Boasting over 8,000-square-feet of display space and room for dozens of dealers selling antiques and collectibles, the Staunton Antiques Center will open for business on September 1st in the former McCrory building located at 19 West Beverley Street in historic Downtown Staunton.
The new business – a magnet and anchor for Downtown Staunton – is a joint venture of building owners Lou and Ellen Boden with Bruce Joffe and Russ Warren. Joffe and Warren previously launched and managed three successful antiques/collectibles malls: in Downtown Waynesboro; on the Virginia-West Virginia border near Strasburg in Wardensville; and Northern Virginia (Manassas).
An antiques mall previously had thrived at this location until closing, abruptly, in December 2008.
“Unlike the folks up the road, we won’t be the biggest antiques and collectibles marketplace in the area, but we certainly do expect to be the best,” says Joffe. “Stressing quality over quantity, you won’t find Tupperware cluttering our space or thrift shop clothing hanging here … but, rather, well-loved vintage furniture and nostalgic keepsakes, memorabilia, bric-a-brac, ephemera, artwork and other tried-and-true treasures from days gone by.”
As buzz about the new business begins to spread thanks to word on the street and a Facebook page, established and new dealers are attracted by the building’s location and history, as well as the very low rates to lease space there: Floor space is going for just $1.00 per square foot compared to the $1.50-$2.00 per square foot charged by other comparable multi-dealer malls locally. With a typical 100-square-foot space, dealers at Staunton Antiques Center will be paying only $100 per month, instead of $150-$200.
The turnkey operation makes it simple for even incurable collectors whose passion exceeds their storage space to open a business at the Staunton Antiques Center. “Except for replenishing and/or rotating their merchandise, keeping inventory (and space) clean and rearranged regularly, our merchants’ only real responsibility is to use labels or tags to identify their items properly so we can record them using state-of-the-art software and provide them with a detailed description of their transactions each month, along with a ‘paycheck’,” notes Joffe.
Some upscale items will also be accepted on a consignment basis, with a lower commission charged on sales than that currently collected by most area consignment stores.
More information about the Staunton Antiques Center – including space availability and dealer responsibilities – is available on Facebook, by phone at (540) 849-0716 and email at [email protected].
A website will be launched once the mall opens.
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AFP
