Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 18, 1992 TAG: 9202180094
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: JERRY NACHTIGAL ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: OZARK, MO. LENGTH: Medium
IN MISSOURI'S OZARK, ANTIQUE STORES ABOUND
Business is booming at the Maine Streete Mall, a warehouse along U.S. 65 filled with antiques and collectibles.When Carl Miller opened it in 1988, 13 antique dealers leased space from him. Today, they number 108.
"We ran 190,000 people through here last year and had $1 million in sales," he said.
In Ozark, old is in.
In this town of about 4,500, located 15 miles south of Springfield, everything from Depression glassware to Beatles memorabilia can be found.
Antique dealer Mary Ann Heard says folks around here always have been interested in antiques, but in recent years the number of shops selling antiques has increased dramatically, saying, "it seemed like you woke up one day and there were a dozen more shops in town."
Store owners and dealers can't pinpoint exactly why Ozark has become such a haven for antique buffs. But they say its proximity to Branson, the home of country music in the Midwest, is a huge boon to business.
Branson and its two dozen theaters featuring Nashville talent lie 30 miles south of Ozark on U.S. 65, so hundreds of thousands of tourists pass by every year.
Lured by road signs and advertisements in tourist brochures and magazines catering to antique dealers and collectors, growing numbers of motorists are pulling off the highway to hunt for antiques.
Many visitors of course then stop at restaurants, gas stations and other businesses.
"I think everyone in town benefits," said Susan Marler, a member of the Chamber of Commerce's board of directors. "Antiques have a considerable effect on our economy."
A few eyebrows were raised when Miller, a former real estate developer in Tulsa, Okla., and Kansas City, opened the biggest antique store in town nearly four years ago.
But fellow shop owners say fears that Miller would corner the local antique market have proved untrue.
Indeed, a spirit of cooperation exists among Ozark's antique stores, which encourage their customers to visit other shops in town. The stores provide maps listing local antique shops and flea markets.
When one antique store doesn't have what customers are looking for, shop owners and employees usually direct them to other stores that carry the items.
"If I don't have it, I try to make phone calls if I know where it might be," said Marler, owner of the Touches of Tyme Antique Store and Tea Room. "To me, the whole idea is to make the customer happy. If I do that, they're going to come back to me in the future."
Miller says antique dealers from around the country visit his store and others here in February and March, stocking up for the summer season.
Celebrities also drop in occasionally to browse.
Mel Tillis' wife, Judy, drives to the Maine Streete Mall from Branson to shop, Miller says. Johnny Cash recently bought a shoeshine stand he gave to fellow country singer Martin Delray, dealer Charlie Ryan says.
Miller and others paint a bright future for the antiques business in Ozark. He plans to build a showroom next to his mall this year where classic automobiles will be displayed and sold. And a group of Minnesota investors are considering building a motel nearby.
"I think probably there will be some more stores come in," Miller said. "Certainly they'll be invited with open arms. Every antique store has something different. We all complement each other."