Upgraded inventory replaces shabby chic items
The merchandise offered at Antiques, Etc. reflects the diverse tastes of sisters and co-owners Karen Grimm (left) and Ellen Haskell.
After more than a decade, Antiques, Etc., formerly Tumbling Tumbleweed, has renamed and redefined itself.
The shop, which has been at 2319 N. Country Club Road since 1998, is a difficult business to categorize. In some ways, the inventory is reminiscent of a flea market in Paris. In other ways, a quaint art gallery, a whimsical collection of nostalgia or a treasure-laden Southern attic.
Opened by sisters Ellen Haskell and Karen Grimm, the shop reflects the diverse tastes of these women.
Grimm smiles and then laughs as she tries to explain the things that she is most attracted to in the world of antiques and collectibles.
“I specialize in French furniture but not just any kind of French furniture. It must reflect an over-the-top style with lots of rococo,” she says. For those who are uncertain about what rococo is, think early Liberace.
Both sisters explain that the shop was started as a diversion for their mother to keep her occupied. The plan worked out well until she retired recently due to failing health.
The 5,000-plus-square-foot building, originally Janos Square Structure when it was constructed in 1948, is filled with an inventory Grimm describes as “good and high end.”
Gone are most of the shabby chic items that filled the store during the last decade.
“After mother retired and we began upgrading our inventory, we made a conscious decision to buy only the best items we could find,” Grimm says. She is drawn to exceptional paintings, pottery, Spanish and Mexican colonial pieces, and traditional devotional art.
“Many of the items we sell are to out-of-state buyers,” she says. “If I find an exceptional painting, a rare piece of art pottery, or even a pickle caster, I know just who to contact,” she says.
Like many dealers, both sisters are concerned about reproductions and knockoffs.
“We never sell reproductions, but it is getting more and more difficult to spot many of them, especially items such as Roseville pottery,” Grimm notes. She points out that Chinese companies now own many of the original Roseville molds and workers there have become so good at duplicating the old colors and glazes that it has become a major problem.
As Grimm moves about the shop, she picks up a recent copy of Veranda Magazine.
“If I have a guide, it is this magazine since it reflects the cutting-edge style that we are trying to achieve in our shop,” she says.
The recent name change came about because of a simple reason.
“We didn’t want to be the last shop listed in the business pages of the phone book,” Grimm says with a smile. After considering “A Tumbleweed Antiques,” it was discarded in favor of “Antiques, Etc.”
“The original store had more Western Americana that we presently do and the old name simply didn’t reflect what we are now doing,” Grimm explains.
The store's inventory includes (from top): vintage tack, traditional devotional art, a pair of earthenware King Charles' spaniels and classic opera shoes.
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IF YOU GO
What: Antiques, Etc.
Where: 2319 N. Country Club Road
When: Open 10:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays
Info: 322-6269