KLICKER'S-PART 2

Fall Decor & More

With the summer flowers in the garden and patio pots all but spent, and colder, rainier weather forcing indoor pursuits, tis the time for autumnal decorating. Bring on the squashes, gourds, cornstalks, and colorful Indian corn. And if you don't grow these things yourself, Klicker's is where you can find them all, and more.

Yes, you can even buy bundles of dry cornstalks. Imagine that!

Inside the shop, I am particularly smitten with the antique buffalo check tin, but then I love anything red.

Trick or Treat!

FALL FUN @ KLICKER'S

A Hometown Halloween Ritual

I've photographed and written about Klicker's in all four seasons because if ever there was an iconic tradition in Walla Walla, Klicker Berries and Antiques would be it. 

On a recent cloudy Friday, with the threat of wind and rain imminent, families with young children and groups of college-age friends were still on the hunt in search of that perfect pumpkin. And even though the traditional giant orange squashes are not grown by Klicker's, and going to the closest Safeway or Wal-Mart would be much easier, it's way more fun to wander up and down the aisles of pumpkins, stopping to judge, measure, and imagine which one will become this year's prized jack-o'-lantern. 

Besides, there's so much more to do at Klicker's than simply picking out a pumpkin as these kids can attest. A pyramid of straw bales holds the giant metal slide that takes kids on a speedy ride down one side while a crowd of camera-ready parents and grandparents record the glee-filled faces. I even spied a college-age young woman taking her turn to the whoops and hollers of her friends close by.

Once is never enough!

Those who know me well, know that I love anything RED, along with old and rusty--

 especially as potential objets d'art for the garden. So this collection of Radio Flyer wagons definitely caught my attention. 

Here at Klicker's they are used to load up with pumpkins, the bigger the better.

Every season has its heyday at Klicker's, and by the end of next month this building along with the grassy field that's now filled with pumpkins will be filled with row upon row of Christmas trees. For now, it houses many of the old and antique items that will eventually fill several rooms in the main store which is in another building nearby.

When I saw this hot-air balloon wind spinner hanging from one of the beams in the Christmas Tree barn, I realized this was the closest I was going to get to photographing the real thing this weekend. Unfortunately, the weather forecast of wind and rain cancelled all but Wednesday morning's Kids' Day tethered lift. The Balloon Stampede, another long-time local tradition, had been scheduled to fill the Walla Walla Valley sky with hot-air balloons all weekend, but it wasn't in the cards this year. Hence this photo.

Remember those menacing clouds? By the time I ventured inside the store to take a few photos, the sky let loose in a flurry of rain and small hailstones which vacated the pumpkin field forcing shoppers into the store and me into my car, or, as seen by this girl, waiting pumpkin in hand under the overhang for the rain to stop.

BUY LOCAL, EAT LOCAL

Klicker Berries and More

Around Walla Walla, summer, strawberries, and Klickers are synonymous. The Klicker family has been growing strawberries in the Walla Walla Valley since 1918. Having picked too many strawberries from their mother's garden patch in the Blue Mountains, brothers Del and Jake Klicker hitched a wagon and drove 15 miles to town where they sold the vine-ripened mountain berries for a premium price. They quickly discovered that the berry business paid better than the family Klicker Springs Hotel business. And the rest is history, as they say.

Klicker Berries, as they are referred to locally, can be purchased whole with the stem in tact or pre-sliced and unsweetened by the bucket. Depending upon what you plan to do with them, Klicker strawberries are indeed a natural sweet treat of every Walla Walla summer.

In addition to strawberries, Klicker's also grows and sells blueberries along with other locally grown fruit including raspberries, peaches, apricots, and melons. Combined with giant, shortcake biscuits from John's Wheatland Bakery, the berries and stone fruits make a great summer dessert or even breakfast. Why not?

And while you're there, why not pick up some fresh, locally grown veggies. Sweet corn, green beans, and zucchini are in season right now with plenty of vine ripened tomatoes arriving soon. 

And of course, don't forget the Walla Walla sweet onions grown only here in the Walla Walla Valley.

You can buy them singly . . . 

or by the bag. 

Either way, they're the sweetest onions you'll ever taste.

KLICKER'S POST CHRISTMAS--An Epilogue

See Ya' Next Spring

Christmas is the end of a busy year for the Klicker family and their local business. Now the store is buttoned up for the winter and signs are posted.

