Gardner Village founder dies at 82

Nancy Long helped restore unsalvageable structures and built a landmark on her own.

By December, the flying witches with pointy hats at Gardner Village in West Jordan are replaced by elves in Christmas sweaters and floppy hats, ushering in one of the most popular seasons at the collection of shops.

On many winter days, snow blankets the historic buildings, quaint stores and Archibald’s Restaurant.

It’s a picturesque scene, and it’s all thanks to Nancy Long’s vision.

Long, the village’s founder, died Nov. 21 after battling muscular dystrophy and suffering from post-stroke complications. She was 82.

Her legacy includes not only a shopping village that doubles as a time capsule, but an entrepreneurial spirit she gifted to her children.

“She was always kind of shocking people,” said her son, Joe Long, who co-manages the village with his sister, Angie Gerdes. “Her kindness and generosity I think was a huge piece of her, for sure. But then she would do stuff just to make people laugh and get their attention.”

Long was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts, but moved to Utah when she was a kid. She was resourceful, her son said, with a knack for kickstarting businesses without much funding.

“She was just a total creative,” he said, “and total entrepreneur.”

The journey to creating Gardner Village began in 1979, when Long fell in love with

the old Gardner Mill and decided to buy it without telling anyone — an on-brand move for Long, her son said.

Initially, Long meant to build a home for her family on the site, but those plans quickly changed after her divorce. She had experience selling furniture, so she decided to build a country furniture store.

Before it became a popular shopping destination, Long owned only a slice of the land that would become Gardner Village. The first acre of the village was covered in structures that were teed up for demolition to make way for a West Jordan Fire Department training center.

A year later, Long bought the adjacent seven acres, where much of the village sits today, turning property that was once deemed unsalvageable into a West Jordan landmark that has even served as a film location.

West Jordan Mayor Dirk Burton said he’s grateful for the legacy Long left.

“Nancy had a vision for Gardner Village and the city of West Jordan well beyond what others could see,” he said. “Her passion for the land created a meeting place for individuals and families from all over the state, who come not just to shop, but to experience.”

The flour mill is on the National Register of Historic Places and houses Archibald’s Restaurant and the family’s CF Home Furniture and Design store. Its peculiar waterpower turbine — original to the building — is still on site.

Long looked all over the state for other historic buildings constructed from the 1800s to the 1920s to join the space, creating an eclectic mix of properties that make up the village. Other structures include the Orson Albert Johnson Cabin, a rare two-story, hand-hewn log cabin built in 1886 in Rush Valley.

“She’d have these collections of things she fell in love with,” said Joe Long, “and tried to preserve a lot of this old history and past.”

When he started working at Gardner Village after college, he would sit at his desk and read his mother’s motto: “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.”

She lived by those words, Long’s son said. She never shied away from taking a risk.

Gardner Village will host a celebration of life in honor of Long at the The Gathering Place within the village on Jan. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Long is survived by six children, 19 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Alixel Cabrera is a Report for America corps member and writes about the status of communities on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.