Gina Franklyn, (above, with Sara) provides a home for 9 adopted horses on her farm in Harpers Ferry using the proceeds from her store, The Good Shop, in Shepherdstown.
The Good Shop Sustains Adopted Horses
There is always something to catch your eye when you walk into the Good Shop in Shepherdstown. Gina Franklyn, the shop proprietor, has curated a selection of natural-fiber casual clothing, unusual shoes, colorful socks, sustainable plant-based jewelry, and other accessories. In the past year she’s made room for a rotating stock of eclectic housewares. The shop has a mix that’s artsy, whimsical, and fashionable — and also affordable. Franklyn explains that she started in Shepherdstown 15 years ago with the idea of a shop to sell “simple, good things” (hence the name). She remarked that she focuses on “listening and understanding her customers and searching around for merchandise that she thinks might appeal to them.”
Franklyn has been a shopkeeper for over 40 years, dating back to her adventures stuffing her suitcases full of hand-made jewelry from her native England to sell in her small store in New York City’s Greenwich Village during the heyday of the punk rock era. You can still hear the “can-do” attitude in her voice when she recalls working multiple jobs, subletting her loft, and sleeping in the store to make her early shop a success. If you look closely around the Shepherdstown shop today, you might spot a few rare vintage items from the inventory Franklyn has kept from the 70s and 80s.
The move from New York to Shepherdstown was triggered by the opportunity to purchase a farm near Harpers Ferry to use as a base for Franklyn’s other passion — her adopted rescue horses. She recalls being introduced in the 1990s to the need to adopt foals and re-home mares retired from the PMU industry (the mares are kept continuously pregnant and their estrogen-laden urine is mechanically collected. Over the years she’s taken in a couple dozen horses to re-home, and now has just nine that she cares for personally on her farm.
Meet the Rescues
One of Gina Franklyn’s rescue horses enjoys a snack outside. 
Gina Franklyn’s rescue mule. 
Rosie, one of Gina Franklyn’s rescue horses. 
Sara, one of Gina Franklyn’s rescue horses. 
One of Gina Franklyn’s rescue horses. enjoying a walk around the pasture. 
Jackie B, one of Gina Franklyn’s rescue horses. 
One of Gina Franklyn’s rescue horses. 
Crockett, one of Gina Franklyn’s rescue horses.
Franklyn uses the profits from her shop to support the horse care operation and welcomes offers to assist (she estimates that it takes $100 a month to support each horse) – for more information visit the horses’ Go Fund Me page. She can be contacted by email at TheGoodShop@frontiernet.net or by phone at 304-876-8007. The Good Shop is at 123 East German Street and is open Wed-Sun, noon to 5pm. Shop online at The-Good-Shop.Square.Site and follow The Good Shop on Facebook at @TheGoodShopWV.
By Staff Contributor