Forlorn orphan Christmas trees rest along the fence and will be ground into mulch come spring.

CHRISTMAS @ KLICKER'S-Final Installment

Klicker Berries and Antiques

Living up to its name, the other half of Klicker's store is filled with antiques and other decorative items for the home. 

More than likely there is something for every person on your Christmas list if you peek in every nook and crannie. 

Come along and see for yourself.

And just in case you missed buying fresh berries in the summer including the famous Klicker strawberries, 

you can still find frozen berries available for sale.

And finally, where is Klicker's located? Right here, of course.

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Buon Natale, Frohe Weihnachten, God Jul or Happy Holidays to all!

CHRISTMAS @ KLICKER'S- Part 5

But Wait! There's More

Besides the trees, wreaths, poinsettias and ornaments, Klicker's also sells its own custom line of condiments including pickled veggies, salad dressings, fruit preserves, and salsas--Oh my!

CHRISTMAS @ KLICKER'S-Part 4

Santas, Snowmen, and Sparkles

Stepping inside Klicker's store, you enter a world of Christmas. Even the most die-hard Grinch would find it difficult not to feel the Christmas Spirit here. All sorts of baubles, bangles, beads, and bibelots are available for purchase as gifts or to brighten your very own Christmas tree and home. It's hard to choose!

It's easy to spend more time than planned looking at all the Christmas ornaments and decorations.

But wait! There's still more to see in tomorrow's blogpost. 

CHRISTMAS @ KLICKER'S-Part 3

A Wreath for the Door and a Poinsettia for the House

Klicker's has everything you need to decorate for Christmas. After selecting the perfect tree outside, follow the well-worn path to the main store. Along the way you will pass a wall filled with wreaths in every color combination imaginable making it hard to choose--unless, of course, you are a red and green traditionalist like me. Then the choices narrow to only half the hanging wreaths. And like the trees, once a wreath is taken down for purchase, another wreath takes its place.

Stepping inside the store, the pungent smell of cut evergreens, poinsettias and sweet candy fills the air. But you don't know which way to look first-- the twinkling lights, the sparkly ornaments and all the red and green vie for your visual attention.

I especially like this Eiffel Tower loaded with a selection of seasonal poinsettias--red, white, pink and mottled.

 But this ruffled red beauty really catches my eye.

KLICKER'S @ CHRISTMAS-Part 2

To Flock or Not to Flock

After choosing the perfect tree (see Part 1 of this series), there's still another choice to be made. At Klicker's, they do their own custom flocking--light, medium, or heavy--depending upon the intensity of the blizzard-look you want in your family room. A hint I learned from the 'flocker-man' is to string the lights on the tree first, and then have it flocked. That way the lights blend in and twinkle like lights seen through a snow storm. 

People seem to have definite feelings about flocking. I think it's a love it or hate it kind of thing. 

Growing up, my family had two trees--a standard issue green Douglas fir in the living room which served as the family tree where Santa would leave the presents, and then a second, white-flocked decorative tree on the stair landing in front of the big multi-paned picture window. This tree served dual purposes--you could see it from the inside as you climbed the stairs and also from the street outside as part of the outdoor house decorations. 

 I like both green and flocked trees and have had both kinds as a adult, but I've never had a purple or a pink flocked Christmas tree which I've only seen in pictures. Kicker's only does white snow flocking.

KLICKERS @ CHRISTMAS--Part 1

Finding the Perfect Tree

Klicker's, formally known as Klicker Berries and Antiques, is a 4th generation family business in Walla Walla. At Christmas time, it is my go-to place to experience Christmas with all my senses. Outside, the fresh smell of pine and fir hangs in the air as I wander up and down the aisles of cut evergreen trees all vying for that special spot in someone's home. I no longer put up a tree, but that familiar scent takes me back to many Christmases past, many of which began right here with a Saturday outing along with my husband and two sons to select our family Christmas tree.

If we were lucky, there would be snow covering the bare trees and dirt paths creating that cold crunch-crunch underfoot.

Years ago, Klickers used to grow live trees that they would custom cut for customers. Nowadays, all their trees are pre-cut. They arrive all bundled up and stacked until they are eventually set free and lined up in rows.

As soon as one tree is removed to go to a home for Christmas, another tree is brought in to take its place.