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Setting the pace in Mayetta | May 2009
Tanya and Larry Greeve say things are going pretty well at
their new shop, Country Expressions, in Mayetta despite opening
in last November when economic winds lashed at about
every small business, everywhere. Yet like many small business
people, the urge to be independent overcomes the economic
fears.
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| “I just had a love for antiques and always wanted my own business,” said Tanya Greeve, co-owner of Country Expressions. (photo by Bruce Rodgers) |
“I just had a love for antiques and always wanted my own business,” said Tanya. “The building came available and I just jumped at the chance.” Since then, Tanya said “things have been pretty good since we’ve gotten in furniture and it (business) has picked up. It’s fun and I’m glad.”
She credits her husband Larry with making the fun happen, too. He’s retired and operates the shop during the week. “The shop might not be able to survive without him,” said Tanya. She has a day job in Topeka, which is 25 miles south of Mayetta. Country Expressions has the characteristics of most good antique and collectible shops — lots of variety and fair prices.
Browse a little and find an old kerosene iron, eye glasses with 12-carat frames, brass roosters (the stuffed rooster is the shop’s mascot and not for sale), “green” World War II Lucky Strike cigarette packs, old books and costume jewelry, a circa 1950’s Sunbeam mixer, old purses and a Domore leather office chair. The Domore Chair Company was founded in 1922. Esteemed industrial designer Raymond Loewy designed some of Domore’s chairs. “We’re getting more quality antiques in,” said Tanya. “I just like to grow with more things and more quality.” She and Larry keep a list of what customers are looking for and keep a look out.
Tanya got her antique passion from her mother, Era Popp, who
lives in Hays. “She’s given me some antiques and helped me out
a lot.”
The shop seems well on its way to success and Tanya and
Larry are upbeat, so much so they’re planning “another “ grand
opening this spring. That likely will happen before Mayetta’s 3rd
Annual Backyard BBQ Cook-off with Ride-in Motorcycle Show.
In addition to being antiquers, Tanya and Larry are Harley riders.
Country Expression is on Main Street — look for the train on
the side of the building. For more information, call 7
Back to a ‘real world’ storefront (Oct. 2008)
Maybe Michelle Staley just missed the face-to-face interactions or maybe, as she says, “It was one of those destiny things.”
 Michelle Staley, owner of My Granny’s Attic Antiques and Collectibles and Custom Gifts in Lenexa (photo by Ron Johnson) |
Staley had been looking for a location to expand her My Granny’s Attic Antiques and Collectibles and Custom Gifts online store to a physical location in what some may term as a retro-retail move.
She wanted a certain location — an old but well-kept house near the railroad tracks and not far from the community center — for years. It was on Pflum road in the Old Town business section of Lenexa.
“I fell in love with it and modeled my shop around that location,” Staley said of the one-time gift shop. “I told myself, ‘All my problems would be solved if that location was available.’”
Not getting much from the traditional real estate approach, Staley went to Craigslist on the Internet. “And there it was,” says Staley. “It was one of those meant-to-be things. Everything just fell into place.”
Opened since August, My Granny’s Attic offers mostly the antiques and collectibles Staley has been acquiring for the past 25 years, plus items from another dealer. Additional dealer space remains available. Staley got into antiques early when family members took her as a child to “First Monday” in Canton, TX. “My relatives were antique dealers,” she says.
The offerings “run the gamut, to try and draw in different groups of people and appeal to everybody,” says Staley, though she is partial to dolls, textiles, pewter and old paper. “I really love old paper,” she says.
Staley also likes that the shop is becoming a community-gathering place. She is active in Friends of Old Town, a group promoting the historic area, and “believes in giving back to this community.”
“One thing about this shop stays consistent,” says Staley. “It’s a place where the community can come and feel comfortable.”
They can also shop, something My Granny’s Attic can help with through the shop’s resource library and antique information classes. Meanwhile, My Granny’s Attic is still online for those out-of-town shoppers.
Open seven days a week, 10 am to 6:30 pm, call 913-825-1938 or go to www.mygrannysatticantiques.com for more information.
Revamped and back in business (Oct. 2008)
Beverly Roman termed it a “very quick decision” when the previous owner of Decorator’s Showcase Antique Mall in Shawnee let be know she was looking for someone to take over the business. She made the leap and reopened the mall on Aug. 1.
