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Local store offers old-fashioned service

The aroma of gardenia, lilac and vanilla permeate the air inside The Orange Horse Country Store on 99th and Northeast Glisan Street. The gentle music and country decor create an inviting atmosphere to explore the shop's nooks and crannies.

Antique furniture pieces display the books, figurines, specialty teas and lace that fill each of the rooms. Lace table runners are draped on a wooden rack, and a white wrought iron shelf holds Heritage lace in burgundy, forest green and light blue. Oak and painted shelves hang on the walls with Boyd's Bears and other collectible figurines.

A small room to the right of the cash register contains every scent of candle imaginable. Carol Ross, one of the owners, kneels on the floor writing out an order. She learned that candle prices are going up, so she is placing a last order at lower prices to save the customers some money.

Owners Renee Ross and Carol Ross believe that customer service is most important. They keep a list of customers who purchase some of the specialty items, like Boyd's Bears or collectible dolls. When new items come in, the women call their customers to let them know. They also provide gift boxes, an added touch most small stores neglect.

Cathy Gregersen, a regular customer, comes to the counter. Renee called Gregersen to let her know some new dolls came in. Carol shows her the new dolls with paper mache and resin faces with round mouths that look they are singing. The company that produces the dolls, Byers Choice, makes the dolls in a series, like the Charles Dickens or Salvation Army series.

An antique curio cabinet in the back room serves as a display for many of the dolls, including the Charles Dickens series, an Indian series and a Salvation Army series. Byers Choice donates 30 percent of its proceeds to charity.

Gregersen is admiring two dolls: a woman wearing a blue gingham dress and a man wearing a blue gingham jacket. Both of the dolls hold miniature croquet mallets. Gregersen says she has several dolls that she uses to decorate the top of her piano for Christmas. She will display these new dolls all year long because their attire isn't for any particular season. Gregersen buys the dolls and gets ready to leave.

Renee recalls a time when a man came in looking for lace for curtains. He wasn't sure how much he needed. She told him to take home the bolt, figure out how much fabric he needed and then bring the bolt back. The man was surprised by the offer. He said it reminded him of years ago when the local hardware store clerk would let him take a screw home to see if it was the right size. He would verify the size and go back and pay for it, or get the right one.

Renee believes that this kind of service isn't around much any more. She said that many stores have become big corporations, and customer service is a thing of the past.

"People say that coming into our store is like escaping for a little while. I think there is real loss of community in big stores and our store provides that community. We know our customers and their brothers, mothers and sisters. Our store is kind of like the old soda fountain where people gathered," Renee said.

Renee opened The Orange Horse 15 years ago with her mother, LaVonne Kline, who had owned an antique store. Back then, the store was a junk store, and the owner wanted to sell his business. Renee checked around and found out that the land under the business was for sale. She bought the land, which included the business in front and the cottage to the north of the store.

The business was dilapidated when they took it over. They refurbished the entire store and turned the garage into an additional room. The women worked many hours both running the store and doing repairs, such as cleaning gutters and fixing leaky roofs.

"I remember one Thanksgiving, the roof over there was leaking and it started raining and there was water everywhere. We ate at Burger King that year. It was a lovely Thanksgiving," Renee said, laughing.

Renee has two children: Greg, 20, and Lindsey, 18. Lindsey grew up at the store, working and helping out most of her life.

Carol worked for the store for 10 years off and on. She met Renee when their children attended school together. Carol's son, Brandon, wanted Renee's son, Greg, to come over to his house. Carol asked Greg where his mom worked so she could call to get permission for Greg to come over.

"My mom works at The Orange Horse," Greg said.

"I never heard of 'The Orange Horse.' Now c'mon, Greg, tell me the truth," Carol said.

"Really, she works at The Orange Horse," Greg said.

"I know you're making that up. I never heard of such a place. Quit fooling around with me and tell me where your mom works," Carol said.

Once again, Greg told her that his mom worked at The Orange Horse. Carol finally realized that Greg was serious. His mom did work at The Orange Horse. Carol looked it up, found the name of the business and called Renee. The boys got together and Carol started working for Renee soon after that.

LaVonne asked Carol if she was interested in cleaning her house. Carol agreed. Then she asked her if she would clean the cottage next to the store when tenants moved out. Eventually, she asked Carol to help with an open house during the holidays one year. After that, Carol worked in the store during holidays and when Renee and Carol went to shows. Then last September, Lavonne sold her part of the business to Carol and she became co-owner with Renee.

Carol is married and has a son, Brandon, who is 20, and a daughter, Tia, who is 25. She says her husband is understanding about the time she spends at the store; now that Carol owns part of the business, the two women rarely get a day off. They have no employees, so when the store is open, they need to be there.

One time, Renee needed to go to the Hallmark store to buy a Beanie Baby. A customer came in whom she knew pretty well. Renee gave the customer the keys, showed her how to use the cash register and told the customer that she would be back in a few minutes. The customer was astonished and said, "Don't leave me." Renee told her everything would be fine and left the store. When she returned a little while later, everything was intact and the customer was fine.

The women purchase most of their items from suppliers, but some merchandise is from local artisans. A local artist makes the wreaths of blue, green and violet hanging in the back room.

They attend several gift shows a year to purchase items for the store. One was held last weekend in Seattle. During the summer, the women attend gift shows in other areas, such as Dallas, Texas, or Atlanta, Ga. This gives the women the opportunity to see items from other parts of the country.

About four years ago, when the Beanie Baby craze began, the women began carrying the sought-after toys. An antique dresser near the front door is heaped with dogs, cats, red pigs, snakes and bears waiting patiently for eager children to adopt them.

The women received so many calls about Beanies that they installed a hotline people can call and find out if new shipments of the latest Beanies have arrived. Each day, dozens of boys and girls call or come by the store to check for new shipments.

The store's name is based on a legend from LaVonne and Renee's Scandanavian roots. A poem called "The Orange Horse" tells the tale of the Dahalast, which means "orange horse." The horse was so treasured during the days of bartering in Scandinavia that a man could present one at an inn for payment for a night's lodging. The poem says the horse brings hospitality, gentleness, good cheer and loyalty to friends through all the changes of time.

Renee said that providing customer service and a sense of community is a lost art that she wants to preserve at The Orange Horse.