Antiques may become new industry in Marion
Staff writer
Nadine Iseli believes the little things have helped her run a successful antique business, and even grow — Central Park Antiques is expanding to a building across the street.
Iseli makes sure her shop smells pleasant with scented candles and potpourri. She rearranges her shop every two weeks to keep the store interesting and different. The shop evolves with the seasons.
In the winter months, she offers customers hot apple cider, and she is not pushy about trying to make a cider drinker buy an item in her store.
She advises customers to visit Bearly Makin’ It Antiques, The Copper Shed, and TC’s What Not Shop.
“That’s kind of like being an ambassador. I feel you have an obligation to encourage people to visit other businesses in town,” Iseli said. “I don’t look at them as competitors. When you have more stores, it only makes it more interesting. Like Bearly Makin’ It, they are only open on Saturdays. It would be better if they were open during the week.”
With Central Park Antiques’ expansion and three other similar retailers in town, local business leaders hope Marion will become an antiques destination.
“There’s definitely a market for them,” Marion Chamber of Commerce Director Margo Yates said. “It’s more reasons for people to drive here.”
Marion Economic Development Director Doug Kjellin compared Marion to Kechi, which was once known as an antiques “hot spot” near Wichita.
“Kechi really started as a town with antiques,” Kjellin said. “It’s purple cow marketing, just something that’s different or unique. Antiques will be a part of it.”
Before she owned Central Park Antiques at 330 E. Main St., Iseli owned a building featuring seven shops in Kechi. Iseli owned a home at Marion County Lake and eventually decided to move to Marion. Operating a shop so far from her home became tedious and Iseli looked into opportunities in Marion.
“I owned three lots when I sold them,” Iseli said. “There were three or four old antique store owners and they have passed away. Kechi had just always been known for antiques. The interest there just died out.”
Iseli thinks Marion could reach Kechi’s previous level if shop owners continue to sell quality goods at reasonable prices.
While potpourri and cider are nice touches, Iseli has no aversion to research. She goes to auctions once a month when the weather is cool and every other week during the summer. The goal is to find the next items seasoned collectors will pay handsomely to possess.
“It keeps your inventory up,” Iseli said. “There are a lot of collectors out there; I don’t buy just for collectors. When you’re in the antique business you sort of find out what people are interested in.”
Practicality is also one of Iseli’s interests. She said she likes to purchase items between $50 and $100, making it easier to turn a profit. She envisions how long an item will set in her store.
“You need to know what merchandise will sell for and if you can afford to buy it at a certain price and sell it for a little more,” she said.
Iseli also realizes that Marion is not always a convenient location for customers.
“I have people that call me to buy merchandise because I offer a fair price,” she said. “We have a lot of people that come from Wichita to shop in Marion. You can’t price something for what it would sell in Wichita.”
Variety is another important feature of Central Park’s antiques. Iseli purchased the new storefront at 331 E. Main St. for consignment: antique owners wanted a place to sell their large items but Iseli did not have room. Now, Iseli will sell everything from trinkets to full bedroom sets.
Iseli said most of her merchandise is her own, but local artists — Shawn Voth, who molds pottery, and Judy Christensen, who is a decorative painter — rent space in the store.
“I just try to encourage people who are talented,” Iseli said. “They’re just local people who live in Marion.”
Merchandise at Central Park Antiques ranges from conventional gifts or collectibles to unique treasures. Iseli pointed out a sausage stuffer from the late 1800s and an apple peeler from the early 1900s.
Whether they just come in to drink a cup of cider, look around, or are in pursuit of the perfect piece to finish their collection, Iseli looks to continue to invite new people into her store and into Marion.
“When you’re a business in a community like Marion you need to make people feel welcome,” Iseli said. “You need to make them feel like coming back.”