In August 2008 I realized one of my lifelong dreams, I was opening my very own antique shop. Not only was it MY antique shop I was moving in to a building just a few blocks from my home that I had coveted since I first stepped foot in it many years before.
The first time I entered this building I felt a connection to the space. It is a building that was built in the late 1800's as a duplex and its first occupants were Dr. Percy Jones, the first doctor in the city of Lenexa, his wife and Mr. William Kelly a mailman for the nearby railroad. Dr. Jones had his office in the basement of the building and you can still tell which room was the operating suite.
Dr. Jones and Mr. Kelly moved out in the 1930's at which point a new owner divided the space up in to apartments including two small buildings in the back that were also used as residences. Over the years many families passed through the door of this wonderful space on Pflumm Rd. in Old Town Lenexa. In the 1980's it became a single family dwelling and then went commercial in the late 1980's.
I can''t believe that this is finally happening. I am moving in to my very own antique shop, this has been a dream of mine for a quarter of a century and the day has finally arrived.
Our luck could not be better if we could have arranged it. The city was working on the main street that passes in front of the building therefore there were no cars traveling on the street. My husband, Darrell, and all the helpers could pull right up to the front door of the building and unload one pick-up truck full at a time.
The primary objective on this day, August 15, 2008, was to get everything moved in to the building and all large pieces in place. Some of my really heavy display pieces had to go upstairs and this is a task that Darrell and I could not do alone. We had plenty of help, some I was paying by the hour so time and efficeincy was of the upmost importance. When my patio furniture showed up in one of the trips to the shop I knew that the end of moving day had come. Everything was out of the garage and off the patio. It was supper time and all of our helpers, husband included had put in a long, hot, back breaking day.
After we ate I, of course, went back up to the shop to begin unpacking and placing items. I was giddy with excitement. I had a main table I was working from, this table held my hammer, nails, furniture polish and all other items that I would need to do the work at hand.
It was very quite, with the street blocked off from at least 4 blocks north of the shop, there was no traffic noise and the nearby businesses were closed for the day. The only sounds were the occasional train.
The activity began that night with items being moved from my work table only to appear again later. I also heard footsteps upstairs and snippets of conversation. I dismissed it all and did for a couple of months. I kept telling myself I was tired and overworking myself.
Then I started seeing this black mass running up and down the stairs, this was harder to dismiss. Finally, I was touched on the neck and something ran through me on the stairs pushing me forward, that sealed the deal, combined with all the other activity something not normal was happening in the shop.