 Beverly Roman and a Halloween seasonal display at Decorator’s Showcase Antique Mall. (photo by Ron Johnson) |
Roman got into the antique business through her work as a personal property appraiser, which led her to open a shop called Bev’s Tchotchke, which translated from Yiddish means “do-das.”
After Roman closed that shop, she migrated to Decorator’s as a dealer.
“I knew the mall had a lot of potential,” says Roman in explaining her purchase decision. “But I knew it needed an upgrade … to be updated with new dealers.”
Roman believes very much in first impressions when it comes to the shopping experience. So she sought advice from an interior designer for the mall’s entryway.
“I think when a customer walks into a store and what they see for the first time, it sets the pace for the shopping experience,” says Roman. “It can’t be the same thing over and over; it has to be new and exciting.”
That belief has Roman changing her front entryway designs to match the season. Currently, she decided upon a vintage Christmas display, circa 1950-60s, with an aluminum Christmas tree and colored wheels for lighting, and in another area a Victorian Christmas display motif.
Roman says the dealers like the seasonal changes. “It gets our dealers excited and has them bringing in new and exciting things.” Currently, Decorator’s has 25 dealers — at capacity, says Roman. “Dealers are the life blood of this business,” she adds.
Customers get priority, also. Roman calls her approach to customer service “pro-active” She’s extremely proud of the knowledge her staff has, particularly Larnce Jorden, who Roman says, “has a fabulous background in antiques and from a family with worldwide dealer experience.”
Another feature is a clearance area, which Roman says is very popular.
One change not yet complete is a name change. Roman has launched a “Name This Business” contest. The winner gets a prize worth $100. The deadline is Nov. 8, same date as the Decorator’s Showcase Open House.
“It’s a catered affair and we will be totally decked-out with lots of specials,” says Roman.
Decorator’s Showcase Antique Mall is open Mon.-Thurs., 10 am- 5 pm, Friday, 10 am-6 pm and Sunday, noon-5 pm. Call 913-268-7979 for more information.
25th year in business (Sept. 2008)
 The Topeka Antique Mall, the oldest continually running antique mall in the Topeka area. |
The Topeka Antique Mall, Topeka’s first, has survived for 25 years, the oldest continual running antique mall in the area. Owner Charlsia Finley now oversees the mall with over 52 spaces, including some of the area’s best antiques and dealers. She never really planned to be a mall owner. “My mom, Maxine Nelson, took over the business in 1989,” said Finley. “(She) died 15 years ago and it was up to me to keep the legend going.” Finley gives credit to her staff for the continued success. “It’s about the people,” she said. “We’re like a big family. I certainly don’t know everything my mom knew.”
Finley also credits the success of the mall to the quality of the merchandise. “We look for quality, whether it’s furniture, pictures or pottery,” she said.
Finley notes that the quality has gotten even better over the past few years because dealers that used to travel to cities like Denver and Dallas now find those cities too expensive and keep their merchandise in Topeka.
The Topeka Antique Mall, located off Fairlawn on 28th St. Ct., is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 5 pm, and they are always looking for more premium dealers.
Hobby turns to online business (Sept. 2008)
Elaine Rebori grew up in a house full of antiques and caught the antique fever from her mother, filling her house with antique pewter items and tables. A full-time stay-at-home mom, Rebori never had time to turn her longtime hobby into a business. That’s changed now that her sons are getting older.
Rebori has created a new online antique and collectibles business called Kantiques, LLC., “Antiques from Kansas.” The logo for her site, www.kantiques.com, was painted by Rebori’s father, a retired TWA pilot, and depicts her great-grandfather’s farm in Springfield, KS.
The wonderful memories of the old front porch, the old wooden ice box
and milk shed fueled Rebori’s interest in antiques. Starting the
business has fulfilled a life-long dream and plans to grow the business
in the future.
View her website online or call 913-631-0199.
Three sisters, one shop (May 2008)
What happens when three sisters spend over 20 years antiquing together as retirement approaches for two of them? Why they open a shop together, naturally.
It wasn’t quite that simple, but come May 1, Sister’s Antiques will open its doors in Garnett.
