Professional pickers celebrate 20 years

With Halloween gone and the holidays drawing near, Antique Mall Co. owner Diane Haight has already begun transforming her store into the Christmas of yesteryear.

But there is also another reason for the Melissa resident to celebrate - next month, she and her husband, Bill, will celebrate 20 years of business on the historic downtown square in McKinney.

"Several of our dealers have been here at least since 1993," Diane said. "It's really been an amazing business. We've just been very blessed with it."

The 15,000-square-foot store has been an eclectic labyrinth of housewares, wall hangings, furniture, farming equipment, clothing, costumes and other odds and ends since it opened Dec. 2, 1992.

Just last week, for instance, store manager Dena Pennington and dealer Darlene Haynes reveled in a find one of their customers proudly took home - an industrial-size movie reel, complete with film.

"The antique business is a fun business, it's the thrill of the hunt," Haynes said. "What's fun about it is going out and hunting for this stuff."

Pennington and her husband, Rick, have worked with the Haights for several years. With more than 100 dealers from all over the region under its roof, the treasures within surprise even the employees after they're discovered. There's also a waiting list for hopeful pickers wanting to sell their wares, Pennington said.

"You never know what someone has a passion for," she said. "Every booth is full. When you take that many people hunting their finds, you get some really cool stuff. Diane and Bill have really been able to weather the storm in this business."

The Haights purchased the building off East Virginia Street 72 years after it opened as Johnson's Furniture. Still to this day, Diane meets customers who remember when they bought their furniture from the Johnsons.

"We always wanted to open an antique mall," Diane said. "It was amazing because when we came in, there were 19 vacant buildings. It was in our price range and we were like, 'We'll take it.' It's been a godsend, truly a godsend."

Eight months after their grand opening, the couple opened the mezzanine upstairs. The store started with just three dealers, including the Haights, but reached 75 percent occupancy within a year.

"We said, 'Bring everything and anything you can get,'" Diane said. "We've just considered everybody in the mall our family. The dealers are like family members, and we've just had a really good time with it. You obviously have to make a living, but if you can't have fun with it then you shouldn't have to do it."

Four months later, the couple bought the building next door, expanding their floor space by 10,000 square feet. The Haights sold the building when illness struck and Diane had to scale down the business slightly to manage it with her personal life.

While success on the square is not guaranteed for any business, Diane said the secret to her's has been their ability to maintain a friendly atmosphere and simplicity for her dealers. The variety of dealers also gives her shop an advantage over others, she said.

"Our dealers shop everywhere; they go all over the U.S," Diane said. "We get some really unusual stuff and we've got some really great professional dealers."

Two decades later, Diane said she prefers to take the "if it's not broke" stance, and doesn't plan on changing a thing when it comes to the store.

"Someday I would like to retire, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to keep the mall going," she said. "We're not there as much as we used to be but we're still very involved. I hope the mall continues and continues."

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