By Sylvanna Zurbrick
The Surveyor

Kelly Canino is pictured in the opening above her new business, The Rancher’s Wife near the Berthoud Depot.
Sylvanna Zurbrick / The Surveyor

Kelly Canino has always wanted to be the “rancher’s wife” − the woman of yesteryear who drove her community together on the open range. She encouraged community, helped to fuel the economy, and kept her neighbors close.

Here on the Front Range in beautiful Berthoud we have Kelly Canino, our own rancher’s wife. Canino is rolling out a new business in Berthoud, a platform for the cottage industry called The Rancher’s Wife. On Third Street and Massachusetts Avenue, in the shadow of the old grain mill just beneath the large mural of a rancher and his family, locals will find the new open-air market. The Rancher’s Wife is a weekend market full of hand-crafted and refurbished treasures.

The charm of the mill is astounding as you step into the historic Berthoud landmark. The walls are made of re-purposed barn wood, crate covers, vintage house doors and historic pieces from the original grain mill and elevator itself. The location of the store is set where two offices were to be constructed during the grain mill’s heyday but were never finished. Canino, a Berthoud local for over seven years, has finally brought the space to life; a new community gathering place to create, grow and share.

At The Rancher’s Wife customers can find goods that represent and encourage the cottage industry, a movement dear to Canino’s heart. In Colorado and across the country the cottage industry is a growing movement bringing Americans back to their roots of hand-crafted items that are made with care and pride while supporting the local economy. Because all products that fall into the cottage industry category are handmade or refurbished in a person’s home, finding an avenue to display and sell these products can be difficult.

“Giving folks a stationary place to sell their goods on a regular basis is a large goal of mine as a cottage industry advocate,” said Canino. While she does refurbish furniture herself and cans her own olives, she welcomes locals and fellow Coloradans to consign their goods in her store and bring more local business to downtown Berthoud. Currently offering homemade natural soaps, locally harvested honey and repurposed furniture, The Rancher’s Wife will soon be filled with other local handmade goods. In the future Canino also hopes to offer classes for locals to share and learn the process of making some of these homemade treasures; neighbors supporting neighbors and friends supporting friends is what the cottage industry is all about and Canino is stepping up for these small home-based businesses and community members to have a platform for their goods.

“One of the things I love most about Berthoud is its diversity and its close-knit community, and through the years it has somehow managed to stay just like Mayberry,” Canino said fondly. “People here want to support their neighbors; it is still that old-fashioned kind of town and The Ranchers Wife was just meant to be. Every time a door shut, and I thought the dream was over, another door opened. It has been a true godsend and a dream turned reality that has had me hard at work since March.”

Supporting Berthoud locals just got a little easier thanks to Canino opening up the doors of the old grain mill and creating a space for the lovely town of Berthoud to grow and share. The Ranchers Wife is now open and continues to roll out as more consignment goods fill the cozy shop. Canino welcomes anyone who is interested in buying or selling to contact her or stop by and take in the history and charm. Market hours are weekends only at this point; Fridays 11 a.m. to dark, Saturdays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

People interested in selling homemade goods through Kelly’s store can email her at [email protected] or stop by during business hours and introduce themselves.