The Place and the People Behind It
Who’s behind Paperbark House, and how a joiner’s workshop on Main Street became a restaurant with a card room.
Three Generations on Main Street
A workbench under the front window, sawdust caught in the afternoon light, the low hum of a radio somewhere out the back — that’s how most people remember the workshop before it closed.
The Hale family ran the joinery from 1958 until the early 2000s, building chairs, tables and the odd staircase for half the district; two of their old workbenches are still bolted to the floor near the entrance.
Paperbark House’s current owners bought the building in 2016 and spent a year restoring the tin roof and the timber floor before opening the doors as a restaurant and card room.
1958
The Hale family opens the joinery on Main Street
2016
The building is bought and restored
Today
A restaurant and card room, six tables strong
About Paperbark House
Is the Hale family still involved?
Not directly, though two of the family’s grandchildren still call in most weeks — old habits, apparently, are hard to shake.
Can I see the old workshop tools?
Yes — a small cabinet near the entrance holds a few pieces from the original joinery, kept behind glass for anyone to look at.
Who runs Paperbark House today?
A local family with a background in hospitality, who bought the building in 2016 and have run it since it reopened.
Has the building always looked like this?
The tin roof and timber floor are original; almost everything else, including the six card tables, was added during the 2016 restoration.