Touch of vintage

View larger image Joyce Kelley of Edinburg stands inside her upscale used furniture consignment shop located inside the former Ben Franklin Store in the Woodstock Shopping Center. — Rich Cooley/Daily View larger image Joyce Kelley arranges items on a shelf piece above a vintage kitchen top cabinet. — Rich Cooley/Daily

Furniture consignments store moves into Ben Franklin

By Sally Voth -- svoth@nvdaily.com

WOODSTOCK -- Joyce Kelley seems to be taking over the Woodstock Shopping Center.
Her consignment shop, On Second Thought, originally opened on Main Street in downtown Woodstock in 2007. She quickly outgrew that spot, and moved into a space next to Katrina's Hallmark in the shopping center.

Two years later, she moved to a larger space in the shopping center, the former home of Blue Canoe Crew. There, they sell clothes for the entire family, shoes, accessories and some new items, including Melissa & Doug toys and gourmet soaps.

Kelley was also selling individual pieces of furniture all along.

"We always wanted to carry furniture, and we thought when we moved down to where we are now...we would have room," she said. "We've been trying to do the furniture on a small scale since the beginning."

Meanwhile, the Ben Franklin store anchoring the shopping center shut down about 18 months ago after decades of operation.

It seemed ideal for Kelley's dreams of adding furniture consignments. Right now, she is using about half of the space that had housed Ben Franklin. The other part of On Second Thought will stay open in its location at the end of the strip mall.

"I anticipate us filling this up quickly with furniture," she said.

She first opened March 17, but, "We had to close because we sold all our inventory in one week," Kelley said.

The store reopens this morning at 10 with more inventory.

For now, the store's hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, while the clothing and accessories consignment shop will continue to be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

"We carry everything," Kelley said of the furniture consignments. "Shabby chic, vintage, children's, all furniture."

There are some antiques, as well as prints, and decorative items. And, word seems to be getting out among those wanting to make space in their homes while earning some cash, too.

"I think the farthest away we've had [consigners come from] is Roanoke and Richmond, and then Leesburg," she said. "I think our shop is very successful because it's more upscale...You can make a little bit of money off of your [items], plus you can purchase things a lot cheaper than you can new.

"I don't want anything to go to the landfill if we can do something with it."

Kelley credits the economy with driving up consignment shopping.

"I've wanted to do a consignment shop forever," she said. "I have a lot of kids, so I've always shopped consignment and thrift stores, so I was wanting to open my own for quite a while."

And, by a lot of kids, Kelley means 12. The children -- some biological, some adopted -- range from just 4-months-old to 31. She said she gets a great deal of help at the shop from her children and friends.

To contact the shop, call 459-2655.