For the past three years, My Daughter’s Attic in Hillsboro has offered an eclectic blend of antiques, primitives and locally made crafts. Last summer, owner Tammy Ellis added a small deli, giving the shop a General Store appeal.
The deli has a wide selection of Amish meats and cheese, as well as pantry fillers such as jams, jellies and chips.
“I’ve always liked the Amish meat and cheese,” Ellis said. “Actually my dad was really pushing for it. I knew it would sell well, so we started that last June.”
The deli was well received by locals and tourists, fueling Ellis’ need to expand a little bit more.
“I thought I’d make a couple subs and the next thing you know, people are coming in and ordering the subs,” she said. “We started offering hot sandwiches. A lot of the farmers come in and it’s doing really well. We have soup on Sundays.”
Along with the fresh foods and sandwiches, Ellis has a selection of jams, jellies, pickled items and snack goodies from Gap Mills in Monroe County and Walnut Creek, Ohio.
“I’m trying to keep the items in state as much as I can,” she said. “It’s hard. We just don’t have anybody that does the Amish meat and cheese in the state. When I order, I make sure that the meat and cheese is all right from Walnut Creek.”
Feeding off the popularity of what she has, Ellis plans to eventually expand into more food items.
“Hopefully we’re going to start adding potato salad, macaroni salad and cole slaw,” she said. “We’re even thinking about doing some baked goods – cookies, brownies – and my mom has been making some different sweet roll recipes, trying to find the best one.”
The biggest appeal to the new deli is the freshness of the sandwiches.
“I don’t make sandwiches ahead of time and wrap them up for display,” Ellis said. “I make them when you order them, right in front of you.”
While you wait for Ellis to make a sandwich, the store has plenty of items to occupy your time as you check out the locally made woodcrafts and pottery.
My Daughter’s Attic is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.
Suzanne Stewart may be contacted at sastewart@pocahontastimes.com