ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Those looking for a place to buy some collectibles to add to their own collection now have a new place in town.
Ada and Son Collectibles Emporium had its ribbon-cutting last week, and co-owner Ada Linenbroker said the road to getting her own space was slightly winding.
“My son, Chris, kept saying to me 'Mom, I don't understand why you don't just get a store for yourself,' but it was something I just hadn't really thought too much about. But then when the Masons decided to close their smaller store on 2nd Street, I had a lot of inventory in there, plus my Christmas paraphernalia, and I was wondering where I would put it all,” Ada said. “So Chris and I, on a whim, came and looked at this building at 631 S. Kansas Avenue, and we realized we could get the building for only a little more than what I was paying for my booth rent. And the funny part of the situation is, that next Monday, which happened to be April 1 – and my 70th birthday – was when I was going around and signing contracts and getting the business licensure and permits and insurance and everything else that was necessary. Chris and I came and met the owner, and when we walked in, the first thing I said was 'Oh my gosh, this is HUGE!' because it's nearly 4,000 square feet, and I actually thought I might not have enough inventory to fill it up. However, now I'm wondering if we should have gotten a bigger building. I'm really glad we ended up going for it, because we do have a lot of great inventory, and I think it's going to be fun.”
Ada said there is certainly a wide variety of items for customers to look at.
“There are lots of collectibles of many varieties, and one of my personal favorites is our collection of irradiated glass, which has uranium in it and glows really neat when you put a light on it,” Ada said. “We go to multiple auctions and I go around with my flashlight trying to find more of that to add to my collection. We also have keys and bobs and tokens and some of that more unusual stuff. I also have plants in here and some gardening items, which I will say is going out about as fast as I can bring it in. I love glassware and other jewelry, which is pretty dominant in here and just absolutely gorgeous, and I also have a lot of Asian items like vases and statues, etc. There's just a really wide variety to go through.”
Ada and her son, co-owner Chris, said they are excited to have the shop up and running.
“I'm really excited because now, I don't have to come in immediately upon opening, I can come in and work anytime I want,” Ada said. “We've been running the store from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except for Thursday, which is 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.), but we're already considering changing the hours because we're noticing people coming in and staying a little longer than we expect.”
“I'm more into the younger generation of collectibles, like toys and comic books and coins and knives and things like that,” Chris added. “I've been collecting since I was really young, and a lot of inventory in my part of the store is from my personal collection I just don't need anymore. I'm really excited for people to come in and look around and see everything that's available – a lot of people have probably never actually seen graded comic books before, and there are quite a few of those in here.”
The store has only been open a short time, and Ada said so far, there is already a lot of foot traffic coming in.
“Everything's starting out really well, we've been really surprised at the response we've seen so far since we've only been open a little more than a week,” Ada said. “Chris and I are both on Facebook, so we've been talking about the place for a little while now. Chris also got us on Google Maps, which is amazing – we actually had an RV'ing couple from Arizona stop by and come in and tell us they heard about us online and had to come in and see what all we had in here. That response makes us feel really good because we've already had a few people tell me they miss my booths at the other store and tell me this space works even better for me.”
Both Linenbrokers also encouraged people to visit the store and see all the merchandise on hand.
“This is definitely a shop where I would encourage people to come in and just enjoy looking, because we have just such a wide range of collectibles,” Ada said. “And I've already had people come in and ask me if we have a certain item, and we're putting together a list of what to look for when we go to the auctions. I have people bringing in items, which I'm buying from them, but I'm not consigning them because that's just too much of a hassle and too much paperwork. I also don't want people bringing a bunch of items in, especially if they're expensive, because if something happens, what do I do? We've got a great store here with some great inventory, and we're happy to be part of the south part of town and happy to be part of the expansion going on in this part of town. Come in and see us and we'll be happy to help you find what you're looking for!”
“Just come in and see what we have, you might find a new hobby. You just never know, maybe your interest in something will be sparked by something you come across in the store,” Chris added. “We've got quite a few items people might not have ever seen before, and we definitely encourage people to collect what they love, that's how I got started.”
