YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Melanie Clarke-Penella has never operated an antiques shop before, but she has been on the hunt for rare, old and artisanal items most of her life.
She’s built up expertise in the field and will put it to use when she opens her first shop, Blue Heron Antiques Store, on the Phelps Street Corridor, downtown.
Finding antiques is a passion of hers.
“Our art here is finding beautiful things that are gently used for you to have,” she said. “We’ve curated a collection.”
Unusual and gently used clothing, decor, furniture, art and curios are arranged throughout the showroom.
A bust of a pharaoh sits in a glass case, and an exquisite women’s leather coat in pristine condition hangs nearby.
A bar table with the unmistakable look of the 1950s is waiting for a buyer.
On another table sits a collection of vintage handbags that Clarke-Penella is particularly proud of. “It’s Mob Wife Winter fashion,” she said, explaining it’s a trend that’s taken off on TikTok.
While the shop at 26 N. Phelps St. will not open until February, it will have special holiday hours on weekends before Christmas for those looking for unique gifts. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22.
Clarke-Penella recently purchased the three-story building and plans to use it in several other ways.
The rear section will become a small coffee shop, with a sales window facing the parking lot behind the building. Another room on the ground floor will become an art gallery.
In the future, she intends to renovate the second floor into a loft apartment, possibly to be rented for short-term or overnight stays through a company such as AirBnb.
The building also has a vacant third floor.
Clarke-Penella knows that many people share her love for “the hunt for treasure” and will be attracted to her downtown shop.
Her eventual goal is to have a sign on area interstates steering motorists to the exit for her store.
“I know that when I’m driving and I see a sign for an antiques mall, I get off the highway,” she said.
Other local antiques dealers or furniture makers who want to rent space in her shop for a display can email her at blueheronantiquesstore@gmail.com.
Finding merchandise for a vintage and antiques store requires experience and know-how: One has to know the marketplace and where to look for goods.
Every antiquer has their own methods and secrets, Clarke-Penella said, but don’t bother asking for hers. She’s not telling.
“That’s like asking a magician to show how he does his tricks,” she said. “Everybody has their own way. There are auctions and [online] marketplaces, but those are at retail costs. You have to be really in the zone to get items at a good price.”
Youngstown is something of a gold mine for high-quality antique items, Clarke-Penella said.
“There was so much generational wealth here by the early 1900s, and now all of that stuff is flooding the auctions and estate sales,” she said.
The building that houses Clarke-Penella’s shop is something of an antique itself. It’s a long and narrow structure that’s well over a century old. It was a cigar shop in the first half of the 20th century and housed other businesses over the years.
The building first caught Clarke-Penella’s eye when she was a child. She would marvel at it during trips downtown with her father.
“I’ve always wanted to own this building,” she said.
As for the name of her business, that also springs from her affinity for things from the past.
“There was a blue heron in my grandfather’s pond when I was growing up in Greenford,” she said. “It’s my spirit animal.”
Clarke-Penella has another reason for appreciating antique clothing and other items.
“Another layer to this [business] is sustainability,” she said. “There is no reason to ever buy new, unless it’s from an artisan. Fast fashion has literally ruined countries in South America, where there are landfills filled with clothes.”
It’s a philosophy that has other benefits.
“Shopping local, keeping things local, shopping from artisans – that’s the only way we’re going to take down inflation,” she said. “There is no need to ever buy anything new or full price unless it’s made by an artist.”
To get her business ready, Clarke-Penella is doing a lot of the renovation work herself. She has hired only Youngstown-based contractors to do the rest, including Shawn Green of Start to Finish Painting, Mindy’s Cleaning Service and Youngstown Comfort Systems for HVAC work.
Varsity Club
Blue Heron is one of two new businesses coming to downtown.
A ribbon cutting will take place Thursday, Dec. 12, for the Varsity Club, a restaurant and bar with a Youngstown State University sports theme, at 131 W. Commerce St.
The owner, John Rudy, said the establishment will welcome sports fans, visitors to downtown and everyone else.
“Our goal is to create a vibrant hub where everyone, from students and alumni to families and sports enthusiasts, feels they have a home base in Youngstown,” Rudy said in a news release.
Pictured at top: Melanie Clarke-Penella stands in a room at her new business, Blue Heron Antiques Store. She is renovating a back room into an art gallery.