By DAVID TELLER
Staff Reporter
Cheney has a new antique mall.
Leslie Johnston opened her new business, Cabin Fever Antiques, June 21 at 208 First St. in Cheney, which is the former location of the Rose of Sharon.
Johnston said when she told people she wanted to open an antique store she received good feedback from friends and other business owners in town.
The building has ample space for Johnston's antique mall plan. Currently she has antiques and rustic artifacts throughout the store. Eventually, she wants to rent floor space for independent antique dealers so there will be a variety of items and price ranges.
The type of antiques Johnston has in her inventory is what she describes as rustic collector's items, a lot of which were supplied by family and friends. She added these are not high-end antiques that collectors look for, but are mostly for decoration.
Some of the items she has are glass insulators from early telephone lines, vintage lawn furniture, a school desk that is probably from the 1920s, an old scrub board, which were used before automatic washers, and some antique furniture, including a blue velvet Victorian-style furniture set that Johnston said is a consignment.
Johnston said she is in touch with several antique dealers, but has none that are permanent. She said she also maintains her inventory by going to estate sales. In addition to building her inventory, she said she is currently looking to lease the six rooms of varying sizes she has to independent dealers too.
The way she said she would handle a leasee's merchandise is there would be a code on the price tag identifying whom it belongs to. Credit is given to the dealer and they receive their reimbursement at the end of the month.
The decision to sell antiques was simple.
“We had a lot of them, they had been collecting for years and there's not (an antique store) in Cheney,” she said.
The business didn't get off the ground cleanly. Johnston said she had difficulty finding a place to get set up. She said all of the empty spaces in the downtown business district where she looked are not available. She heard about the vacancy at 208 First St. and bought it.
After three weeks of patchwork, repair and some remodeling, Johnston opened her doors for business.
Prior to Cabin Fever, Johnston owned an upholstery business. She also worked 16 years for Comcast and then Vintage Rabbit Antique Mall in Monroe Street in Spokane.
A side business Johnston is working is “Paint Your Pottery.” She said people could buy “Bisque” ceramics, which means it has been molded and fired, but not finished.
After purchasing a ceramic piece, paints and glazes are provided for customers to create their own personal touch on it by designing or using their favorite color. Johnston said she would then put the painted ceramics into a kiln and complete the firing process.
“It's going to be a good family activity, or for a parent and child or just friends looking for something to do,” Johnston said.
She said she plans to have room for about 30 people. She added there is no “greenware,” which is molded clay, that has never-been-fired.
The shop for the ceramic painting is still under construction, but Johnston said she plans to have it completed by the end of July
Also in the Cabin Fever Antiques, Johnston said she wants to have local artists on display. She currently has scenery paintings by Loon Lake artist Debbie Hughbanks and Helen Winter, a Soap Lake artist
Despite having the product of an earring maker in Deer Park, she said she wants to avoid crafts.
The formal ribbon cutting for Cabin Fever Antiques is Aug. 6, but Johnston said people are welcome to come in now.
David Teller can be reached at [email protected]
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