciuch displays some stuff made by her relatives in the store, too.

“Whatever, they’ve got, they’ll bring it in,” said Wojciuch.

Bill White, Wojciuch’s brother, also has birdhouses available for sale at the store. White says the mini-structures are a hobby.

“I had a whole bunch of lumber laying around, so I just gave her a go,” said White.

He also uses other found objects in his pieces, to bring the birdhouses to life.

“My kid goes through cowboy boots like they’re going out of style, so I just turn them into birdhouses,” said White.

A camouflage birdhouse he made features a shotgun shell for decoration.

“Then, everyone told me about all the beer cap stuff that’s going around,” said White.

White says he started putting beer caps on some of his creations when he saw the name of the beer was summer shandy, and it reminded him of a summer shanty for birds.

White says the birdhouses painted with a cow pattern have also been popular with customers.

“I just play around with stuff,” said White.

He has also started making owls out of recycled food and coffee cans.

“It’s going to change as time goes on,” said Wojciuch of the store.

Cory’s Carpets is open for business Thursday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. She says she plans to keep it open until at least October, dependent on the weather. Those who would like more information, can call Wojciuch at 715-239-6308.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="367"] Cory’s Carpets also features creations made by Cory Wojciuch’s relatives. Her brother, Bill White displays birdhouses, along with decor made from recycled materials, available for purchase at the business.Photo by Julia Wolf[/caption]