Flea markets draw shoppers
Posted on Wednesday, July 2, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/gentry/News/2633/
GENTRY ó Those shopping for special treasures need look no further than Gentryís Main Street, which now has five flea markets and specialty shops within just four blocks. Twice But Nice
Twice But Nice Second Hand Store, at 201 E. Main Street, has been in business here 26 years. Glenn and Marsha Bland started the business back in 1982, thinking they would try it out for a few months.
It must have been a fit, because though Glenn died three years ago, Marsha is still operating the business which features furniture, household items and just about everything one would find in a flea market.
A specialty of the shop is the bait and tackle department. Marsha sells live bait and a whole array of fishing supplies and tackle.
ì I find the bait shop (business ) very satisfying, î Marsha said.
While she canít always beat the prices of big department store chains, Marsha has the advantage of being right here in Gentry and closer to SWEPCO and Crystal Lakes. Her customers can ìrun in, get what they want, and get right out, î she said. They donít have to park far off in a huge parking lot, walk through a large department store and then wait in line to make their purchases. They can get what they need and get back to what they want to do ó fishing.
The store used to carry guns and ammunition when Glenn was alive, Marsha said. Glenn was a firearms expert and a sharpshooter too, she said, speaking of his many shooting awards. People used to come in with questions about guns and ammunition, and Glenn would be able to answer them, she said.
Though she doesnít handle firearms any longer, Marsha buys and sells just about everything else. She has numerous venders with their goods in her store as well.
Twice But Nice is open from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. every day but Tuesday and Sunday. Sheíll also be open on July 4 th, Marsha said. Her business phone is 736-3©. Cool Stuff
Cool Stuff, at 209 E. Main, is right next door to Twice But Nice, making it convenient for shoppers to visit both businesses with one stop.
Arkhoma Hobbies ì The Cool Stuffî is owned by Dean and Ruby Shafer. As the full name implies, the focus of this shop is on hobbies and just plain ìcool stuff. î
ì The name says it all, î one customer said Thursday as she browsed through the store.
The shop carries coins, stamps, rocks, fossils, jewelry, pottery, paintings, musical instruments and all sorts of other craft and collectible items.
Dean, who is a member of the Northwest Arkansas Gem and Mineral Society and teaches classes there, intends to set up a lapidary shop in the back part of the store where he can cut and polish stones. And he has a large selection of rocks, gems and stones in the store which he has found, cut and polished.
Northwest Arkansas is a good place to look for rocks and stones, he said. Most people donít realize the wealth of gems and fossils to be found here, he said.
Though he handles custom jewelry, he wonít be doing the jewelry making at the store because of the heating process required to work with silver and gold ó something which could be considered a fire hazard. But cutting and polishing is a wet process and safe to do here, he said.
Dean and Ruby bought the building about eight years ago and completely remodeled the store, with Dean doing much of the work himself. The shop has been open for almost six years now, he said.
ì We opened the business for something for me to do in retirement, î Dean said. ì My wife and I collected for years. She liked to find things and change the decor of our house. î
ì I just sold the last of the moose toenails, î Dean said. The hooves of moose are used to carve custom jewelry which does not react to contact with human skin like other materials.
Flint knapping, both traditional and modern, is one of the fastest growing hobbies in northwest Arkansas, Dean said. His store has a number of flint points and offers supplies for those interested in the hobby.
Cool Stuff is unique in that it is hobby oriented, but it still fits together well with the other shops on Main Street by filling a special niche which the other shops might miss.
The shop is open from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. Monday through Friday ó The Shafers go out and look for stuff on the weekends. The shop buys and sells items within the parameters of its specialty focus. They handle some consignments ó mainly in the area of coins and stamps. Cool Stuff can be contacted by telephone at 736-9015. Bits-n-Pieces
Bits-n-Pieces, at 232 East Main Street, is just across the street and a few doors east of Cool Stuff and Twice But Nice.
The flea market, owned and operated by Sarah Foreman, just opened May 5. It is located in the old Backerís Variety Store building. Building repairs and remodeling are still in progress, but the store is open and features just about everything imaginable.
ì I was doing online sales full time from my home for a year and a half, î Sarah said, ìand we (she and her family ) thought it was time to open it up to the public. î
Sarah buys and sells merchandise and also sells for venders in her store. Her family members help her with her business.
