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River Paws Vintage Market opened its doors in 2018 offering a treasure trove of finds.
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River Paws Vintage Market is located at 11460 Courthouse Road in Lancaster.
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Susan Ditch and her all-around helper, daughter Hannah.
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In addition to dogs and cats, River Paws Farm offers services for fish, pocket pets, farm animals, and chickens.
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The River Paws Farm family homestead.
When Susan Ditch sold her thriving pet resort business in southern Maryland after 15 years and bought an 1895 farmhouse in Nuttsville, she had a plan in mind. She was going to retire, plant a big garden on their ten acres and write books while her husband fixed up the old house.
That was all well and good until the first time they wanted to go away for the weekend, only to discover that pet-sitting options were scarce on the Northern Neck. After 15 years in professional pet care, Ditch got pulled back into the business because she realized that if she, a newcomer, needed it, plenty of other dog parents probably did, too.
River Paws Farm operates out of the Ditch family home, a handsome green farmhouse with multiple outbuildings, including an original barn slated for renovation. But unlike her Maryland pet resort, Ditch offers in-home services, sometimes making as many as 8 or 10 house visits a day. “I grew up loving animals, always had pets, and was drawn to pet care,” she says from her sunny living room. “There’s a special bond you have with pets: you see what they need, and you take care of that. Best of all, pets are never in a bad mood or hold a grudge.”
Already, she has many regular customers whose pets react to her like an old friend. The goal is for pet parents to have peace of mind when they’re away by leaving Sparky in the capable hands of a professional who not only has 20 years of experience but is insured and certified in pet first aid. Even when clients aren’t away, those with mobility issues can avail themselves of Ditch’s daily dog-walking services.
Because people trust her in their homes, she becomes almost extended family. The benefit to clients is that their pets get to stay in familiar home territory. “I spend most of my days driving back and forth because everything is a half-hour away,” she laughs, acknowledging that she’s already at the point where she needs to hire help. “But some clients like that it’s just me because I know their pets so well.” In addition to dogs and cats, River Paws Farm offers services for fish, pocket pets, farm animals, and chickens.
Once the pet-sitting business was comfortably underway, Ditch turned to another of her passions: history. For over 20 years, Ditch had been what she calls a “vintage hoarder.” Combing estate sales and thrift markets with a keen eye for what had value to others, she’d make a purchase and then research it before stashing the find in a large storage unit.
All those years of acquisitions suddenly made sense when an acquaintance mentioned that the big red barn near the county courthouse–originally a tomato cannery-was available for rent. Given that Ditch had moved to Nuttsville in 2015, living across the street from their newly purchased house for years until her husband finished renovations on it in October 2019, taking on another major project could seem unlikely. To Ditch, it was a golden opportunity to finally have a public outlet for all those years of seeking out vintage finds. It took four months to clean and paint the barn, put pine planking on the walls, renovate the counter and replace the old sliding barn door with a proper double door. Then began the long job of separating all her finds into categories, making it easier for customers to browse through like items.
“I put a lot of sweat equity into this place,” she says proudly. “I’m passionate about history and I hand-picked every item in here over the past 20 years and added more since opening.” River Paws Vintage Market opened its doors in 2018 with variable hours, but since her pet sitting business has taken off, the market’s hours are more limited. It’s open from March through December every Saturday from 10:00 am to 3 pm.
Meandering through the enormous barn reveals a treasure trove of finds: enlarged boat charts for the Florida West Coast and Keys suitable for framing; an entire set of gold-trimmed fine china; a yellow dollhouse with real lace curtains at the windows; and a Brownie camera with flashbulb attachment, still in the original box. “I always found it fun and therapeutic to wander back in time at a vintage store,” Ditch says. “And I learn so much from listening to people’s stories about things they find here.”
One thing she’s already learned from her customer base is that no one wants Grandma’s furniture. Customers, she says, gravitate to pieces they can repurpose by fixing up, cleaning and painting. She helps by suggesting easy fixes that don’t require major effort to spark the customers’ imaginations.
Working with her when she’s not in school is Ditch’s 12-year-old daughter Hannah who helps out with client visits to exercise, feed, and play with the pets. At the vintage market, she assists by helping customers, working the register, and merchandising.
Sometimes she’s a reality check for her mom. Heading home after a long day of pet-sitting, Ditch slowed the car to admire a deer on the roadside. After several times saying, “Hi, li’l guy," with no response, Hannah pointed out that her Mom was talking to a corn stalk. “We still laugh about that,” Ditch says. “And she likes to chant, ‘Hi, li’l guy!’ whenever we see deer now.”
As if launching two businesses isn’t enough to consume her time, Ditch recently added chickens to the farm, with plans to sell the chicken’s eggs at the vintage market and add a small dairy cow as part of a small self-sufficient dairy operation.
“Everything—the house, the pet-sitting business, the market—is a labor of love,” she says. “My goal is to create a fun, friendly market stand at the barn, a relaxing environment where people can hang out and step back in time.”
Meanwhile, she’s still got plans to write those books, one about an uncle who served in WWII and the other a compendium of anecdotes from her years running the pet resort. “I moved down here with a false idea of retirement and I haven’t gotten close yet,” Ditch jokes. “Man, I don’t know how I do all this. Welcome to Nuttsville!”
Follow River Paws Farm, located in Lancaster, Virginia, on Facebook, at River Paws Pet Sitting, and River Paws Vintage Market, their website, RiverPawsFarm.com, or phone, 804-480-0148.
River Paws Vintage Market is located at 11460 Courthouse Road, Lancaster, and is open Saturdays through December from 10:00 am-3:00 pm
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River Paws Vintage Market opened its doors in 2018 offering a treasure trove of finds.
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River Paws Vintage Market is located at 11460 Courthouse Road in Lancaster.
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Susan Ditch and her all-around helper, daughter Hannah.
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In addition to dogs and cats, River Paws Farm offers services for fish, pocket pets, farm animals, and chickens.
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The River Paws Farm family homestead.
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River Paws Pet Sitting is available seven days a week.