The Sibling Duo Behind Helen Winnemore’s Gift Shop Discuss Its Enduring Appeal
The German Village store has sold decorative pieces and wearable items from American artists for nearly a century.
Helen Winnemore’s gift shop, originally called “The Afternoon Shop,” sits at Mohawk and Kossuth streets in German Village, where it has been since 1951. Established in 1938 by original owner Helen Winnemore, the shop’s purpose, as explained by Helen herself in 1950, “is to bring the work of American artists to people who appreciate and love the handicraft.” Her legacy is now being carried out by brother-and-sister duo John and Julie Jenkins, who took ownership of the store in 2020.
Tell us about the boutique. What makes Helen Winnemore’s different from other gift shops?Julie: The rich history of the store separates us. The beauty that we bring to everyday objects, coupled with the fact that we focus on American artists who provide us with many different types of art, makes the space really special.
How do you find your artists?Julie: Many of the artists we have now have been here for many, many years. One of them is Lotte Sievers-Hahn, a German company that hand carves and hand paints nativity pieces—one of our most popular items. That artist has been in the shop since the 1950s. Another long-standing artist is fine jeweler Ed Levin, who makes beautiful, unique pieces of silver and gold jewelry. Sometimes, local artists will stop in and see if we’d like to sell their work, but our focus is on American brands, with a few Canadian artists as well.
What items can we expect to see in the store?John: We carry works from over 150 artists, in all mediums, from glass to metal, ceramics to wood, paper to jewelry. One of the things I really enjoy is working with the different artists and getting to know their work and how our customers respond to it. Every artist is different, and all have unique stories about how they came to make their work. Some have well-established practices and others are creating their work in their homes. It’s also been fun to hunt and find new artists to bring into the shop.
Any Mother’s Day gifts you would recommend?Julie: We have Kathy Bransfield’s quote necklaces [including] “Daughter’s Heart,” “Grandma,” “Mom” and “Mother’s Love.” There is Mom’s Little Vase by Henrietta Glass, a special, tiny vase for those special little flowers that children tend to bring to their mom. In addition, we have a ton of Mother’s Day greeting cards, and there’s always Ed Levin jewelry and Patricia Locke jewelry.
How is Helen’s legacy living on?Julie: Helen had a real passion for helping her friends and people who became her friends from coming into the store. I didn’t know Helen personally, but from what I heard, she was an amazing woman. People come in on a weekly basis saying they used to come in [the shop] with their mother or grandma who knew Helen.
Also, kudos to Helen for having the foresight of the incredible location. She believed so strongly in what she was doing, which I believe is a testament to why it has stayed in this spot.
Find Helen Winnemore’s at 150 E. Kossuth St., German Village; helenwinnemores.com.
This story is from the May 2024 issue of Columbus Monthly.