MEET: CHARLESTON ANTIQUE MALL:

For antique mall, first and foremost is customer’s comfort

Michelle Tully runs the Charleston Antique Mall, where shoppers can find all manner of antiques, collectibles and “cool things” — plus free coffee and cookies.

Describe Charleston Antique Mall.

We are an 18,000-square-foot shopping mecca of antiques, collectibles and “cool things.” We consist of more than 60 dealers who bring merchandise ranging from primitive to Victorian to midcentury to popular, modern collectibles and everything in between. People tend to spend hours in our mall because there is just so much to see, and the best part is the merchandise changes daily as dealers are constantly bringing in “new” old items.

Charleston Antique Mall

Address: 560 S. Decatur Blvd., Las Vegas

Phone: 702-228-4783

Email: [email protected]

Website: antiques.vegas

Hours of operation: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday

Owned/operated by: Michelle and Cal Tully

In business since: 2006

Who are your customers?

Surprisingly, we get more men than we do women. It seems to be a store where the guys love to browse for their favorite “guy thing.” But we get plenty of gals looking for the perfect vintage outfit or just having a fun girls’ day out. Just today a dealer brought in a gorgeous Oleg Cassini evening gown. But you will also find Harley jackets, military uniforms and of course fab ’50s skirts and sweaters. We find our customers are in every age group, and we get almost as many tourists as we do locals.

What makes your business unique?

We do not hire salespeople but rather use our own dealers to help assist the customers. When our regular customers come in, they get to know the dealers and become part of our family. Often times they let us know what they are searching for and it alerts the dealers to keep an eye out for that specific item. Customers also come in just to chat and have a cup of coffee. The coffee pot is always going at the mall and is always free, along with a selection of cookies.

What is your business philosophy?

I enjoy what I do. For myself and most of my dealers, it’s a never-ending treasure hunt to find the perfect item. Life is short — you have to enjoy what you are doing.

What is the hardest part and best part about doing business in Southern Nevada?

Most people do not consider Las Vegas an antique destination, and when they visit our city, they plan to do other things. Therefore, we are always trying to make tourists aware of our mall. However, the positive side is that Las Vegas is a tourist destination and we have so many new people constantly discovering us. Since visitors often return, our mall has become a tourist destination. Antique shops in other cities have to rely on local business. We have the best of both worlds. We have a local base that is growing and we get a lot of tourists who find us and come back each time they enjoy our wonderful city.

What obstacles has your business overcome?

When we took over the business in 2008, the economy was just entering a major recession, people were being laid off, families were losing their homes. Each year we improved the business slowly but steadily. We made a lot of changes. We made sure it was always clean and welcoming. The first major change was bringing in a computer system to ring up sales, provide faster service and total the sales at the end of a period so the dealers could be paid in a more timely manner. I am a firm believer in advertising, and that became a primary focus. And I picked dealers who were willing to work hard and who wanted to go the extra mile.

Tags: The Sunday
Business

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