Business Spotlight
Whistlestop Antiques opened in June of 1996 by Tom and Mary Welch. The building had previously been owned by Mary’s father, Art Rolfes, who had operated a jewelry, clock, and watch repair business there since 1952. As a child, Mary and her family lived in the upstairs apartment, so it was her first remembered home.
Initially, Whistlestop was open just on weekends. March of 2001 marked the beginning of the full time, six day a week operation of the shop. The part time years were used to build a large inventory, and a philosophy. Today, shoppers are pleasantly surprised by the thousands of antique and collectible items available to them, and that the shop is much larger than it appears from the street. Three rooms are filled, floor to ceiling, with prints, and pictures, china, glass, kitchenware, linens, jewelry, books and other paper items. It is probably the toys and games included in the inventory that gives Whistlestop Antiques items special identity.
The toys and games fit right into the philosophy the Welchs have observed, "The baby boomers are trying to collect the items from their childhood." Items from previous generations are not ignored, but items from the 1940's, 50's and even 60's are prevalent. It’s not unusual to see items from the late 1800's nearby a display area with a Dukes of Hazard Lunchbox or Roy Rogers comic books.
Internet sales of antiques and collectibles have impacted the market, and caused many shops to close. The Welchs believe most people still want to see, touch, and experience these items prior to purchase. Many people admit they don’t know what they are looking for, but will know it when they see it, and then can’t live without it.
Whistlestop Antiques is a great place to just browse around, visit, and share information on the wonderful world of collecting. Accepting Visa & MasterCard.
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