The shop, which had been next door to Hermannhof Winery since it opened in 2000, now calls the historic James North Farm home. It is located along Highway T between Labadie School and the Labadie firehouse.

The new location is more than 50 percent larger, said owner Barb Kahn, which has allowed her to increase the number and variety of merchandise.

"I have a lot of new items and more handmade designer furniture available," said Kahn. "In the past, customers had to order a lot of what they wanted, but now they're more able to take it with them when they buy it."

The Tin Rabbit's merchandise features 18th century reproductions of textiles, pottery, light fixtures, floor coverings, furniture, wall hangings including fractors and theorems, blankets, quilts, baskets and all types of home decor. The shop also sells jewelry that uses vintage pieces into new designs, flax clothing and fashion accessories like purses.

"This is a very comfortable and relaxed style," said Kahn, noting many people who like to shop at retailers like Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel often come to her shop looking for "the unique pieces - lamp shades or textiles - that will make their house a home."

Prices range from maybe $6.50 for a handmade cloth napkin to $3,000 for a handmade tiger maple cupboard.

Kahn sells the work of more than 160 artisans from all over the United States. More than 90 percent of the items in the shop are American-made, she noted.

"These barstools," she said as an example, "are all made by hand - there are no nails in them. They're all hand-turned."

As an added service, Kahn offers her decorating expertise to clients who love the look of The Tin Rabbit merchandise, but aren't sure how to put it all together. A home she recently decorated is featured in the September 2009 issue of St. Louis Home and Lifestyle magazine.

Kahn also was recently asked to be one of 25 designers to decorate Christmas trees for the annual Children's Hospital fundraiser.

Kahn said moving The Tin Rabbit to Labadie was the result of finding the right location. In Hermann, she was renting her space, but was ready to buy.

"We were looking for our own building and had been looking for three years when we went to dinner one night at 3 Brothers (in Labadie)," said Kahn. "We saw the sign and called about it."

The property had been completely renovated four years earlier by Fred Thatcher of Fred O. Thatcher Realtors in Labadie, who also owned the property and was using it as his real estate office.

"Fred made it more modern, but he didn't destroy the historical integrity of the home," said Kahn. "He kept it intact."

Before Thatcher, the property was owned by a woman who held an annual antique show on the grounds. It was well-known around the area and well attended, said Kahn, who hopes to be able to continue that tradition beginning next year, the first weekend in October.

The Tin Rabbit held a grand opening at its new location Aug. 15, and Kahn said in that time she has found she likes the seclusion of the new location.

"It's very private, very peaceful," she remarked. "And it can be part of a wonderful day trip for people out of St. Louis or even Washington coming to Labadie for lunch."

Kahn said the shop's name, The Tin Rabbit, was inspired by a gift she received the Christmas before she opened the store in Hermann.

"I love old tin, and a friend gave me a Christmas ornament of a tin rabbit and I knew that was it," she said. "It makes a wonderful logo - I didn't want to have the usual cow, pig or rooster."

The Tin Rabbit is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays noon to 4 p.m. The shop is closed on Mondays.

For more information and photos, people can visit www.thetinrabbit.com.