By Jon DeStefano When Kimberly Mary was growing up in Loveland she never imagined she someday would own an amazing shopping destination right in Fort Collins’ celebrated Antique Alley. Even later when she lived in Fort Collins and owned a very successful on-line auction company she had no idea she would one day put together a boutique style antique mall for 80+ vendors.
The evolution was natural though. Her previous company, Caring Transitions, was a moving company focusing on families who were in transition. They did furniture liquidations including online auctions for families who had a member pass or needed to move because they were downsizing for one reason or another.
Kim said, “My husband and I did it together for years and I fell in love with whole industry. The antique industry has come full circle.There was a time when a lot of people weren’t buying antiques. So many items we couldn’t sell by auction.
We were taking so much to the landfill because nobody wanted it, a couple of years down the road repurposing became very big and still is. It made such a difference. I like the repurposing part and I appreciate the talent of all the people who make the mall business so special and successful. “One day,” she continued, “My husband and I just decided. Wouldn’t it be nice to open an antique mall. We did quite a bit of research on opening a mall and making it successful. I said we should open an antique mall and a month later we put an offer on this building.”
“It used to be a bar but it sat empty for awhile. It had a full bar, of course. A pool hall, kitchen, and dance floor. We bought it and guess what, I had an auction company. So we auctioned a lot off. We also repurposed booths, the dance floor, many of the tables, chairs and other furnishings.”
They gutted the bar and completely remodeled the 8,000 square foot space. When they opened Vintage Marketplace on December 21, 2018 the place was transformed into a boutique style antique mall. They created an amazing, clean, carpeted, nice-smelling, well-lighted shopping experience. Their concept and plan were so well designed and implemented that they opened at full capacity with vendors. Today Kim has 84 vendor dealers.
“When I started Vintage Marketplace we were doing both businesses, but I needed to focus on one and that has made all the difference. We sold our Caring Transitions business to one of our vendors and they are doing great with it.” Kim has employees who help with the business and they all are vendors. They do such a great job. They make a huge difference for us.
Like many other malls the vendors pay a monthly fee and a percentage of sales.
Kim uses an antique software online system that allows vendors to create their own tags, and direct deposits into the vendors account every other week when she clicks a button. “I didn’t want to do checks and mess with tags,”she said, “Vendors love it. It updates every three minutes so they know any time exactly where they stand and what sold. They can just fill in the space for what was sold as needed. Having a good computer system is a great benefit for the vendor.”
“I’m a minimalist. My goal is to have a variety of great stuff and offer a comfortable shopping experience. I enjoy seeing the happy people. Happy shoppers and happy vendors. I love thinking and creating new ways to improve our business. For example, this April we will utilize space outside to create a outdoor marketplace…for outdoor stuff, tables, lawn furniture, garden and porch items.
Vintage Marketplace also uses a state-of-the-art security system which includes tags that have sensors which go off. Another difference Vintage Marketplace vendors appreciate is that there is no haggling on prices. Vintage Marketplace has numerous exciting events on-going throughout the year including: Ladies Nights, Whole Store Sales, and Outdoor Markets. In April special events are scheduled for the 21st, 22nd and 23rd. See the show calendar on page five and their ad on page 6 for more details.
The Mall is located along Fort Collins’ Antique Alley at 6520 S. College Ave. Their telephone number is 970-672-8048. Find them on Facebook and Instagram @Vintage MarketplaceFTC and Vintagemarketplacefortcollins. Mall hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
When Kimberly Mary began this journey to establish her own antique business she had no idea she it would result in one of Colorado’s most amazing boutique style shopping destinations featuring vintage finds, furniture, clothing, home decor, gifts and unique artisan creations where 84 business owners come together to offer their unique items at great prices.
The Mall has been awarded the Northern Colorado “Best Antique Shop” in 2021 and 2022. Visit Vintage Marketplace soon. You’ll be glad you did.
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