Downtown decorated with a touch of France

By Mike Ford, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Sunday, June 29, 2008 (2 months, 1 week ago)
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Jill Graves has created a Brick Garden in downtown Delphos for the public to sit, eat ice cream, read or otherwise find a moment of quiet. Her inspiration has roots in a vacation to France she once took with her husband.DELPHOS — When local resident Jill Graves and her husband, Bill, who owns Visual Image Photo, vacationed in France a few years ago, little did she know the trip would come home with her in her thumbs.
The trip inspired the gardener to enhance a recent portion of the Downtown Development Project, which laid red bricks in the alley adjacent to her husband’s business on Main Street. Graves has created the Brick Garden by lining the alley with various potted flowers, trees and more.
“This is my stress relief. I like to garden and it’s kind of a passion. I bought and planted some of them and rescued some and brought them back to life,” she said.
The garden also includes some sentimental family pieces.
“The wheel belonged to my grandfather and the barn doors came from my cousin’s barn,” she said. “We visited Southern France a few years ago and I wanted it to look like a Paris walkway.”
Graves lives above the quiet retreat and keeps a watchful eye over it. She also takes several pieces indoors at night. She says most residents appreciate having the tranquil spot in downtown Delphos.
“Everyone has been very respectful. We encourage people to come walk through, have a seat and enjoy it. We want people to know what downtown can look like,” she said.
The garden is the sort of thing Downtown Manager Jay Smith had hoped for.
“This is the kind of extension to the Downtown Development Project we hoped to see and it is an example of efforts by business owners to dress up downtown,” he said.

1 Reader Response to “Downtown decorated with a touch of France”

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  1. #1 — Added 2 months, 1 week ago

    How awesome…what a wonderful way to beautify the area! Thank you!

    Posted on June 29, 2008 at 1:14 pm by Rev. Sandra Kohorst Dennis