You ’ ll find a little bit of everything in Holy Terror Antiques , and that is intentional , from beautiful displays of crystal , or China , or silver , to old bottles , to Coca Cola collectibles , to books , antique milk bottles , oil lamps , vinyl records and vintage clothing .
“ I used to drive other dealers crazy , because I bought everything ,” Dennis said . “ It makes our store eclectic ,” Westly added . “ We ’ re always changing and trying to figure out what the next thing is . I try to always have something to appeal to everybody ,” Dennis said .
Interest in antiques has fluctuated over the decades , with people more recently selling their heirlooms , sets of China or flatware , because their children show no interest in them . But , Westly said , “ The young kids are coming up . 12 , 14-year-olds are interested . We lost a couple generations , where all they want is the phone , and cheap junk .” But the fascination with cheap junk has given way to an increasing appreciation of the things that have stood the test of time , and interest in antiques is growing , even among the younger crowd .
This new location won ’ t disappoint . In all the hecticness of the move and re-opening , they have gone to great lengths to create a similar ambiance to what their customers have come to know and love , through the décor , the tasteful displays , the lights and the warmth of the lighting , and especially the circle of chairs in the middle of the store . Holy Terror Antiques possesses a homeyness that is intentional .
Dennis said , “ On Swanzey Street , we had a restored barber chair and a set of theatre seats … People started coming in and they would look around , and then they ’ d sit down and talk to us for an hour . All our regular customers , all the locals , would look around and sit down and visit for a while . So , when we opened this place , we said we needed to bring the chairs back . It ’ s what makes us different .”
“ We ’ ve been in the antique business [ in the Hills ] some way or another since ’ 83- ’ 84 ,” Dennis said , “ and in the process I ’ ve met a lot of people at auctions . And with the antique store at the Gaslight we had a lot of customers , and they have followed us around …. We have people who come from Minnesota every year and look us up . It ’ s a social thing …. We ’ ve watched kids grow up and become collectors , and we ’ ve watched the other dealers through the years .”
Dennis sat back , recollecting being at an auction some fifteen years ago or so , and helping an older antique dealer and his friend who were struggling to get their purchases adequately tied down .
“ They had a pickup truck loaded with furniture , twelve feet high ,” Dennis said , with an ornery glint in his eye . “ We watched as they pulled out in front of us onto Highway 16 , with their load swaying back and forth .” This friend and colleague , an antique dealer they have bought from for years , just turned 100 years old this year , and opened ( yet another ) antique shop last year , at the wise age of 99 .
Westly cut in with a laugh , “ I looked over at Dennis and said , ‘ You realize we ’ re looking in a mirror , right ? They ’ re older than us . That ’ s us in the future . Do you realize that we ’ re going to be doing this until we drop ?’”
As small a thing as it might seem , that circle of chairs represents a lot of what Dennis and Westly have tried to create in their previous endeavors . It is a nod to a time past , a time worth preserving . An era of face-to-face interactions . A sense of pace slow enough to sit and talk . An appreciation for the things that last . Like they accomplished with the Gaslight , they have made Holy Terror Antiques “ the place to be .”
Westly Parker and Dennis Kling
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