For Dane Bohnert and Lori Patrick, the two have been quite familiar with Parke County for several years now.
"We have been coming to Parke County for many years to spend time visiting Turkey Run and Shades State Park, canoeing on Sugar Creek, vacationing and boating on Racoon Lake, and, of course, enjoying Billie Creek and the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival. We have always loved Rockville," Patrick said.
Now, the two, will spend a lot more time in Rockville and Parke County, as they are in the midst of bringing Rockville Retro, a new antique and vintage items vendor mall to the square. The business will be located at 113 South Jefferson St., Rockville, and both Bohnert and Patrick are optimistic it will be opened by the end of May.
"Imagine our absolute delight when we learned of two historic buildings for sale on the Square in Rockville. Also, considering that we both grew up in a small Indiana town, Rockville is the perfect place to live and have a business in. Rockville Retro will be a vendor mall with an eclectic collection of antique, vintage, handcrafted and boutique items. Everyone is sure to find something they love," Bohnert said.
The two are no strangers to business, as Bohnert has a background in engineering and is currently a manufacturing and business process improvement consultant. Patrick was a registered nurse and is now the business operations manager. In addition, the two owned Colonial Tavern in Indianapolis.
"One of our very favorite things to do is collect antiques and artistic items. Owning an antique, vintage, boutique business had been a goal for a few years now, but we had not found the perfect place to begin the adventure," Patrick said.
Both said that they have enjoyed getting to know the Parke County community while getting the interior of the buildings ready for the business.
"Absolutely everyone we have met has been so incredibly welcome and supportive of us and the new business. We are so excited to be a part of this community. It truly already feels like home to us, and, it is has only been a little over a month now. We have also enjoyed watching the incredible transformation of building #113 that was built in 1879. Taking up the old carpet and plywood to expose the amazingly tall ceilings and removing plaster from the walls to expose the beautiful old bricks has been so exciting. We have found some treasures along the way, such as several soda bottle caps with cork liners and a yellow brick road painted on a portion of the the original wood flooring," Patrick said.
Once Rockville Retro opens, Patrick and Bohnert plan to be open six or seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"These hours may change as we continue to grow. We also plan to have more flexible hours around Parke County community activities," Bohnert said.
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