For Lori Patrick, the opportunity to bring her love of antiques to Rockville was one she could not pass up.
After purchasing two buildings on the Courthouse Square in downtown Rockville, Patrick and Dane Bohnert turned their love of antiques and Parke County into a business endeavor, as Rockville Retro was built. The business, located at 113 S. Jefferson St., Rockville, will be holding an Open House and ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. Festivities include merchandise giveaways, drawings for gift baskets, cake and more.
"We were looking for a place to have an antique shop. We live in Indianapolis, and were looking around that area, but nothing felt right. These two buildings on the square came up for sale. We have fond memories of vacationing in Rockville on the lake, attending the covered bridge festival, and really liked the small town feel. We came and checked out the buildings and fell in love. We love Rockville and Parke County, and really just fell in love here and knew this was where we wanted to retire," Patrick told The Parke County Post.
Patrick and Bohnert bought the buildings in March and opened one building in July.
"We have done a lot of work to the inside, a lot of demolition and exposed the wood floors. Both of these buildings are from 1879 and we exposed the original wood flooring, plaster on the walls and brick. We transformed the buildings," Patrick said.
Patrick said Rockville Retro offers not just antiques, but a variety of items for customers.
"We have vintage items and clothing, arts, plants, jewelry and some handcrafted items. We have over 50 vendors and some kid vendors. We have a kid in there who creates 3-D printed items and he has been killing it. It is great to teach them how to run a business. I can't tell you how many times a day customers tell us they love the feeling when they walk in, see the history of the building and they love the variety and prices we have. There is something for everyone when they walk in the door, and that is something we wanted to create," Patrick said.
Recently a customer came in to inquire about a picture she found in the basement of the building that she later put in the window.
"It was a picture of a little girl and boy riding a pony. It was an old picture, and I had put it in our front window. There was a gentleman had stopped and he was staring at the picture. I noticed him and asked if he needed any help. He asked me where I got the picture. I told him it was in the basement, and I thought it was cute and wanted to display it. I asked if he knew who it was, and he said it was his mother. He couldn't believe it and I grabbed the photo and told him there was only one person I believed it could belong to. He was a little emotional about it, and he said he couldn't wait to show it to his sisters. That is one of the reasons we love antiques and the connections with them and people," Patrick said.
Patrick is hopeful the community shows for the open house on Saturday.
"We have a lot of activities planned, some giveaways, some gift baskets of items donated by our vendors, and it will be a lot of fun," she said.
Rockville Retro is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"We often keep our doors open a little later than that," Patrick said.
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