Stacy Harshman describes her dairy-barn-turned-gift-shop in Wallingford as a “surprising dose of wow.”

The Sparkle Barn is a pop of bright color along a quiet, mostly rural stretch of Route 7 in Rutland County. The first floor is filled with “eclectic gifts,” Harshman said, while the second serves as an Alice in Wonderland-inspired art installation called “the bloom room.”

“I’m an artist, and my right hand lady (and) retail manager, she’s an artist,” Harshman said. “So I consider the Sparkle Barn an oasis. A lot of people describe it as magical.”

The store sources many of its products from Vermont and other New England artists, but other products come from artists around the world. It’s that portion of her sales that has Harshman worried for the future of her store.

President Donald T

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