|
About Us
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
About
Us
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IT ALL STARTED WITH THIS
AD !!!
"DEPARTMENT 56 COLLECTORS CLUB
NOW BEING FORMED.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL
......."
Our little club was
an idea that began in a small back room in the Summer of 1991.
Then
one Sunday in November, 1991 a small two-line ad appeared in our local newspaper
calling for anyone who collects these little porcelain houses to get together
with others and start sharing ideas, thoughts and fun with each
other. This ad was placed to see if there was any interest in starting
a Department 56 Collectors' Club in Rhode Island. The owners of this
ad were
Peter
and Jeanne George of the Village Chronicle.
The first preliminary meeting was held in November
of 1991 and was attended by
six
collectors.
It was held at the George's Condominium Clubhouse in Warwick. They did not
have an agenda as they were unsure if anyone would even show up. Peter
remembers that they talked about their collections and what they all collected.
None of the 6 collectors realized how valuable their collection were
when they started. The next meeting in 1992 had several more members including
Frank
and Florence Wilson
of the
Cottage
Locator,
who along
with
Peter
and Jeanne become
Charter
Members
It was officially formed in February 1992
and christened
"Ocean State Villagers of
Rhode Island".
This
club was formed to bring together the many Department 56 collectors
in Rhode Island.
During the first two years, we were sponsored by
one
store.
Many of our initial members came from collectors on the store's mailing
list. Growth was slow but steady. The second big increase came as a
result of the club having a table at a Swap & Sell at a
local Hotel. (We doubled our membership because of that !!)
At the end of that year as a club, we decided to become
an independent club with no store affiliation or sponsorship, so
as to better serve all the Department 56 collectors in the state. Unfortunately,
the store that initially sponsored us closed at the end of 1993.
In early 1994 after two years, we had over
54
paid
members....by the end of our first year as an independent club,
we had grown to over
160
members.
Members were primarily from Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
During this year, we also joined the National Council of "56" Clubs
NOW AND OUR FUTURE
Today, sixteen years
later, we have grown to over 100 plus members from Rhode Island,
Massachusetts and Connecticut. We have 10 Associate Members who support us
by donating many wonderful houses and accessories for our club door and raffle
prizes. They also attend our meetings and give us their insight
into this magical world of collecting Department 56 houses. They also
bring their wisdom, knowledge and friendship into our club.
In June, 2007, our club broaden its collecting
by including
ALL
kinds of collections in our club
meetings and event. Our new name was voted on and accepted
as
"The
Ocean State Villagers and
Collectors.
Our Associate
Members provide our club with up-to date information on new introductions,
year-end retirements, display tips and the latest news from Department 56.
To thank our Associate Members for their
support, we attend all of their Open Houses and bring more customers
into their stores by demonstrating how to make their villages come to
life.
Our main purpose and goal of our club is to enjoy our
villages, share display ideas, tips and fun with fellow collectors. We
keep our members informed with all information in our newsletter, other sources
of publication and just by good old-fashion word of mouth.
|
|
|
THE OCEAN STATE VILLAGERS AND
COLLECTORS
WISHES TO THANK ALL
OF OUR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS AND
FRIENDS FOR
THEIR SUPPORT THROUGHOUT
THE YEARS TO US.
![[Image]](pict6.jpg)
![[Image]](pict7.jpg)
NEWSLETTER
VILLAGE BEACON
PUBLISHED
6 TIMES A
YEAR
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CLUB
MEMBERSHIP
Individual - $ 20.00
Family - $
25.00
Additional - $
5.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
EMAIL:osvri@aol.com