The ball started rolling when one of the sisters talked with the wife of the owner of an 1890’s former bank building on the Square in Garnett. The barber occupying the space had too much room. After some negotiations, the barber decided to move to a less spacious area.
“We occupy the front by the two large display windows,” said Lynn Pickert, who with older sister Paula Scobee with handle day-to-day store duties. The third sister, Sandy Stockton, still in the regular work-a-day word, will handle the books and fill-in on weekends.
“It has worked out that we are now able to realize a dream we’ve had to open our own little shop together,” said Lynn.
The sisters attribute their love of antiques to their mother, Esther Koehler, who raised four children on her own.
“As a single parent, people use to give her things,” remembered Lynn. ”She would refurbish them out of necessity and was a natural at refinishing furniture.”
As the sisters get prepared to open their doors, Lynn said they feel “mom is in this with us and inspiring us with her wonderful ideas as well.”
Paula and Sandy have lived in Garnett all their lives, and the three sisters feel strongly about locating on the Courthouse Square. “We remember shopping downtown as youngsters and wanted to do what we could to help continue the wonderful new growth on the Square,” Lynn said.
The shop is open for business May 1 but the Grand Opening is May 10, which will coincide with Garnett’s annual Square Fair. Sister’s Antiques will feature furniture, collectibles, primitives, linens, toys, vintage costume jewelry and clothing, dishes, photo and various gift lines.
The shop is located at 501 South Oak St. Hours are 10 am-6 pm, Tues-Sat., noon to 6 pm on Sunday. For more information, call 785-448-2700 or email sistersantiques3@yahoo.com.
New owner excitement (April 2008)
It’s hard to be more upbeat than Marie Landry. Since becoming owner of Washburn View Antique Mall in Topeka (formerly known as just Washburn Antique Mall), Landry has been on a roll.
The Feb. 1 Open House attracted hundreds of people, most there to wish Landry the best in her new venture, though she’s hardly in unfamiliar territory. Landry has worked at Washburn since Jan. 2001. But now it’s different.
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| “I’m enjoying myself,” said Marie Landry, new owner of Washburn View Antique Mall. (photo by Bruce Rodgers) |
“When you love something, you can’t give it up — that’s pretty much it,” Landry said when asked why she pursued ownership after the previous owner decided to close down.
“I really enjoy it…being into antiques. Now, I’m the owner, I make my own decisions, it’s awesome!”
Landry admits to having a different look about her. “I love my dealers (Washburn has 50, nearly full), they love me and it’s wonderful. I don’t think it’s ever going to wear off,” she said.
The big change is attitude she says, and that seems to be paying off quickly.
“We’ve been doing very well,” Landry said. “The last two months I’ve surpassed my goal — doubled the receipts of the former owner.”
Landry is looking to do some freshening up at the mall, new paint, widen the aisle to be wheelchair accessible and keep the place smelling good — no musky, dank antique smell for Washburn. Landry has also hooked up with nearly Washburn University for a student volunteer economic project.
On July 25-27, Washburn View will host special sale days in conjunction with Mulvane Women’s Board 8th Annual Show & Sale held on the university campus.
Hours at Washburn View are Monday-Saturday, 10 am-6 pm, and noon-5 pm on Sunday. For more information, call 785-233-3733.
‘Trunkin’’ between two shops (Feb. 2008)
Lindy and Jon Herman moved to Larned about five years ago. A year later they opened Lindy’s Vintage Attic. After a while, they outgrew the space and open Lindy’s Vintage Attic II. Though the shops have different addresses, shoppers can slip down an alleyway and take a few steps to reach either store. The stores are located in historic buildings, one in an old dairy built in the 1930s, and the other in a turn-of-the-century grocery store. Items in both stores are from the Hermans — no dealer booths.
“Number two mainly has more furniture plus estate jewelry, primitives and Art Deco,” said Lindy. “The original Attic has more primitives, old wooden tool boxes and trunks.”
Trunks are what Lindy says they specialize in, with husband Jon doing the restoration work.
“All are completely different, each have their own personality,” Lindy said. “I like to look for dates on them; no two are alike.
“They can be used for anything — make a display or as a focal point in a room. Some are made of wood, some of metal and wood, some of cloth and wood. The really old trunks are made of paper and wood, and made to look like leather.”
