A fine Vintage opening in Flint Hill

New energy is being pumped into the old apple-packing warehouse at the north edge of Flint Hill with a soon-to-open antique store called Flint Hill Vintage.

County residents Dan Lewis and Berni Olson are operating the new store, which opens Saturday.

Lewis and Olson have sold antiques and vintage items for the past 10 months at Copper Fox Antiques in Sperryville. They enjoyed it so much that they decided to open their own store.

"A lot of people ask us, 'Why are you doing this?' Because we're having fun," Olson said.

Lewis, who founded the Middle Street Gallery in 1980 and ran it until 1994, has an art background. Olson has a business background.

He likes going to auctions; she likes the organizational side of things. They both enjoy meeting the customers that come searching for treasures in antique stores.

They said the focus of the store will be antiques, but inventory will also include art, kitchen utensils, estate furniture and more – basically "anything old, unusual or unique," Olson said.

The store will also have a collection of pre-1970s vintage items – things that Lewis says tap nostalgic feelings and remind people of when they were growing up.

Lewis and Olson also plan to develop a garden outside the store and will sell antique and vintage gardening tools as well as decorative garden items, such as urns and statues.

The pair searches auctions and estate sales for inventory, and also has consignors.

Lewis and Olson think more antique stores will benefit Copper Fox and the other retail spots in Rappahannock by making the county a destination.

"People in the city think, 'Let's go to Rappahannock to shop for antiques.' But there aren't as many antique stores as there used to be out here," Lewis said. "We think there's room for this store and more."

The business also fills a void in the old apple-packing shed on the north side of Flint Hill. Two retail businesses, Artistic License and Fly-by-Night Books, Etc., moved out of the building late last year. Flint Hill Vintage is occupying one retail space, but the other remains unfilled.

"There's a lot of traffic coming along [U.S. 522] all the time," Lewis said. "If we can give them a reason, they'll stop."

Flint Hill Vintage is located on U.S. 522 at the north end of Flint Hill. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday, except Sunday when the hours are noon to 5 p.m. Contact the store at flinthillvintage@gmail.com or 317-1436.

E-mail the reporter at kallen@timespapers.com.