What is it that attracts so many people to retro, vintage, and antique pieces? Talk to any of the number of dealers in the Short North; they’ll help you figure it out. As children, most of our store owners were taught by their families to appreciate antiques. Many find the mystery or story of the pieces romantic. Others recognize retro and vintage items as investments that will appreciate in value. A few are simply into sustainability. And still, there are some who are just inherently attracted to pieces from the past.

Suzi West, owner of Collier West (787 N High St), explains, “I was paraded through antique shops along the eastern seaboard from age four. My grandparents owned an antique shop, and they also had a home full of old, chiming clocks.”

Sharon O’Brien, owner of Grandview Mercantile (873 N High St) and ReVue (881 N High St), admits to being a lifelong collector and says, “My lifelong love of collecting led to the origination of these businesses.”

Joe Valenti, owner of Flower Child (989 N High St), says, “I started to collect in college. I liked the funkiness and the uniqueness of vintage. I liked that things were one-of-a-kind. Eventually, I collected enough stuff to start a store."

Each of the retro, vintage, and antique stores in the Short North is unique. At Collier West, you will find vintage and antique furniture and home accessories influenced by French and Early American design. The store is becoming best known for its exceptional lighting pieces such as handcrafted glass and crystal European chandeliers and antler arrangements.

Grandview Mercantile and ReVue, which combine to display more than 20,000 square feet of fine quality furniture and accessories, display a variety of eras including contemporary, mid-century modern, vintage, and antique all from America and Europe. More than eighty dealers showcase their furniture, fine art, vintage jewelry, antique sterling, fine china, and one-of-a-kind decorative accessories to what Sharon calls “discriminating buyers”. She adds, “Because we’re so large, we run the gamut from someone who is looking for something whimsical, a gift for $10, to a serious collector looking for a $50,000 painting.”

Another shop focused on home furnishings is Mary Catherine’s Antiques (1128 N High St). Owner Melaine Mahaffey says she came into the business by accident when her mother purchased the building thirty years ago. Over time, Melaine trained her eyes to spot only quality items for the store. She sells furniture, pottery, paintings, lamps, rugs, glass, and more. Many items from the store have followed Melaine home including an 1825 corner cupboard and a 1925 bedroom set. Melaine loves antiques because she says, “the quality and uniqueness of an antique cannot be replicated today.”




Echoes Art and Antiques (24 E Lincoln St), owned by Tim Baker, offers a little bit of everything from jewelry and art to books, pottery, and toys spanning the 1880s to 1980s. Tim’s personal obsession is folk art, and he sells pieces by Grandpa Smoky Brown in his store. Right now, Tim is in love with a set of four marionettes from the 1920s. He found the quartet in an old chest in an attic. Amongst the group are a wizard, a clown, a dancer, and a conductor.

A newer addition to the Short North, Flower Child, owned by Joe Valenti, has become a hot spot for twenty-somethings, free spirits, non-conformists, and historians. In this 7,000 square foot store, you will find retro furniture, clothing, novelty items, and more. Joe says, “We can dress you in the era you request and give you the plates to eat off too, right down to the silverware.” Joe himself lives and breathes the retro lifestyle. He even lives on a 1954 ranch-style house fully furnished in the garb.

Though it’s obvious that each of these store owners has a passion for and a strong knowledge of the old-school style, they admit that it can be hard to find quality pieces. Tim says that to determine the quality of a piece, he looks at design and workmanship while Joe looks for well-known names like Herman Miller, Levi’s, and Gucci. Sharon relies on experience when differentiating the good from the bad. Melaine admits to once being “tricked into buying a fake French bronze for $1200.” When she discovered her mistake she threatened to press charges against the seller and ended up getting her money back.

Our stores happen upon their goods in a variety of ways: trade shows, auctions, even scavenging through attics. But when buying from individuals, our owners are particularly careful. Tim tries not to let personal attachments blur his vision. He says, “People sometimes come in trying to sell things that belonged to their grandmother, and they have an inflated idea of the piece’s value. To them, it’s priceless because you can’t put a price on sentiment.”

Suzi says she once bought a rusty old worthless Ohio license plate from a man who came into her store in need of twenty dollars: “I felt like I was making a charitable donation, and he felt like he’d found a naïve buyer. I think we were both satiated.”

But on the flip side, a few of our owners have also run across some amazing finds. Sharon says, “I’ve found a lot of interesting things in people’s homes that they thought were worthless but ended up being extremely important. A couple found an old toy that belonged to the girl’s grandmother and had me take a look at it. They thought it was a worthless piece of junk, but it was actually an incredibly rare Toltoy bear from the early 1300s. It sold for thousands.”

Joe says, “I once went to a church sale and bought a bag of costume jewelry to dress our mannequins for fifty cents.  I brought it back to the store and had one of the big, long strands of pearls out, and I was swinging it around my finger. One of the girls I worked with was a registered jeweler. She was getting annoyed with me for swinging the strand around, and she said so. So, I said, ‘Here, you take them then.’ She said, ‘Oh my gosh, Joe. You know what these look like?: Mikimotos.’ And they were. I sold them for $2400.”

There are so many explanations for the allure and excitement incited by retro, vintage, and antique pieces. Perhaps Suzi sums it up best: “Nothing tells a story better than the weathering from years of love. When you fall in love, whether with another being or with an object, it is because of the intimate details that make that person or piece special and endearing. Perhaps the story that you get to tell with your beloved treasure will add to its character for another generation to enjoy.”

by Morgan Baughman