By Starr Miller

WOODSTOCK, Ill., — The Roscoe Woodstock Antique Mall is – by its owner’s admission – not your typical antique mall. In fact, Gaylene Stomberg and Ted London like to use the phrase, “We’ll knock your socks off,” when advertising themselves to the antiques and collectibles industry.

And in a day and age where the economy of the industry is ever-fluctuating, it’s important to note that both Stomberg and London feel quite optimistic about the future. So much so that they just became the proud owners of a new-to-them storefront in Woodstock, Ill., in the outer suburbs of Chicago.

“We already own the Roscoe Antique Mall in South Beloit (Ill.,) and we’ve actually had it for 20 years now,” Gaylene said. “Just this spring we acquired a second mall – it was previously the Colonial Antique Mall, but we have done some rearranging and we also renamed it to be the Roscoe Woodstock Antique Mall. The previous mall owner passed away, so my husband and I decided we would buy it. Since we have, it’s been a great learning experience – we are really excited to put roots down here.”

The couple is self-professed sticklers of a few basic rules when it comes to their places of business, and it might very well be that these guidelines are keeping them in the upper echelon of selling antiques.

“We want to sell items that you do not see in your run of the mill antique mall,” Gaylene said. “We don’t want flea market items or anything like that. We are not a garage sale, so we simply don’t act like it. The reason we decided to stay on this path at Roscoe Woodstock Antique Mall is easy: It’s worked at our first mall for two decades. The customer base we have established thank us for the guidelines we have in place, because they are coming to shop for antiques.”

But Gaylene is quick to note that in this industry, it’s to each his or her own.

“Think about it this way. There are all different places to shop. Some people want McDonalds and some people want a fancy steakhouse. We aren’t saying that other people don’t have customers and don’t do well, but we want to stay with what we like and how we want to present ourselves. We are selling antiques – so we make sure we have quality dealers who are under our roof selling the best and most interesting pieces available.”

“And when we travel and go out to shop, other people know us as ’true antiquers,’” Gaylene said. “There are less of us who do this these days, but it actually helps us stand out.”

The Roscoe mall opens up Gaylene and Ted’s business plan to a whole new buying field – they say they are seeing an influx of buyers from the 30-40 year age groups, and they appreciate the business.

“It’s great news that we have been able to open a whole new facility, and we are doing well so far. This new location gets us closer to our Chicago customers. We want to expand into our Chicago market — we are 45 minutes from downtown Chicago. We are able to attract people from the west, but we should be in a much better position to attract our shoppers in the suburbs. We are seeing people come in and learning we are here, and they are most definitely buying. We understand this is not the case for everyone right now, but we do want to help spread the good word that yes – customers are definitely buying, and we obviously appreciate very much that they are choosing to buy from us.”

While the mall encompasses a wide variety of merchandise, Ted is well-known in the industry as a connoisseur of all things early coin-op – a specialty focus that has been an attraction to the 30-something buying crowd.

“It’s interesting to see what the younger collectors are going after,” Gaylene said. “Ted has an excellent offering of advertising and petroliana – and of course, his coin-op items. And we see this 30-40 year old buying crowd come in our mall and they look at these things and say, ’hey that might look good in our game room.’ It’s usually something they never considered decorating with before – and honestly, nowadays you can mix old and new in your home and it’s what is in style. This generation understands that – they like things that have history and are unique. That’s the main thing – they don’t want items in their homes that look like what everyone else has – they want things that are very unique. Overall, it’s just really fun for us when we get a new person in our mall and they say wow. I want one of those in my home…we know we have to create that kind of interest to keep ourselves at a level of success – and it’s just overall important for our industry.”

Items in the mall must have been made prior to 1969 — a date the couple does not budge upon.

“We have from the 1800s on up so we offer a wide variety, but we only offer quality items. We have customers who come from California, and they make that drive because they know they can fill their truck up at our mall. Our places are an adventure, literally. Most people don’t expect what we have – and with all that said, it doesn’t mean that everything is expensive. We have items from thousands of dollars to a few dollars.”

The couple says items trending are vintage clothes and vinyl records, while glassware and dishes are going to the wayside.

“I think that’s simply because there was an abundance because everyone my age inherited them. In the 1960s they held on to their parent’s glass and china, and they tried to pass them down to their kids and there was no interest. Now people are looking for maybe one piece of unique Depression glass or just a single item that is really interesting.”

While there are some in the industry who shy away from catering to trends, Ted and Gaylene say it’s part of their successful business model, especially in their new location.

Perhaps the most important statute the duo focus on is the most simple:

“You have to offer good customer service. That’s number one. We also offer good activities. You don’t just shop here. At the Roscoe mall we offer giveaways and food and customer appreciation. We always try to be very helpful and respectful and help our customers find what they are looking for. I do think that what you carry, and how you adapt to the market – that’s all important. But good old fashioned customer service is what makes you successful.”

And maybe too, a dash of common sense:

“If you think you can keep the same old dishes and the same prices as 10 years ago and never adjust, you won’t make it. You have to be flexible and do the work to understand what is current. Great customer service, great merchandise, create an interest because that’s what is going to keep all of us around and the industry going strong for years to come.”

The Roscoe Woodstock Antique Mall is located at 890 Lake Avenue, Woodstock, Ill.

Contact: https://www.facebook.com/roscoewoodstockantiquemall/