 Merrill and Marilyn have been married 51 years. They met in 1960 in Flint, MI. when Merrill was attending GMI and married later that year. The Crouch`s lived in Muncie and had three daughters. In 1967 Merrill went to work for the government at Crane Army Ammunition Activity as an Industrial Engineer until retirement in 2003. They moved to the Bedford IN area where they still reside. They have 8 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.
In 1978 Merrill and Marilyn opened Ceramics Unlimited and were in business for 20 years. Light House Crafts opened in 1999 as a craft and antique business. This business was closed in 2001 so they could devote more time to their Fall Craft Show schedule. Marilyn has painted all her life, and continues teaching tole painting at Light House Crafts, 711 R St. in Bedford each year from February to August. Classes are Thursdays only from 12:00 Noon to 3:00 PM, or 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
Marilyn retired from White River Humane Society in 2006 after being Treasurer of the Board of Directors for 25 years and spends most days painting at home to maintain inventory for shows. Merrill retired from the Humane Society as a Board member and is busy attending auctions, sanding, sandblasting and spray painting his "finds" for Marilyn to paint. Most items are antiques and more often than not are one-of-a-kind.
Our specialty items are Raggedy Ann & Andy, barn scenes, auto/truck logos, farm logos, college logos, professional sports logos, teddy bears, and the list goes on.
Our motto is: "if it doesn`t move, paint it", so we offer a very wide variety of items such as milk cans, old ironing boards, kerosene heaters, oil and gas cans, trunks, lamps, mailboxes, saws and sawblades of all kinds, watering cans, slop buckets, dishpans of all sizes, porcelain pans, etc. We specialize in custom tole painting orders. Please note that any utility item (such as tea kettles or any item that will be exposed to extreme heat), is for decoration only. We do use a polyutethane sealer, but we also use acrylic paints, which will not withstand extreme heat or being in water for long periods of time. Our kerosene heaters are no longer useable since they are painted with acrylic paints. They are intended for decoration only!!!
Come visit us on Facebook.
Marilyns Light House on Facebook
Contact Lawrence Howell at lwhowell@atrium-dental.com or 812-320-2068. You may also contact Merrill or Marilyn Crouch at marilyn.crouch@comcast.net or call 812-275-4300.
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