For the past 25 years Rochester resident Barbara English has been taking the community back to primitive times.

In 1987 English opened the Gingham Goose, an antique shop located on North Avenue, and has been busy ever since collecting décor and furniture in the primitive style of the 18th century.

“I like the primitive style, ” English said. “It’s nice, warm and you can mix anything with it. It has to have a certain feel. I love cupboards made of old wood. With coloring everything is muted, earthy tones.”

English, a former real estate agent, first converted an attached barn on her house into a consignment shop in November 1987. From there she has sold primitive and reproduction furniture, textiles, paint, lighting, carpets and accessories.

“Basically, I’m a frustrated shopper,” she said. “I love to shop, so now I can shop and keep it.”

English says most of her pieces are custom-made from both New England-based and national designers.

She often travels to the King of Prussia area in Pennsylvania for antique shows where she purchases many of the items in her shop. Buying period pieces is all about what is eye-catching she said.

“You just gravitate to certain things,” she said. “There are some booths you just walk by and some you go right to.”

For custom-made bed linens, English said she turns to Family Heirloom Weavers in Pennsylvania, whose staff uses an antique loom in weaving.

“I’m not a purist,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be an antique. If it has the look it doesn’t matter. We’re small but we have a lot of stuff.”

Recently, “the old stuff,” she said, caught the eye of a woman in Australia who asked that English send $300 worth of primitive pieces overseas. Which pieces were sent did not matter she said.

“She saw pictures of my store in a magazine and called me,” English said. “She put $300 in a PayPal account and told me to just send stuff. It’s very difficult to spend other people’s money because you never met them but she loved everything and still keeps in contact.”

“I love my customers,” she said. “A majority of them we’ve has since we opened. They’re just good people. It’s fun because you’ve got the young people just starting out who come here and the people who have been doing this forever. I think you build a following.”