By CARA LORELLO
Staff Reporter
“A store with a little of everything in it.”
Sounds like a catchy advertisement, but in the case of Village Square Antiques Plus store that opened late last winter in Airway Heights, it's a true but little known statement of fact.
Store manager Elsie Patten, however, might be a familiar face to residents living in the city the past 30 years or so. Her store just happens to be the old Sunset Grange Building that was once City Hall and a jailhouse, but now sits directly behind the Village Tavern, currently run by Patten's daughter, Jean, and husband Tracy.
“It's sort of a family corner, right here,” Patten said of the joined structures. Located away and partly behind the flow of regular traffic along Highway 2, Patten said she hopes her new added signage will notify the public to her store being open for business. Opening during a bad storm in February, local shoppers were going to one of about three places; the post office, the bank, or the grocery store. Browsing through an antiques store like Village Square that's topped and bottomed with merchandise was not a priority.
“The first couple of months, it was so quiet the weather was so bad,” Patten said.
Mother Nature may be the reason things got off to a slower start, but that's slowly starting to change, she added.
Village Square is a one-room shop where the smallest items perhaps are the glass parts to a mini porcelain tea set and the biggest probably being a draw between a few grand pianos and a wood finish, English-style buffet. Most of the items for sale are acquired either through Patten's years spent living between Germany and England, plus things collected by her son, John S. Patten, who also lived for seven years in Europe.
“I've always collected something, and I love going into shops for things I can't live without,” Patten said, adding she has a collection of over 300 teapots at home. Several more are up for sale in the shop. Patten's gotten specific requests from customers for Sadler teapots, the leading manufacturers of teapots in the United Kingdom.
“I've collected a lot over the years, and figured I've got to stop sometime. This is a fun way to do it,” she said.
Typical of antique finds, merchandise is one-of-a-kind, from pieces in the shop's large jewelry collections, glassware and figurines, vinyl records, hanging art, and small to large furniture pieces, some being consigned items from local people.
Patten said consignments are open to any individual who wants to sell a piece. She doesn't charge a flat rate but will ask for 10 to 15 percent on most items, though it depends on how much the asking price is. For items over $50, the charge will be 20 percent for consignments.
Aside from everyday household merchandise and collectibles, furniture and novelty items come with their own history. This includes a wooden monk's bench from a European monastery, a spinning wheel from Belgium, espresso machine taken from a Spokane Hotel, old skate sets from Holland, and a row of four chairs taken from an auditorium at Washington State University.
“You name it, we've got it here,” Patten said.
Village Square Antiques Plus is open Tuesday through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For questions by phone, Patten can be contacted at 475-0894.
The store is located behind Village Square Tavern, 13119 W. Sunset Highway, in Airway Heights.
Cara Lorello can be reached at [email protected]
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