NEW HOPE - The weather was perfect, the customers were friendly, and a terrier named Robbie was in attendance, as New Hope Antiques raised money for domestic violence programs with a charity yard sale Saturday.

The antique shop is located on Route 41A, 12 miles south of Skaneateles, just across the highway from the now inactive flour mill owned by New Hope Mills, which now has its manufacturing and retail space on York Street in Auburn.

Sharon and Peter Andrus own New Hope Antiques, and this is the second year for the charity yard sale. Saturday's options were somewhat limited because of a rival sale about 275 miles due east.

“Today we only have five (tables), and that's unusual. We can accommodate 15, but with Brimfield we lost our big dealers this time,” Andrus said, referring to a huge antique show that begins Monday in south-central Massachusetts. “So, this is a very small crowd for us.”

Benefiting Saturday's event was domestic violence shelters in Cayuga, Cortland, and Onondaga counties. Since last year, Andrus has also helped the Finger Lakes SPCA, Habitat for Humanity, and hospice organizations. Next month, Big Brothers and Big Sisters agencies in the three counties will receive the largesse.

“It's good for everybody - anybody who wants to come and set up, because we advertise for them. It's good for the charities, and it's good for us,” she said.

Sue Hass lives just a short distance away from New Hope Antiques, in between Skaneateles and the Town of Mandanna.

“It's a lot of fun, to talk with the other dealers and the customers,” Hass said, who also owns the Village Printer in Moravia.

Greeting the many guests that walked through the various rooms at the circa-1820 farmhouse Saturday was Robbie, a 7-year-old Dandie Dinmont Terrier - a distinctive breed with a long body, short legs, and an Elvis-like pompadour on top of its head.

A friendly sort, Robbie unfortunately suffers from a fatal form of lymphoma. That's why he was wearing a sweater, conserving his body heat after losing some of his hair. Vets at Cornell University's renowned veterinary college are currently treating him. Robbie's life expectancy might be uncertain, but his gait was strong as he strolled from room to room.

“He's the shop dog. He thinks it's very important to come to work every day,” said Sharon Andrus.

The Andruses bought the property in 1999, and it took four years to restore.

“There was hardly a man that worked on putting it back together who was under 75,” said Andrus. “So, we had to work when people's knees were good. But we put it back together.”

Andrus said her client base continues to grow, and that “people in this area are our bread-and-butter.” Their mailing list has over 2,000 names, and they work hard at marketing their business. The store also tries to be helpful by giving out the names of the refinisher and upholsterer they use

“We try to make it friendly. And we say of anything that's bought - if it doesn't work, you don't like it - bring it back and we'll refund your money,” Andrus said.

Many folks, not surprisingly, just stop in to give Robbie a little scratch behind the ears. Sometimes he is accompanied at the shop by his wife, Fiona, and their seven-month-old son, Sullivan.

“But three can often be a little overwhelming sometimes,” Andrus said.

After Robbie and Fiona became the proud parents of five pups earlier this year, the Andruses' granddaughter attended a performance of “H.M.S Pinafore” and requested the two males be named Gilbert and Sullivan.

A former hospital nurse and industrial psychologist, Sharon Andrus grew up in the city of Cortland, where her father, Morris Noss, was mayor in the late-1960s and early-'70s.

She and her husband spend their winters in Houston. She gets antiques from there as well.

Peter Andrus is a retired admiral from the Navy, and he is part-time physician - working three days a week - when down in Texas.

“Up here, he tells people he's my gofer, you know. He drives truck and moves furniture for me,” his wife said.

Most of her antiques come from private individuals, including her highly-coveted collection of Cazenovia native L. Frank Baum's “Oz” books. First editions, they're worth upwards of $600. She doesn't look for merchandise at auctions, flea markets or other antique shops.

“The first year I was open I bought everything that walked in the door in order to demonstrate my willingness, and my sense of fairness, in giving the people selling the right amount. So, now, it's word-of-mouth. I must get at least two to three calls a day,” said Andrus.

By setting fair prices, Andrus said she is committed to insuring return business by charging profitable, but reasonable, amounts for her items.

Andrus estimates that people are browsing far more today than in the past.

“Three, four years ago, it took about six people walking through the shop to make one sale. Now, it's more like eight or nine tire-kickers,” she said.

And she estimates that at least half of all her paying customers try to negotiate the price downward.

“In certain cultures, that absolutely must negotiate. It's just not in their nature not to, and I mean that in a nice way. They just come from a place where you're not expected to pay full price for anything,” said Andrus.

Brian Harkins and his family have a cottage in Niles, but spend most of their time in New Jersey. They bought a $72 nightstand from Hess, and were browsing among the other tables.

Asked how often he's able to make the trip north to Skaneateles Lake, Harkins said, “As much as we possibly can. We love it.”