'Sky's the limit' – Press Gazette

PACE — Sue Scipioni, a former sports bar owner from Indiana, has turned a long-time treasure hunting hobby into a full-time job.

Scipioni has bought and sold antiques for more than 20 years, operating booths at local antique vendor malls for four years.

She and her husband, Skip — who have lived all over the country and abroad — bought many antiques while visiting other countries.

“When I’d go on a trip with my husband, while he was working, I’d go antiquing,” she said. “You know, you get in trouble when you do that, especially if you have a van.”

The result is an abundance of antiques.

“I have so much stuff,” Scipioni said. “I have downsized, and the majority of all this stuff, we have accumulated.”

Now, they have a place to put it.

Scipioni’s family helped her open Lazy Willow Antiques & More on April 7. The store — located at 4430 Highway 90, Suite E — recently held a soft opening and may have a grand opening soon, according to Scipioni’s son, Steve Shipman.

Most of their business currently comes from word of mouth. Being that it’s their third week, Scipioni said they’ve had plenty of business.

And enjoyable conversations.

“I love people; I love talking to people,” Scipioni said. “Ever since we’ve opened, everybody that has come in has said the store is very elegant and very nice, and it compliments me — it really is a compliment.”

For customers, a stroll through the store conjures memories.

“A lot of the people that come in say, ‘Oh, I remember this; I remember that; I grew up with this,’ and I can relate to most of it,” Scipioni said. “It’s been a journey collecting all this.”

The store’s most interesting item, she said, is a red Victorian sofa from the early 1900s. One of the oldest items is a tiger oak vanity from the 1920s.

“People remember growing up with the Depression glass; old toys from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s; old compacts that maybe somebody’s grandmother might have had; vintage purses and vintage gloves,” she said.

Lazy Willow is a family affair. Skip helps his wife with the store; so do Shipman and his wife, Theresa, and Scipioni’s daughter, Tina Ervin.

“We’re probably one of the unique [stores] … where a lot of the antique malls and stuff are set up from a vendor perspective,” Shipman said. “We don’t have vendors here, so it’s all strictly family.”

Shipman, who moved here with Theresa from Virginia in September, said customers shouldn’t worry about bulky items.

“In order to get an item that’s larger, you have to find some transportation to get it delivered,” he said of some other stores. “So what’s a unique thing here is we actually offer delivery services as a part of a purchase if you need something large moved.

“We have a covered truck so that we can actually move things in all types of weather.”

So, what’s next for this family?

They’re considering offering estate sale services and possibly purchasing antiques from individuals.

“Sky’s the limit,” Scipioni said. “We want to set ourselves apart.”