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-- Story by Lisa Monti
Shoppers looking for treasures like vinyl records, collectible baseball cards and coins, fine antique furniture or vintage jewelry are having a field day thanks to new shops opening on Highway 90 – and a healthy dose of cooperation among new and established store owners. In fact, the Bay-Waveland area can now boast a total of eight locations and nearly 80 dealers selling antiques and collectibles, which puts the towns on the map for savvy shoppers across the region. Wish List Flea Market, owned by Donald and Shannon Anderson, opened a little over a year ago in Waveland and now has 20 vendors, mostly local ones. The extensive offerings of antiques and collectibles take up every bit of their 4,200 square foot building. “We have anything from DVDs to antiques, jewelry, really anything you could think of,” said Donald. “I wish I had more room.” |
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The shopping options grew last November, when Anne Mann opened Sea Gypseas Antiques and Collectibles nearby on Highway 90.
Anne has been involved in selling antiques for 14 years. She has around ten dealers sharing space in her new venture, where you can buy locally made candles, garden accessories, antiques in the Mid-century Modern style and with a Bohemian look. The eclectic collection of antiques, gifts and home decor is arranged neatly, with a four-foot path to easily maneuver the layout.
“It’s very open and bright, which I love,” she said.
Also, opening last November was Dawn Letellier’s Worth Repeating, a home goods consignment store with an emphasis on quality in her former pharmacy location in Bay St. Louis.
Dawn describes her Worth Repeating as a quality home goods consignment store selling “gently used” furniture and some art.
“Things are going out of here so fast,” she said. “We started out with an empty warehouse and now it’s packed full.”
Items are available for 60 days only and prices drop 10 percent after 20 days and 10 percent more after 40 days. If something doesn’t sell, it’s returned to the owner or donated. New items show up virtually every day, and one item is featured daily on Facebook and Instagram. The shop’s motto: Repeat, Reuse, Recycle.
Not long after the two new shops opened, Donald was referring shoppers to them if his flea market didn’t have what a customer was looking for. Anne and Dawn started doing the same after seeing traffic referred by Donald. It didn’t take long before a sort of retail revolving door was benefiting everyone. “We help each other,” Donald said.
“Everybody is so supportive,” Anne said of the cooperation. “Bay St. Louis and Waveland, the other businesses have been absolutely wonderful.”
She said that recently she referred seven customers to other stores. “That’s what we do in this business. Antiquers want to know all the different places. You’re not losing customers, you’re creating new business when you do that. It’s how you develop an area.”
Anne also had high praise for the support and encouragement provided by Countryside Antiques owners Mike Mayo and Tom Cottom, who have been in business in Waveland since 1978.
In a note sent from their trip to Europe sourcing more antique treasures for their store, they wrote, “We are so excited to have additional antique, vintage and consignment stores in the Bay-Waveland area. Each store brings an additional perspective to our business and new customers to us all. We wish everyone great success and a big welcome to the antique, vintage and collectibles business in Hancock County!”
151 Highway 90
Waveland, Mississippi
228-467-2338
Worth Repeating
1140 Highway 90
Bay St. Louis
228-270-1055
Wish List Flea Market
212 Highway 90
Waveland
228-342-4568
20 vendors
Sea Gypseas
128A Highway 90
Waveland
228-216-5725
Don’t miss these Old Town Bay St. Louis locations:
Antique Maison
111 N. 2nd Street
Bay St. Louis, MS
228-466-4848
36 vendors
Magnolia Antiques
200 Main Street
Bay St. Louis, MS
228-467-8170