Antique shop celebrates 40th | SeacoastOnline.com

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Janet and Bob Neily, owners of The Collector's Eye antique shop in Stratham, are celebrating the shop's 40th anniversary.Aaron Davis photo

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STRATHAM ? The Collector's Eye antiques shop turns 40 as the barn in which it's housed turns 244-years-old, and along with the antiques inside, together they mark the steady passage of time.

Bob and Janet Neily are the fifth owners of this property, since Deacon Samuel Lane of Hampton purchased it in 1741 until it passed out of the Lane family in 1939 and began a procession of new owners.

At a glance

The Collector's Eye antique shop

Owners: Bob and Janet Neily

Where: 132 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in January and February.

Info: Call (603) 772-6205 or visit http://www.collectorseye.com/

Grayson and Kitty-Lou Kirtland purchased the property in 1972 and began a small antique, dried flowers and artisan shop inside the Stratham traffic circle property. The Neilys were actually antique dealers in the barn for five years before they purchased the property in 1998.

"We moved here from Canada in '89 and used to shop here all the time," Bob Neily said. "(Janet) was a teacher in Canada and wanted to get involved in something here and we said 'Heck, we can do this.'"

When they first started, they decided to have all types of antiques, but the shop was mainly a furniture barn during the "boom times," as Bob puts it. They carry antiques and fine furniture to primitives and more rustic pieces.

Overall, their store features 24 experienced dealers, each offering their particular style of products in their display room. The idea is to display the antiques in a complete room setting, so that you end up walking through 24 different rooms in what would be the houses of 24 different antiques dealers.

"It's unique here, the dealers work very hard and everything is displayed well," Bob said. "It's an open concept, where you can visualize how it would be in your home."

It isn't contradictory to say that over the years, the antiques business changes. Ebay did take a bite out of their market at one point, Bob said, but much like everything else, the auction Web site has been through changes itself.

In the antique world and beyond, trends change with the generations.

"At first, we would have to strip the paint from furniture, because they wanted more natural wood and now it's completely the reverse, we are doing the painting or Shabby chic," Bob said.

"It's ironic that I spent the first 15 years stripping furniture, now I'm painting it."

Janet says that 1950s kitchenettes are trending, along with other 1950's retro items. A black-and-white cracked ice formica and chrome set with flyleaf was purchased earlier that day by a woman in her 20s.

The younger generation is also finding that they can purchase antique dressers and furniture from a store like theirs and pay a third of the price for the same look of Pottery Barn.

She also mentions that the Internet site Pinterest brings people in looking to buy antiques and repurpose them in new ways.

"I had one girl come in looking for an antique rake to hang her jewelry on," Janet said. "She saw it on Pinterest. People are coming in looking for items to repurpose, recycle and reuse."

The fall season is beginning for Collector's Eye and the Neilys are preparing for "Witches Weekend," Oct. 13 and 14, followed by their Magical Christmas Barn open house on Nov. 9-11.

"The whole barn is completely transformed for Christmas," Bob said. "It's really amazing, the barn is beautiful. Every year I think of how we can do better than the year before and we always do."

The Christmas displays stay up through the season, with the Stratham Christmas Tree lighting by the mill pond on the northern end of their property coming in early December and festivities to continue from then.

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Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20121001-BIZ-210010356

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