“Camelback” trunks are more expensive than “Victorian roundtops,” Lindy said. She finds them at estate sales and barn sales in small Kansas towns. Prices in her stores vary from $175 to $350.
Lindy said she loves antiquing because there’s usually a story behind an item. One story that touched her was finding a child’s cowboy boots in a cardboard box she bought at an estate sale.
“On the bottom of one boot was a note saying they had taken the boots off the boy three days before he died,” said Lindy. “They were little bitty things, I think the boy was between three and five years old.”
Lindy was so moved she went on a hunt. She found the little boy’s half-sister in a 1918 photo in a book in Spearville, KS. And learned the boots obtained at her son’s estate sale.
“The boots aren’t for sale,” said Lindy.
For more information, call Attic I at 620-285-8992, Attic II at 620-285-8994.
Antiques and art supplies (Jan. 2008)
Last July Virginia Downing and friend Sharry Turner opened the doors to Anthony Antiques & Art Supplies. Both women were self-employed health industry consultants who spent a lot of time on the road meeting with nursing home representatives and various county officials. They had been on the road for 10 years.
One day, said Downing, the women were talking, relating how “sick and tired” they were of all the driving while wondering what else they would do.
“She (Turner) said she like art supplies,” remembered Downing, “and I said I always like antiques.” Thus, the shop was born.
The women still consult but only with the established clientele, which means they still travel some. “That’s the reason for the hours,” said Downing — open Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.
Business has been good, said Downing. One room displays the art supplies for sale and another has the antiques and collectibles. “It seems to be a good combination,” Downing said. “Almost everyone who comes in looks in both areas.”
The store hosts classes in stain glass, water color and oil painting, and jewelry. “We also have lots of beads and scrapbooking supplies,” Downing said.
In November, the shop began offering Sweet Bottom products, which is a food line made in Derby, KS, with items such as Hot Link Sausages, Molten Lava Salsa, Spiced Green Beans, Spicy Pickled Carrots and a variety of seasonings and rubs. Other products include silver crosses from Silver Land based in Amarillo, TX, with prices from $9 to $30.
Anthony, a town of about 2,000, is 60 miles southwest of Wichita near the Oklahoma line. Anthony Antiques & Art Supplies is located at 601 E Main. Call 620-842-5337 or email coats@cyberlodge.com for more information.
Closing its doors (Dec. 2007)
After 16 years, North Ward Junction in El Dorado is closing its doors. A shop-wide sale will go to the end of December. Look for up to 50% discounts and what is not sold will be put up for auction.
Deeann Krueger, manager for the last two years, blamed high utility bills and lack of traffic for the decision to close. Daily average sales had fallen said Krueger.
“We’re in an old school house built in 1884 and the utilities are high because we have high ceilings, brick and concrete walls with no insulation — it’s cold in the winter and hot in the summer,” said Krueger.
Krueger works for the Myers family, which has been in El Dorado for three generations. The late Nancy Myers founded the shop. Daughter-in-law Keri Myers took over North Ward after Nancy’s death.
“I hate that it’s closing,” said Krueger. “The people are nice and it’s a fun place to work.”
Krueger said the shop was unique in not being arranged like a typical mall. Various rooms — like the “Book Room,” “Kitchen Room” — accommodated the wares of nine dealers, everything from jewelry, glassware, tables, chairs and secretary desks.
“No crafts or new stuff,” said Krueger. “We were the last of dying breed (of antique shops).”
Krueger has other plans to stay in the antique business. She’s talking with the dealers about opening up in another location in the spring. If a new shop opens, it will be in El Dorado said Krueger.
For more information on the sale, call 316-321-0145 or 800-286-0145.
‘Kansas Memory’ (Nov. 2007)
The Kansas Historical Society in Topeka launched a new online feature last month with the help of former Gov. John Carlin, who also served as Archivist of the United States from 1995-2005.
Kansas Memory features the largest collection of photographs, manuscripts, letters, diaries and other historic items from Kansas’ history. Users can browse, search or share images, and will eventually be able to purchase high-resolution versions online.
Go to www.kansasmemory.org.
New owner settling in (Sept. 2007)
Joyce Varner said she hadn’t worked in 15 years prior to buying The Cracked Crook Antiques in Scranton. — not that being a mother and homemaker isn’t “work.”
