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By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

MENTONE — One of the owners of new store The Hoosier Vintage says she wants to make it “a hub for the community” in Mentone.

“We really want to provide customers with just a place that can be a hub for the community that they can come in and grab an iced tea sample and just relax or if they wanted to borrow the space before shop opening hours for a Bible study group or knitting or something and they can come in and hang out,” said Lindsay Witwer, who owns the shop with her husband Nick Witwer. “In the back we have a craft area that we’re hoping to have make-and-take crafts and classes, so it’s not just a place to come shop, but (with) different events going on and places you can come and be with friends and feel at home.”

The Mentone Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting for The Hoosier Vintage on Saturday, Sept. 7, the date of the store’s grand opening. It’s located at 108 E. Main St., at the former site of TJ’s Crafts and Home Decor.

As its name suggests, the store sells antiques and artisan products from Indiana.

Lindsay said the items for sale include “vintage stuff from Hoosiers that we like to source locally and then just things that really bring back memories that you see something, and you’re like, ‘Oh, my grandma had that.'”

“Also we wanted to support artisans that have that Hoosier vintage work ethic spirit, that it’s just like sunup to sundown, you’re working hard and you’re involving your community and just really putting forth just 110% effort, like we all learned from the generations before us,” she added.

The shop has room for 14 vendors to sell items, with six of them filled currently. If people want to sell products, they may stop in or call the shop at (574) 210-5785.

Store hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays.

Nick and Lindsay also own a booth in Dutch Lady Antiques in Coppes Commons in Nappanee. They’re from Bremen, but have a lake house at Yellow Creek Lake.

Lindsay grew up coming to the Mentone area and frequenting its businesses as her great-grandmother came from Akron and she camped at Yellow Creek Lake Campground.

“Mentone’s just been super supportive, and the other business owners have been just very good at collaboration and helping get started and things like that, so that’s been great,” said Lindsay.

The Hoosier Vintage is the third business in Mentone to open or reopen and join the town’s Chamber of Commerce in 2024.

Chamber of Commerce President Rita Price Simpson said the town’s storefronts are pretty much all filled.

“I think that the business atmosphere is positive here,” she said. “We’re encouraging … people to make a good business here, and I think that’s the key to it. We have a great location centrally located between Rochester and Warsaw.”

Price Simpson said the businesses all working together has strengthened commerce in Mentone.

“The key to a small business surviving is having help and having other support, and they’ll do it for each other, which is great. I’m just happy to have them here,” she said.

Chamber of Commerce Vice President Tim Croy, who co-owned TJ’s Crafts and Home Decor and is leasing the storefront to the Witwers, said he picked them to have the business over other people who wanted to turn the building into apartments.

“I would rather have the little shops bringing people into town than an apartment,” he said. “It’s a good thing to keep bringing more people into town.”