Ambleside Antiques joins three other Peabody stores

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN TOM STOPPEL & CYNTHIA MARTENS
Peabody is fast gaining a reputation as a mecca for antique stores, the most recent being Ambleside Antiques, which opened Nov. 26.

Located at 103 N. Walnut, Ambleside Antiques is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturday only.

Owners Sheree and Brent Rueb said the fact Peabody already had three antique establishments-The Mercantile, Cameo Rose Antiques and Tumbleweed-didn’t discourage them from opening a fourth.

“It’s not competition at all,” Sheree Rueb said. “The more there are, the better it is for everyone.

“There really is no competition regarding antiques because most things are one of a kind,” she added. “Each of our antique stores in Peabody is focusing on very different things.”

Rueb said the store’s unique name comes from her roots.

“We named it after our house,” she said. “It’s a historic home in Newton. The name of the house is Ambleside and it’s also the name of the street.

“The house was built in 1883, so it’s just one year older than the building we purchased in Peabody, which was built in 1884.”

Residents of Newton for about 10 years, Rueb said the couple has been looking for a building for their business “for many, many years in many, many communities” that surround Wichita.

“Ever since we’ve been married, which is about 20 years now, we’ve been interested in antiques,” Rueb said. “We collected far too many things for our house to hold, so we had to have a spillover.”

The couple was drawn to Peabody because of the existing antique shops, but specifically because of the building.

“It just appealed to us,” Rueb said of the historic structure. “It looks like an old-fashioned mercantile. One of the most appealing aspects of it is that it’s a building that’s part of a downtown that’s on the National Register of Historic Places.”

Past businesses in the 120-year history of the building include a grocery store, candy store, drug store, barber shop and, most recently, a clothing store.

“It had a fire about 10 or 12 years ago and, in order to save it, the community came together to help rebuild it,”Rueb said. “So it has special meaning in the community. It’s been redone, but it’s very accurate.”

For now, Rueb said the store will remain open only on Saturday for seven hours because both her and her husband have full-time jobs elsewhere.

“Since we do work, it’s more of a hobby for us,” she said. Her husband has been an engineer at Boeing for 20 years and she has been director of the Senior Work Experience Project with the American Red Cross for eight years.

“It’s just something we enjoy doing very much and it’s a way for us to have fun and learn more about antiques and share that with the public,” she said of their store.

Rueb said each of Peabody’s four stores has its own niche.

“Our focus is more high-end Victorian merchandise,” she said. “Ultimately, we would like to carry mostly furniture.

“Right now, we have a combination of Victorian items,” she added. “We have furniture, porcelain, glassware, Victorian clothing, decorative items, pictures and a lot of smalls.”

“Smalls” she said, are items “you can carry away without much trouble-beautiful things that are small and decorative.”

Rueb said for now, Ambleside Antiques doesn’t deal with consignments although “that would depend upon the item.”

Inventory for Ambleside Antiques has been acquired as the couple has traveled over the past 20 years across the United States and internationally.

Most if not all of the items in their store have been extensively researched.

“We spend hours doing that,” Rueb said. “We use all the sources that are available to the general public.

“Resource material is available at book stores and then there are so many option sites on the Internet and sites that specifically sell antiques.”

While neither of the couple is a registered appraiser at this time, Rueb said they would be glad to assist customers as much as possible.

“We’d be willing to visit with people,” she said. “We would help them do research on things or recommend where they could go for research.”

Originally, Rueb said the couple’s antique inventory grew because of the age of their own home.

“When you have older homes, you always want to try to fill them with older things, so you kind of get a feel for what that time period might have been,” she said. “It just expanded and expanded.”

Rueb said she hopes their store will further solidify the growing reputation of Peabody as an antique town.

“Being in Wichita when we talk with people, they have no idea there is so much going on in Peabody,” she said. “So we’ve had a lot of people from Wichita come through, and they’ve always been impressed with what Peabody has to offer.

“Now that (U.S.) Highway 50 is finished, we’re hoping there will be an increase in traffic, too.”

Although Ambleside Antiques doesn’t have a Web site yet, Rueb said one is in the store’s future.

“We’ll be setting one up,” she said. “It’s important. It’s just one more outlet.”

Rueb said the idea of the business is to sell antiques, but each sale leaves a hole not only in their inventory but also in their hearts.

“The hardest part of doing this is when you buy a really unique item and someone purchases it, you’re sad to see it go,” she said. “But you know that it’s going to a good home and to someone who will keep the treasure.”

Rueb said it’s especially touching to watch beautiful photographs in great frames sell.

“There’s a sense of history and family that goes with them,” she said. “But someone else is going to appreciate it, even though it isn’t their family.”

With summertime and increased travelers, Rueb said the couple hopes to also increase its hours of business.

“That’s something we’re contemplating,” she said.

Owning a business in Peabody is special, Rueb said.

“We’re just very, very excited and feel lucky to be part of such a great community,” she said. “We’re looking forward to many years.

“This is a long-term commitment and not something we’re just trying out to see if we can make a profit and if we don’t we’ll leave,” she added. “We intend to be here for a long time.”

Rueb said their expectations have been exceeded to this point and hopes the people of Peabody will continue to welcome them as they have to this point.

“People have been so supportive,” she said. “We had a great holiday season and it was so much fun to see the community come to the store.

“People always mention that it feels good to come in here,” she added. “You step back into time-it’s a lot of fun.”

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