Chip Miller & Joanne Hartley

Give Back to Move Forward

by Sheila Turner-Hilliard

Photo by Crissy Everhart Photography www.CrissyEverhart.com

This month, Newtown Edgmont Friends & Neighbors is proud to highlight Elmer “Chip” Miller III and Joanne Hartley: siblings who are lifelong Gradyville residents with a rich history in our community.

The Millers’ ancestors first settled in Edgmont in the 1860s. In the 1920s, Chip and Joanne’s grandfather, Elmer Miller Sr., bought the property on the corner of Middletown and Gradyville Roads from his uncle. Back then, the property featured a trucking company and a small shop that sold items like gum, tobacco and newspapers primarily to truckers.

There was a larger general store across the street,” Chip explained. “When that closed in the late 1950s, our grandfather enclosed the porch of his home, which housed the smaller general store and expanded into our own family general store.

“Our grandfather was a carpenter by trade,” Joanne explained. “But he was also a visionary and community advocate.” Joanne said that whenever their grandfather saw a need, he worked to provide a solution. When the local post office needed to find a new location, he built a small build ing next to the general store. When their local school burned down in 1941, Elmer Miller, Sr. partnered with his good friend, Walter Jeffords, and raised money to form a local fire company, purchased the trucks and served as both President and Vice President for many years.

By the 1950s, their grandfather was elected a township super visor, and Chip and Joanne’s parents, Elmer “Bus” Miller Jr. and his wife, Marylou, took over the general store. Joanne said that she, Chip and their sister Linda, who passed away in 2004, loved helping at the store, stocking shelves and greeting customers.

You could buy just about anything there and it was a fun place to hang out with our friends,” she said. “We also learned a lot about how to treat customers and the importance of community.

By the 1970s, shopping habits quickly changed as supermarkets became more prominent and the Granite Run Mall was built. Realizing that the days of the general store were ending,

Marylou convinced her husband to go into the antiques business. She was already collecting antique items as a hobby and learning about them from experts in the field. In just a few short years, their Den of Antiquity became the place to go for unique and beautiful crystal, estate jewelry, clocks, vinyl records, lamps, vintage Halloween and Thanksgiving decor and Christmas items.

The Miller’s General Store

Photo courtesy of Chip Miller

As Bus and Marylou grew older, Chip and Joanne stepped up to help, learning more about their parents’ business. When Bus died at age 79 in 2009, Marylou continued working at the store and running an antiques appraisal show for local community groups. When Marylou passed away in 2016, Chip and Joanne were already operating the store.

Chip said that his parents poured many hours into the family business but also took time to bring the community together for social events and community projects. “My mother orga nized bingo and card nights and hosted banquets and dances,” he said. In addition, Marylou volunteered with the Edgmont Township Fire Company’s Ladies Auxiliary. She also was a founder and charter member of the Okehocking Heritage Society, dedicated to preserving the history of Edgmont Township.

Our parents raised us to know," Chip said. "That it was our duty to give back and actively participate to improve our community.

Chip followed in his father and grandfather’s footsteps and became an active member of the fire department when he was 16 years old. He quickly rose through the ranks and became Vice President, then President. When it came time to add more firetrucks and garage bays, Chip went to the township to ask for financial support. After a public hearing held by the super visors, a fire tax was approved by elected officials. Being a part of this process and attending township meetings inspired Chip to run for a township supervisor position. Chip served as an elected Township Supervisor for three six-year terms, and most of that time was spent as Chairman. He has also served 25 years as a member of the Edgmont Township Planning Commission, the majority of that time serving as Chairman.

Recently retired from medical sales, Chip, a 1975 graduate of St. James High School and a trained paramedic, lives with his wife Meg in a home next door to the store where he spends most of his time. Joanne, a 1976 graduate of Cardinal O’Hara High School, recently retired from a 44-year career as a dental assistant, as well as working four days at the store. She also lives down the road. The siblings have been the owners/opera tors for six years, although they grew up living and breathing the business.

Downtown Gradyville in the early 1940s

Photo courtesy of Chip Miller

Joanne said that Marylou passed her extensive knowledge of antiques through stories and hands-on experience. “Every time mom would come home from a trip to buy items, she would sit us all down at the kitchen table to explain where they came from, why they’re considered antiques and how she deter mined the value,” she explained. “We would touch and feel each piece, examine them thoroughly and help her set them up for display.”

Chip added that Marylou also became an expert in dolls and often visited the world-renowned Mary Merritt Doll & Toy Museum in Douglassville, PA.

Our mother became fast friends with Marjorie Darrah, who was the museum curator and president of Merritt’s Antiques,” he said. “Marjorie was a pillar in the industry.

In addition to every kind of antique item imaginable, the shop has a “Christmas room” on the first floor, which welcomes visitors of all ages. Many of the vintage Christmas holiday items are from Marylou’s own personal collection. Upstairs, there is an entire floor of holiday items that became the inspiration for a Letters to Santa mailbox inside the store. “A little girl came into our shop one day and thought our Christmas room on the second floor was Santa’s workshop,” Joanne explained.

Joanne Hartley and Chip Miller in the Christmas Shop

“When the young girl came back for another visit with her parents, she placed a letter to Santa in a sleigh up there.” Every Christmas season, Chip and Joanne make sure the letters get back to the children’s parents in time for Santa’s annual arrival.

Under Chip and Joanne’s leadership, the Den of Antiquity has continued to thrive year-round and attract customers from all over the map. They add to the shop’s impressive collection of inventories by appraising estates, purchasing items and occasionally shopping yard sales for unique finds. The inventory is constantly changing, with new items added almost daily. Joanne noted that most items in the store are from the 1960s or earlier. Browsing and looking can take a while because Chip estimates the shop has anywhere from 10-15,000 items.

Over the years we’ve learned that there is a buyer for everything,” Chip said. “We take great pride in offering affordable items for any size budget.

“Our favorite part is getting to know our customers and helping them discover pieces that are meaningful to them,” Joanne said. “Chip and I enjoy sharing the stories and the history behind the items, so our customers have even more reason to appreciate and cherish their finds.” Sharing the stories behind each piece also helps Chip and Joanne honor their parent’s hard work and continue their legacy.

Thank you, Chip and Joanne, for sharing your family’s story and steadfast commitment to improving our community. On behalf of your Newtown Edgmont Friends & Neighbors, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season.

Publisher’s Note: Do you know a family, individual or nonprofit goup in Newtown, Edgmont or Willistown Towsnhip who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for upcoming feature articles by emailing your ideas to Sheila Turner-Hilliard at STurnerHilliard@BestVersionMedia.com.