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What is old... is NEW again!


Barry and I were in desperate need of a new building to call our own for our business. The previous multi-vendor mall (Nick’s Warehouse) had very serious roof leakage issues and the landlord refused to fix the ever increasing roof damage. We also wanted to be more in control of our inventory, hours of operation and business focus. We went in search of a building that was on a major road, had its own parking lot and could be improved upon as time and money would allow. And of course, it had to have a roof in good condition. We found that building in the Village of North Branch that was priced fair and needed two people who would love it back to health.


The bones were good on this 1930’s church, with the roof trusses having been completely replaced 12 years prior. Oddly enough Pilgrim’s Holiness Church was started by my daughter’s great -great grandfather. As the parishioners grew so did the size of the building, until they outgrew their starter parish and became a Wesleyan church. The building then became the home to several pharmacies and health related establishments.


The building was in foreclosure when we stumbled across it. It needed to be emptied of debris and reconfigured to accommodate our plans of opening a retail shoppe with plenty of space to refurbish and create new products, as well as conduct online sales. Our new location required plenty of hard work and dedication to bringing out the warm inviting showroom that it has today. Thankfully, Barry is a master craftsman in construction and has those attributes. He has spent many hours creating the architectural details you see around the store. Plenty of design ideas came from materials that were salvaged or literally saved for over 30 years from previous projects.


We both have a love of old items and enjoy decorating with interesting finds and junque. Sometimes it has been like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, especially when you know you only have so much of a particular type of material and you can’t just go to Home Depot to get more. Barry has rewire and create unique lighting fixtures, covered imperfect wall with old advertising and song books, incorporated yard iron into the walls and blended existing cedar with aged woods to create a natural look.

One of our favorite designs is the faux light poles using insulators, new lighting and cedar thatched roof lines. Another is the look of an old white washed shed in the ladies dressing area that blends so well with the soft laces and pearls of the goods for sale.


Blending the old with new is indeed what we do around our shoppe. The result is a warm, comforting space that lends inspiration to antique buffs and decorators who visit us.

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