Cootes Store Farms

06/19/2026

Happy Fathers Day Weekend!!!

Is a day set aside for honoring one's father, as well as fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. "Father's Day".

In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the United States, Father's Day was founded in the state of Washington by Sonora Smart Dodd in 1910.

Observed by 112+ Countries

The first Father’s Day was held on June 19, 1910, the month of the birthday of Dodd’s father.

The scriptures recognize the mutual joy between fathers and their families. Proverbs 23:24 states, "The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son delights in him"

06/16/2026

🍎 🍎 🍎 🍎 🪵 🪵 🪵 🪵 Your looking at the SOLE PROPIETER / OWNER of Cootes Store Farms aka SAK Enterprises 🍎 🍎 🍎 🍎 🪵 🪵 🪵 🪵

This is “The Good Home place”

It was the second stop after Pennsylvania for the Goods and final spot for many! Circa 1850 here and the barn was built in 1852. I am not sure without some further research, but am the 6th or 7th generation to call this location home/a place of work/appreciation for the land/an appreciation for the people that came before/and people!!!

This is 🇺🇸 Americas 🇺🇸 250th year so it will not be difficult to remember!!!!!

We thank you for your business!

06/14/2026

What HOMEBUILDER, REAL ESTATE AGENT, ARCHITECT or INTERIOR DESIGNER would not want a piece of Shenandoah Valley HISTORY?!?!?! Especially for all you chicken and turkey lovers out there!!!!!!

What a story this wood has to offer. This lumber is from one of the “first modern” turkey/chicken houses in Rockingham County, Virginia (Incase you didn’t know, the birthplace of the domesticated poultry industry in the WORLD!!!)

This comes off the Good Homeplace circa 1850 and the house was Alfred Goods (my Grandad) first modern house. He originally started with range turkeys (which wasn’t “cool” at the time)…….

This wood has so many unique characteristics as reclaimed lumber due to its environment of being in a chicken house all these years it’s absolutely beautiful and one of a kind……..

There are many options before I make some decisions on what its destined to be but could be decided by 1-3 clients.

WHO WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THIS HISTORY HERE IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY of VIRGINIA ???? If I dont HEAR anything it will probably end up far from LOCAL!!!!

The details of the wood:

-southern yellow pine
-currently in 2”x6”x12’
-ideally cut on my mill and turned into around 3/4” thickness
-tongue and groove is possible (smooth surface or a more rustic look, kind of skip planned)
-shiplapping is a possibility with same appearance options.
-the stains and finishes are up to the customer
-roughly will end up being over 15,000 up to 30,000 square feet (tractor trailor load)

******we are not through “denailing” yet, but it will NOT be much longer till that step is over and it goes on the sawmill******

DM or call (540) 421-6781 to discuss or schedule an appointment

06/13/2026

🐝 🐝 🐝 🍏 🍎 🍏 Some interesting BEE FACTS for the weekend! We ALL need BEES!!!!!!!!!! (Theirs a lot more “pollinators” than typical “European Honeybees”!!!!!!!!!! 🐝 🐝 🐝 🍏 🍎 🍏

-Virginia is home to over 400 documented bee species. And the non-native European honeybee.

-Social & semi social bees: European honeybees and bumblebees.

-common native & solitary bees: carpenter bees, mason bees, leaf cutter bees, sweat bees, digger bees, polyester bees…..etc etc…..

https://loudounwildlife.org/habitat-conservation/protecting-pollinators/native-bees/

https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/document/vainvertlist-bees.pdf

🦇-other things besides BEES that pollinate: 🦇

-butterflies and moths, wasps and ants, flies, birds, bats

https://dwr.virginia.gov/blog/celebrate-pollinators/

https://steppingstoneva.com/the-best-natural-pollinators-to-plant-in-virginia/

https://www.plantvirginianatives.org/planting-natives-to-attract-pollinators

Native Bees There are about 4000 species of bees native to the United States, about 400 of which can be

06/13/2026

What in tha……what, what has been going on? What in the world? We’ve been doing a bit of “picking” for the wood shop recently and this isn’t everything that has been going on recently…….

Meet a lot of interesting people along the way and some of the items have some interesting stories like bed frames from the late 1700’s…Sometimes the “crafters” themselves…..

A bit different from our “typical” furniture since we have a SAWMILL and a KILN to make our own LUMBER that can go into FURNITURE!!!!!……

It’s DIFFICULT to believe we’ve been at this side since 2012!!!!!!!

Have a good weekend!!!!!!!!!!

06/11/2026

For all you folks that like/enjoy “folk art” “rustic wildlife/nature scenes” I’ve found the GUY for you!!!!!!

I’m going to turn these items into pieces of FURNITURE down the road but would make excellent pieces to just display on the wall!!! It’s a “dying art form”!!!!!!!

Stay TUNED for the FURNITURE!!!!!………..(down the road)

06/10/2026

🔥 🔥 🔥 We added a pot / witches caldron to the arsenal…..who’s got the broom sticks out?!?!?! Should be good for an arsenal of applications…..(man, did the ol man love outdoor cooking!!!!!) 🔥 🔥 🔥 ……thanks to Top Bead Welding Services for the handle!!!!!

06/09/2026

🍒 🍒 🍒 Once again we wanted to inform everyone that we will NOT have CHERRIES this SEASON/this YEAR!!!!! There is only so much you can do with not one but TWO devastating frost events occurring in the early spring! We hope this NEVER occurs again and are sorry for any inconvenience!!!!!! 🍒 🍒 🍒

“Lifes a bowl of cherries and im a pit of fun

Your cherry sweet

Dont pit yourself down

Pitted against the odds, but still sweet

Cherries and i go way back, we’re stem mates

Cherry juice cleanses are fruitful endeavors

Sweet as cherry pie”

06/07/2026

Mr. Dunbar’s had enough on a Sunday and in the heat, he says it’s a day!!!!!!!!! He sure misses the customers as the official greeter!!!!!!

06/05/2026

“Hidden Past” (current past, idk?!?!? Enjoy your weekend)

The Apple Butter Camps of Shenandoah, Virginia – 1933
In the Blue Ridge hollows during the Depression, orchards still bore fruit even when money didn’t. Families from Page County started “apple butter camps” each October. They pooled windfall apples too bruised to sell, peeled them in all-night circles while telling ghost stories, and cooked the mash in 50-gallon copper kettles over open fires. Women stirred with long maple paddles for 12 hours straight, trading shifts so no batch burned. Children sealed hot jars with rags and beeswax. One kettle made 80 jars, enough to barter for winter shoes, flour, and kerosene. When a frost killed half the crop in ’33, five families combined what was left and still filled 400 jars. They called it “sweet survival.” The camps ended with WWII, but mason jars of that batch were found in cellars 60 years later, labels faded but seals still tight.