“I needed to do something — get out of the house,” said Joyce.
In May, Joyce bought the antique shop, housed in the historic Commercial Hotel, and set to doing what she liked to do with a slight variation. Before being a business owner, Joyce enjoyed antiques just like many of us.
“I had antiques all my life, always bought them for pleasure,” she said.
Now with a business, involving 50 dealers and two floors of merchandise space, the “pleasure” has extended a bit.
“The Cracked Crock is my first business — I’ve never done this before,” Joyce said, and then she adds, smiling, “I enjoy decorating, love shopping and buying, and now I have a place to put the stuff instead of my house.”
As a first-time businesswoman, Joyce is optimistic about the antique business. ‘People will always collect and antiques always gain in value,” she said.
The Cracked Crock Antiques is located at 116 W. Mercier. Hours are Wed.-Sat., 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 12 to 5 pm. Call 785-793-2733 for more information.
Joyce on the move
Joyce Coleman said it was a “hard decision” to move her Antiques on the Square shop in Paola to Baldwin. “But,” she adds, “it’s mostly service businesses on the square (in Paola) and I needed to be where there is more foot traffic and retail.”
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| Part of the interior of Baldwin’s newest antique shop, Joyce’s Strictly Antiques. |
Antiques on the Square had been in Paola for 19 years, and before that Joyce had a shop in Olathe. In total, Joyce has spent 30 years in the antique business.
After making up her mind to move, Joyce said she looked at Wellsville and Gardner before deciding on Baldwin.
“I like the old atmosphere in Baldwin, and the people were nice and friendly,” said Joyce.
It’s the people aspect that Joyce loves about the antique business, that and the history behind the pieces — especially glassware — that she sells. “I always look up the history, “ she said.
Gone is the old name of her shop. While in Baldwin, look for Joyce’s Strictly Antiques, located at 719 8th St. Open 9 am to 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, you can reach Joyce at 785-594-2999.
‘Just live under a lucky star’
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| Bought for $12.50, sold for $3,250.00. (photo courtesy of Sue Ortiz) |
Not long ago Sue Ortiz, owner of the Wheatland Antique Mall in Topeka, was at an estate sale. An unusual looking insulator caught her eye. Ortiz admits she doesn’t know much about insulators “but I did recognize that it was a different shape than I had seen,” she said, adding that she thought it might sell for $25.
Ortiz paid $12.50 for the item and a few days later put it up on eBay. Within a couple of hours, Ortiz said she knew “I had something good.” Nearly a week later Ortiz accepted the final bid of $3,250.
The insulator is “evidently really rare,” said Ortiz. She said it was different than a “mouse ear” that it resembles. “I advertised it as a ‘Roman helmet’ on eBay,” she said.
Ortiz did some research and found the insulator retails for $4,500 to $5,000. Still, she beams, “I just lived under a lucky star that day.”
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| African Chokwe beaded headdress — beadwork on cloth over a basketry frame |
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| Sioux moccasins — beadwork on rawhide leather |
KU’s Spencer gets ethnographic collection
Almost 10,000 Native American, African, Latin America and Australian ethnographic artifacts will become part of Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence at the University of Kansas.
Objects include Greenland Eskimo clothing, Central African masks, Native American weavings and cradleboards, and Australian boomerangs and bark paintings. Some artifacts were collected in the early 20th century by Sallie Casey Thayer and Lewis Lindsay Dyche.
Moving the collection to Spencer will lay the groundwork for more public access, which was limited in 2002 when the public galleries were closed because of statewide budget cuts.
For more information, call 785-864-0142.
First use of the term ‘Jayhawk’
The most recent issue of the Yearbook of German-American Studies uncovers connections between the revolutions of 1848-49 in Europe and the struggle for a slave-free Kansas in the 1850s.
The publication from the national Society for German-American Studies reveals “that German radicals played a prominent role in the establishment of the Republican Party in the mid-1850s and many saw in Kansas a crucial test of freedom,” said Frank Baron, KU professor of German.
One ally of John Brown, August Bondi, may have made the first reference to the term “Jayhawk” in his autobiography. Bondi recalls a meeting with Gen. James Lane on Dec. 14-15, 1857, in which Lane addressed his anti-slavery followers as “Jayhawks” or “Jayhawkers.”
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