Sue Reagan has worked in the Hub at Northwestern since Dec. 2014, and as of Aug. 1 she celebrated the one-year anniversary of opening of her store, Whimsy.
“I created it because I wanted an affordable place in town for people to shop,” Reagan said.
Before Reagan opened the store she originally kept many of the items she created at home.
“It got to the point where my garage was so full I couldn’t park my truck in there anymore,” Reagan said.
Reagan comes from a “do-it-yourself” family. She has taken on many home improvement chores herself. She has done an array of tasks from pouring the concrete at her house to roofing, dry walling, landscaping, carpeting and painting.Whimsy sells a large selection of products at low prices that can be used to decorate homes and dorms.
“We offer some antiques, up-scaled items, new items, renewed items, metal art and much more,” Reagan said. “We sell furniture, florals, wreaths, garden décor and many seasonal items.”
When Reagan and her husband were looking for a place to sell the items, her husband’s company owned a building that was intended to be used as a warehouse but fell through. As the company was not in a rush to sell it they allowed Reagan to use the space as her shop.
“I committed to three years, and said I would give it my best effort. If it isn’t profitable after three years I will go in a different direction,” Reagan said.
The inventory of the store is always changing as seasonal items are stocked. Currently vendor items include food from tastefully simple, local honey, and more.
“It is a great place for college students because everything is affordable,” Reagan said.
Whimsy also sells “This Tiles for You” custom-made coasters and tiles, made by Shelly Grotenhuis, the night manager at the Hub.
Besides offering items for sale, Reagan also teaches craft classes and holds wine tastings at the store.
Whimsy is often open more in the summer as Reagan has more hours in her schedule available to devote to her store.
“In the summer we have a series of peddlers fairs. Once a month I fill the parking lot with different vendors and they bring whatever they want to sell, and we have between 12-24 vendors out there with all different kinds of products to shop from,” Reagan said.
The store is open on Thursdays from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-1p.m.
Whimsy will be having their fall event, Fall Trail of Treasures, with other stores in the area this weekend, Oct. 8 from 9 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Many stores will be having discounts on various items.
“Whimsy will be having a picker’s paradise in the parking lot and will be giving away candy, treats and cappuccinos” Reagan said.
Each store participating will be giving out a door prize to anyone that makes a purchase at the stores.
The store is located at 212 2nd St. NE in Orange City.
