Yankee Craftsman Liquidating, But May Have Future In Wayland

WAYLAND, MA — The Yankee Craftsman antique store in Wayland — a Commonwealth Road mainstay for 50 years — will begin liquidating its inventory this month after closing in September, but a new owner is planning to keep the spirit of the business alive.

Yankee Craftsman closed at the end of September with the owners Sally Ann Foley and brothers Bruce, Scott and Gary Sweeney saying they were moving on to different pursuits. Scott Sweeney is planning to open a lamp repair shop in the area.

"[T]he last couple of years has made me think about life and what's really important … I think it's time to try something different. I always thought the important thing about our business was the precious antiques we worked on, but I was very wrong, it is the wonderful people with a passion for the way they made things to last. It was sharing our home and life experiences we shared that mean so much to us," a post on the store's website said in early September.

Several months before the closure, Amy Bauman, owner of the Massachusetts-based architectural salvage company greenGoat, began pursuing a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to continue selling items at the Yankee Craftsman site 357 Commonwealth Road.

At a Sept. 14 ZBA hearing, Bauman said she would use the store to sell salvaged architectural materials to the public. The ZBA had to approve the greenGoat application since the Yankee Craftsman building is located in a residential neighborhood.

Bauman purchased the Yankee Craftsman property for $1.5 million on Oct. 1, according to the Middlesex County Register of Deeds.

During the final month in business, the store sold items at deep discounts. But the owners will begin a liquidation sale on Nov. 27, according to the Yankee Craftsman website.