Antique mall with a unique twist opens
second location in downtown Pell City
Story and photos
by Graham Hadley
When Jason and Danny Kellner first considered opening an antique mall in historic downtown Pell City, they knew they had a good chance of making it work because they already had almost a decade of success with a similar venture in Anniston – Kolectic Treasures Antique Market.
They just needed to find the perfect location.
They found it in the old roller-skating rink and adjoining Maytag building next to Brittle Heaven on Cogswell Avenue. And the second location for Kolectic Treasures is going to be even bigger than the Anniston store.
“We have around 19,000 square feet in Anniston, and this one will be 20,000 square feet,” Jason said. “We live on Logan Martin and saw Pell City as a good fit for what we wanted to do.”
Jason and Danny’s vision for the antique malls is almost unique in the business. They not only want to have a wide variety of “treasures” to sell – from rustic country pieces to mid-century modern – they want to make finding those something of an adventure.
Anyone who has visited the Anniston location will be familiar with the concept.
“I worked really hard in Anniston to build it,” Jason said. “I wanted to come up with something different from other antique malls. I have a mental image of a maze, you are exploring it, there are lots of twists and turns. I want our customers to feel like they are going back in time, get lost for a minute away from the stresses of the outside world.”
The Kellners have filled the two buildings with a series of booths and passages that wind and twist their way through the structures, which share an adjoining wall that has been opened across the front to allow access to both from one entrance. Customers find something new around every corner.
“We have something for everyone. That’s kind of my motto,” Jason said.
That idea has served them well in the Anniston location, which they created out of an old strip mall off Alabama 21 next to the bypass.
“I got in there and expanded as more customers found us.”
When Jason and Danny first saw the old buildings, owned by the DeGaris family, they knew they had found the perfect fit for their plans. In only six weeks, they were able to recondition the structures, which had been used for storage of all kinds of local artifacts for years, build out most of the booth spaces, and have a soft opening with around 100 vendors already in by Nov. 4. There will be room for 275 vendors, many of whom are already lined up, by their grand opening, Dec. 13.
“That is the day of the parade. We will also have our Christmas Open House the same day and will be staying open later so people can stop by after the parade,” Jason said.
“We want to bring something really special to Downtown Pell City. We hope to bring more customers and more foot traffic to the area. We want to see the same level of business here that we see in Anniston.”
They are working on remodeling the exterior of the buildings, while keeping the important historical features. “We want it really rustic looking – keep the old style and make it new at the same time. We want to get our signs up, but also want to get the old Maytag sign working again. We want to replace all the old glass, make it look almost like an old-English style, and repave the parking lots. It’s going to look really pretty when it’s all done.”
And this is just the beginning of what he envisions for their Pell City location.
“We have room on the property to expand the market by around 3,000 to 4,000 square feet in a year or so as our customer base grows, if people shop local.” And like their Anniston location, they want to have a little library and food bank boxes next to the parking area. They have held successful music festivals at the original store for years, something Jason is considering doing in Pell City, along with showing movies on the adjoining property.
The Kellners are already familiar with their next-door neighbor – Brittle Heaven and More. Owner Sarah Deese used to sell her peanut brittle and other goods out of Kolectic Treasures in Anniston.
“She started with me in our Anniston store and eventually wanted to open her own location here. We were both excited when we found out we would be next to each other,” Jason said.
She is not the only one who has made the owners of Kolectic Treasures feel welcome in Pell City.
“People are excited about us being here, and we are thankful to everyone who has helped us. The Chamber has been really phenomenal with all the support, so has the City and the DeGaris family,” Jason said. “Danny and I have worked really hard to make this happen. We are just very happy to be here.”
Editor’s Note: You can follow Kolectic Treasures on Facebook and their website at kolectictreasures.com.
