How My Barn Became the Heart of My Vintage Business – Lately, I’ve shared a little of what is happening inside my barn workspace – from the mess behind the magic to rediscovering inventory I had forgotten I owned.
But I realized I never shared how the barn became such an important part of my vintage business in the first place.
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When I made the decision to close my brick-and-mortar store in January 2021, I knew it wasn’t something that could happen overnight.
Like many small businesses, the years surrounding COVID brought a lot of uncertainty. After much thought, I made the difficult decision to close the store. It wasn’t easy, but looking back, it became the beginning of a new chapter.
Months before my lease was up, I started preparing. Items went on sale, shelves slowly emptied, and little by little I carried everything home. Friends and family pitched in, helping move furniture, display fixtures, and years of vintage treasures. The most fragile pieces found a safe place in storage, while everything else made its way into the barn.
By February 7th, the store was empty.
It was bittersweet. That little shop had been part of my life for years, and closing the door for the last time wasn’t easy.
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A Dream Waiting in the Wings
The barn itself had been built back in 2017. It’s a 42′ × 70′ building that I originally dreamed would become a place for storage, a workspace, and eventually even a place to hold barn sales.
At the time, I never imagined it would suddenly become home to my entire business.
For a while, that’s exactly what it became—a place to safely store everything while I figured out what came next.
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Taking a Break
If I’m being honest, after closing the store, I was exhausted.
Not just physically…
Emotionally, too.
For the first couple of years, I hardly looked at the boxes. They simply sat where we’d placed them. Every time I walked into the barn, I knew they were there, but I just wasn’t ready.
I needed time before I could think about unpacking—not just the boxes, but everything that came with closing the store.
Sometimes the hardest part of closing one chapter is finding the energy to begin another.
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One Text Changed Everything
Then one day, a friend sent me a simple text.
“Are you ready to get back into it?”
Without hesitation, my answer was…
YES.
That one question reminded me how much I missed the hunt, the stories behind old treasures, and helping vintage pieces find new homes.
Before long, I opened my first antique booth since closing the store.
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Little by Little…Again
Now, several years later, that little booth has become the motivation I needed to finally tackle the barn.
Boxes have been opened, shelves have been reorganized, and spaces are slowly taking shape. I’m creating areas to clean and price vintage finds, photograph inventory, package Etsy orders, store online inventory, and prepare for future barn sales.
And now, I’m getting ready to open a booth in a new store—right here in my hometown. It feels especially exciting to have a place close to home where I can share the vintage pieces I’ve been uncovering in the barn.
It feels a little different this time around—not like starting over, but like continuing something I never truly stopped loving. The barn is slowly becoming the working heart of it all: a place where old treasures are rediscovered, cleaned up, priced, photographed, and sent back out into the world.
It’s still a work in progress.
Honestly…it probably always will be.
But every shelf I organize, every box I unpack, and every piece I get ready for the new booth feels like another step forward.
Have an awesome week!
Nancie, Ziggy, Pumpkin & Peanut
Every Piece Has a Past.
And sometimes, so do the places where those pieces begin their next chapter.
If you’d like to browse more of my vintage finds, you can visit my Etsy shops here: Funky Vintiques and Lafayette Antiques. I’m adding new treasures every week, so feel free to check back often!
📍 Find us at:
📌 Sugar Mill Antiques & Vintage Depot
📍 13788 Pacific Circle, Mead, CO
🛍 Booth #58 – Center Aisle, 2nd on the Left
📌Show Me Twice Indoor Flea Market
📍 87 South Main Street, Keenesburg, CO
🛍 Booth #58 – First Booth on Left
You can also browse our finds in our Etsy store!
