By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The Copper Horse Antiques store may not have moved far, but it has moved on to bigger and better things.
Terry and Renee McMillen, the proprietors of The Copper Horse Antiques, celebrated their move into a bigger building with a ribbon cutting Friday morning.
“We actually opened last August across the street in a little bitty shop,” explained Renee McMillen. “We soon just outgrew it because we had so much inventory.”
With their business bursting at the seams with inventory, the McMillens snapped up the chance to move into the former Galion Chamber of Commerce building just across the street from their previous location. They accomplished the entire move in a weekend.
“It was an unreal move, but we opened up the first of April,” Renee McMillen said.
The shop is stocked with a variety of items, from glassware and furniture to figurines, globes, oil lamps, old cameras, and mantle clocks.
“We really try to get different unique stuff,” Renee McMillen added. “That’s the comments we get from people all the time. Stuff you just don’t find everywhere.”
Though Terry and Renee work full-time, they are always out collecting more objects to add to their stock, which creates an ever-rotating inventory.
Renee McMillen said she and her husband have been collecting antiques for their entire marriage and have since turned their business into a family affair.
With her granddaughter Isabella in her lap – “This is our assistant manager,” the grandmother cheekily said – Renee McMillen described how each family member plays an important role in the business. Daughter-in-law Sierra McMillen runs the store during the day with the help of Isabella while Jake McMillen, Terry and Renee’s son, does free local delivery runs.
“In the meantime, when we’re not working we’re here,” Renee said with a laugh. “We’ve been really blessed with the support of our family, plus the community in general. We have regulars already that come in.”
The McMillens were no strangers to the antique business having operated a store in Delaware for seven years. However, the pair tired of travelling back and forth from Galion to Delaware and decided to move their business home base to their local community.
“I told my husband that was my dream. I always wanted to move back to Galion,” Renee McMillen said. “We did that and we’re happy with the move. We’re having a lot of fun.”
Copper Horse Antiques is now located at 106 Harding Way East, Galion. The store is opened from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The phone number is 419-462-5022. Visit The Copper Horse Antiques’ Facebook page for more information.
The Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce held a second ribbon cutting Friday morning for Cake and Icing. Read more on that business here.