With every inch of its narrow aisles packed with milk glass, Victorian dolls and embroidered doilies, a new store along West Seventh Avenue in Tarentum is a picker’s dream.
The frog-shaped cookie jar and the Hummel figurines, like most of the items at The Vintage Owl, come with a story of days gone by, owner Deanne Bechtel said.
“I’ve always had a love for vintage, from furniture to glassware to pictures,” said Bechtel, of New Castle. “My living room is completely from the 1970s. It’s like going back in time.”
Her passion for purchasing knickknacks, old-timey cookie jars and rolling pins — among many other collectibles – came to a head when she ran out of space to store treasures at home.
“I have an Etsy store and my husband sells on eBay. But we had lots of things in our house,” Bechtel said. “A brick-and-mortar store seemed like the next reasonable step.”
Working a full-time corporate job at U.S. Steel didn’t leave many hours to mind a store, but Bechtel’s mom, Tarentum resident Rita Jackson, was willing.
The space at the corner of West Seventh Avenue and Center Street, formerly home to the similar Secondhand Treasures, went up for rent.
“We went for it,” Bechtel said.
The Vintage Owl, named for Bechtel’s admiration of the bird’s wisdom and strength, opened March 1.
Councilwoman Carrie Fox paid a visit to the store last week and said it’s a good fit for the business corridor.
“I love it!” Fox said. “It’s so nice to see this on West Seventh. I think they have a vibrant future.”
Customers have given the new owner a welcoming reception, said Jackson, Bechtel’s mom.
Word of mouth has drawn many shoppers curious to browse the century-old parlor lamps, the porcelain Easter eggs and the pottery pie plates.
Items are priced to move, Jackson said.
A refinished end table cost $15. A genuine mink and beaver coat is tagged at $300.
“We want people to be able to come in a buy something nice,” Jackson said. “Not everyone has beaucoup money to spend.”
A self-proclaimed picker, Jackson promised there’s something for everyone at her daughter’s store.
Bechtel, despite an attachment to nearly every piece, has a special affinity for the green uranium glassware stored in one of the showcases.
“That’s my favorite,” she said. “You put a flashlight on it and it glows.”