One unique feature she offers is online sales. Sarah has her own eBay store and sells items, including customer- and venderowned items, via that store. Her business gives merchandise worldwide exposure, she said.
Her online selling is available to anyone, she said. A person does not have to be a vender in her store. People from the area can bring items to her and Sarah will put them up for sale or auction on eBay. That gives those who donít have access to computers ó or who choose not to bother with trying to sell on the Internet ó the option to get a better price for their items by putting them out there for everyone to see. And her online sales business is doing very good, she said.
Bits-n-Pieces is open from 9: 30 a. m. to 4: 30 p. m. Monday through Friday, and 9: 30 a. m. until noon on Saturday. Her business telephone is 736-1334. Sarahís online eBay store is called Saramaeís House of Treasures. Main Street Flea Market
Main Street Flea Market, located at 136 E. Main Street, is owned by Don and Jackie Matteson.
Their business used to be Do Hoís Furniture, but the higher fuel prices made it difficult for the couple to travel to as many sales and auctions to purchase quality furniture to resell in their store. Rather than close the doors, they converted their business into a flea market.
ì With the high price of fuel, we couldnít afford to find furniture and then go back to pick it up, î said Jackie. ì Now, we let people come to us. î
The business buys and sells, takes items on consignment and also rents out booths to venders.
With the change came a much wider variety of items for sale in their store. Instead of just furniture, the store now has a little bit of everything and something of interest to everyone.
They have help with the business too. A son and daughter-inlaw, Jeffery and Bettie Duram, and another daughter, Jennifer Shaber, help run the store.
Business hours are 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. on Friday, and 9 a. m. to 4 p. m. on Saturday. The business may be reached by telephone at 525-6025. The Chicken Coop
The Chicken Coop, located in the old Farmersí Co-op Building at 500 E. Main Street ó just east of the railroad tracks ó is owned and operated by Melissa Graef.
She saved and completely renovated and restored the Farmersí Co-op Building, constructed in 1952 by Earl Alcorn, and opened it up for business six months ago.
Now Melissa owns the largest flea-market space in Gentry and has numerous aisles of booths containing everything from old furniture, antiques, arts, crafts, collectibles to glass chandeliers. She has 46 venders and a store packed with merchandise.
And ìbusiness is good, î she says. The slow down in the economy hasnít kept customers away from her business. They come from all over the region.
Melissa, an art major and graduate of the University of North Texas, restores antiques, and sells old chandeliers and country primitives. She likes hand-made folk art and her store is full of examples. Vintage lighting is her specialty and one of her biggest items, she said.
Her niche among the Gentry flea markets is in the high-end antiques and collectibles. Quality artwork and crafts can be found throughout her store. And, of course, she has plenty of old glass chandeliers.
The Chicken Coop is now open seven days a week ó 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 p. m. to 5 p. m. on Sunday. The telephone number is 736-2255. CC’s This & That
Though not on Main Street, one more Gentry flea market plans to reopen soon along Arkansas Highway 59, just south of the Little Debbie Store.
CC ís This & That, owned by Claudia Moss, was closed for several months while Claudia cared for her ailing grandmother. With the loss of her grandmother, Claudia is working to get the store ready and restocked to open.
Claudia sells household items, furniture and appliances. Her goal is to keep prices low enough so that everyone can afford to buy the things they need.
ì I raised five children by myself, and I know how hard it can be to afford things, î she said.
When she reopens, her hours will be 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. Tuesday through Saturday. Though not officially open yet, customers are welcome to stop by when sheís working at the store, she said. She can be reached at 501-442-2405. Markets draw people
One might think that the competition is fierce with so many flea markets in one small area, but thatís not the case. If one store doesnít have what a customer is looking for, the owner is likely to send them down the street to one of the other stores.
Having so many flea markets located in Gentry is actually a drawing point. Those who enjoy shopping for specialty items, used furniture, hobby supplies, crafts, art, antiques and other second-hand treasures come here and go from shop to shop to find just what theyíve always been looking for.
Why spend gas money to go where there is only one shop when you can come to Gentry and shop in five or six stores within just a few blocks ?