Oldies and Goodies is located at 158 S. Congress Street in Winnsboro.
WINNSBORO – Consignment shops are one of the hottest markets across the country these days, and especially so in the sister towns of Winnsboro, Blythewood and Ridgeway. With five popular consignment shops already in operation in the three towns, a new one is being welcomed by merchants and shoppers alike to downtown Winnsboro. Oldies and Goodies, LLC, will officially open its doors on Thursday, Feb. 15.
Oldies & Goodies shop owners Bobbie and Robert Pemberton enjoy the tin-can guitar entertainment provided by consigner Johnny Frick, right. | Photos/Barbara Ball
But the store’s owners, newlyweds Robert and Barbara (Bobbie) Pemberton, are already busy as bees signing up consigners and selling to a steady stream of curious passersby who “just stopped in to look around,” as the Pembertons have been getting the shop ready to open.
The store, a mix of vendors, consignments and retail gifts, is located on the corner at 158 S. Congress Street, across the street from Abba’s Sweet Treats.
“So far, the first five weeks of getting the store set up have led to many visitors, shoppers and community residents stopping by ready to shop,” Robert said. “We can hardly keep up, and we haven’t even opened,” Robert said with a chuckle.
The Pemberton’s say a consignment shop is the perfect fit for them.
“We met at the Cotton Yard consignment shop in Ridgeway early last year,” Bobbie, a Blythewood native who has made her home in Winnsboro for the past 45 years, said. “We were both retired and had both lost our first spouses. We both had items for sale in the Cotton Yard and struck up a friendship that developed into our marriage last July!” she added, happily, with a smile and a ‘there-you-have-it’ shrug.”
Singer sewing machine
With a ready supply of antiques and other treasures from their combined households, the Pembertons, who live in the downtown area, were looking for a place to store their overabundance of belongings. When a store front opened up on South Congress Street in December, Robert inquired with the store’s owner, Betty Harden, about renting it for storage. But Harden stood firm, saying she didn’t want to waste a perfectly good store front on storage space. So the Pembertons decided to rent the building and sell their ‘stuff’ instead of storing it.
The new store is also a culmination of Robert’s lifelong love of antiques and collecting unique family heirlooms and Bobbie’s love of crafts. It will showcase vintage collectibles, some very nice antiques, new fabrics for sewing, handmade furniture and décor, vintage and handmade jewelry, Joe Trapp’s grits and meal, Iron Brew Coffee, Golden Kernel Pecans, Uncle Sonny’s Honey and many new and handmade gifts.
“We were so excited after we decided to open the shop,” Bobbie said. “It’s been a very fulfilling experience for us and we’re looking forward to bringing a wonderful consignment shopping experience to downtown Winnsboro. After all, the more shops that open in downtown, the better the shopping is for more people.”
Gourmet foods
Putting a little icing on the cake, WLTX-TV showed up last week to film the Pemberton’s and their new venture. The couple was thrilled to see themselves that evening on the 11 p.m. news. And that news brought even more shoppers.
But consignments are not all the Pemberton’s will be offering.
“We’ll have a coffee pot going all day for those who want to rest and replenish during their shopping excursion,” Bobbie said.
A “Coffee for a Cause” area will offer a cup of coffee and a little something for that sweet tooth for a voluntary donation that will be given each month to a local charity.
“It’s a small way that we can give back to our community”, said Bobbie. “We really appreciate the love and support that have poured in as we’ve worked to prepare the new store. Each day a new face appears at the door and a new story is shared. And that’s very much what our store is about.”
“We’re just having so much fun, and we’re looking forward to opening our doors officially and seeing what happens,” Bobbie said.
The store’s grand opening is set for Thursday, Feb. 15 with a ribbon cutting by the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce at 1 p.m. Regular store hours will be Thursday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. The store will be open late every third Thursday. For more information, call 803-815-0213 or check out Oldies and Goodies Facebook page.