Antiques on State partners pleased with their new stone home
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When antique dealer Karen Klaske found out the Antique Market 3 building in St. Charles had been sold, she went to work hoping to find a new home to sell her finds.
Her efforts paid off, bringing a new antique shop to Geneva complete with a combined 112 years of experience from the 14 dealers behind the venture.
"We're very pleased," Klaske said of the new shop, Antiques on State, which opened July 18. "We're being very well received by the people in Geneva and we're seeing them come back week after week."
Dealers plan to celebrate their grand opening with customers on Oct. 12 and 13. The shop will run specials that will continue the following week, Klaske said.
The 2,000-square-foot shop, located at 422 W. State St., features items from the 14 dealers and partners. Shoppers can find everything from rugs and furniture to antique kitchenware and crystal. Other dealers specialize in jewelry, clocks, glassware, silver, lamps and English china.
Even the shop itself is a bit of a find -- a 150-year-old stone house.
"It really lent itself to an antique shop," Klaske said. "It really does have a wonderful feel to it, being in a home … I think it's unique."
Though Klaske manages the shop and makes sure the bills get paid, all the dealers work together as a cooperative. All are considered independent dealers with their own booths, but they work together -- each picking up a shift or two throughout the week and contributing to the rent -- to keep the shop running.
"When someone walks through that door, the person working for that day will help them in anyone's booth," she said. "And if there's a question, we're more than happy to call the dealer regarding the item."
Having several dealers in a shop gives antique collectors a wider variety, and a story behind most of the items.
"Each thing is unique and personally selected by us," said Carol Vanden Brook, one of the partners.
The St. Charles woman has been dealing in antiques for 16 years. Much like other dealers, Vanden Brook got into the business because her collection of antiques had grown too large.
"I collected more than I could put in my house and I kept seeing things that I loved," she said. "So I decided to be able to have them in passing and then find them good homes."
And if you can't find an item you want, the dealers keep a "wish list" for customers and search those wanted items out.
Antiques on State is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The shop can be reached by calling (630) 232-4050.