DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Did you know that there is a strip of vintage stores on Cerro Gordo Street? The half-dozen shop owners call it Antique Alley, and it has become a destination to find treasures of days past.
Kim Aukamp, owner of Wabash Depot, said that Antique Alley is open to experienced antiquarians and newcomers.
"Lots of people come in, and they say, 'Well, I'm not an antique person.' I say, you don't have to be," Aukamp said.Â
Aukamp opened Wabash Depot in 2002 after purchasing the property in 1990. Before it was an antique store, Wabash Depot was a railroad headquarters along the Wabash railroad. Although railroad workers no longer frequent the station, train whistles still echo in the vast hallways of the antique store.Â
Aukamp explained that Antique Alley provides an opportunity for customers to shop small and sustainable, while also getting a healthy dose of nostalgia.
"People come in and they look for things that are from their past, from their childhood, from their grandmother. And they say 'oh my Grandma used to have one of these' or 'my sister took mine, now I've got to find another one,'" Aukamp said.Â
Each shop on Antique Alley is different, and they frequently collaborate and highlight each other's businesses.
"We don't feel like we're in competition with each other. We just kind of complement each other because we do have different things, different dealers are in different shops and they bring their own unique items."Â Aukamp said.
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