By James Peacemaker Jr, The Hopewell News
HOPEWELL — A new shop has made downtown Hopewell its home.
Old Timers Classic offers a variety furniture, collectibles and knick-knacks.
Charles Palmer and Steve Vaughan are partners in the venture.
They had been renting a spot in the Market Bazaar on Hull Street up in Midlothian for about six months and they decided it was time to have their own store.
Palmer, who lives in Enon, said they had acquired more things than they could fit in the previous spot.
“We had a storage unit full, stuff at my house, stuff at his house, and so when we rented this, we were able to bring a lot more out,” he said.
The new store also has other vendors who are selling their stuff as well.
Palmer said he is retired now and it was really more Vaughan’s idea for the business.
Vaughan, of Chester, said he got interested in the furniture. “Fixing it, restoring it, painting it,” he said. They now have a workshop upstairs where they work.
“It’s a fun business because we’re always working on furniture and pieces and redoing things, so it’s kind of a hobby as much as a business,” Palmer said.
Items come from auctions, yard sales, or just people they know.
“We didn’t really pick out a place when we started looking. We were just going around to different areas,” Palmer said.
They started looking over on Broadway but drove by and saw the “For Rent” sign at this location on Main Street. The spot is next to a florist, a bank, an ABC store, the courthouse and City Hall.
He said they had tons of foot traffic on their first day open on June 1.
“We feel like it was a good location,” Palmer said. “… We really didn’t come looking for Hopewell. It just jumped out at us as we were looking.”
“We thought Hopewell would be a great place for it,” Vaughan said.
Palmer said he was very happy with the reception they have gotten from the neighboring businesses.
Palmer said he is excited about the prospect of seeing a thriving downtown.
“We are hoping that things will move along to kind of build everything up, which will help us as well,” he said.
Old Timers Classic is hosting a grand opening Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, with refreshments and door prizes. The shop is located at 206 N. Main Street, Hopewell. For more information, call 804-452-45527 or visit www.oldtimersclassic.com. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.