Hidden Treasures
Antique store holds unique items
Mount Pleasant is filled with hidden gems; unique stores and businesses that go unnoticed every day.
The Antique Center of Mount Pleasant is jam packed with treasures collected from all over Michigan and America.
The Antique's Center has been in Mount Pleasant for over 21 years. Owner Lynette Pendred and her partner Paul Micsak have owned it for 13. They combine for 50 years of experience in the antique business.
“My father was in the auctioning business so I’ve been around antiquing my entire life.” said Pendred. “I don’t work. This isn’t a job when I’m here. We love what we do.”
According to Micsak, the store gathers antiques at estate sales, auctions and from private dealers across Michigan. Micsak said the antiques bring a lot of joy to people.
“People who are a bit older will come in and say ‘Oh, mom had one of those!’ or ‘I remember that!’ it evokes nostalgia in people,” he said.
The store has Central Michigan University students that visit for therapy regularly.
“A girl used to come in when she was having a bad day and she spent an hour looking around, she didn’t buy anything, but always thanked us on her way out," Micsak said. "We aren’t a museum but what makes us different from other local Antique stores is we enjoy the college kids coming in and looking at the antiques.”
Micsak gave Cental Michigan Life a grand tour of The Antique’s Center and pointed out some of the store’s hidden treasures.
We Sing Diana
The Antique Center could be a book lover’s heaven. The bookshelves are packed with literature dating back centuries. Wanda Fraiken Neff’s novel We Sing Diana is one of the rarest in the store and Pendred’s personal favorite. According to her, the novel was only printed once.
A five feet long Saw Fish bill.
At first glance, it looks like an antique chain saw, but, actually it’s just a five feet long Saw Fish bill. The bill has 50 teeth running along the sides of it.
“A local man had bought that Saw Fish bill, but, had to give it back for emergency financial reasons," Micsak said. "He still comes in here pretty often just to admire it.”
Glass sets, sculptors, and figurines.
The Antique Center had more vases, glass figures and sculptures than Central Michigan Life could photograph. With the holidays on the way, The Antique Center is a great place to buy original glassware like Budweiser mugs.
Antique Instruments
Mozart may haven’t of played on them, but these instruments are vintage. Violins with their cases and reeds, trumpets and a 1944 sitting guitar can all be found in the store. They may need some time love and care but these classics are hard to find at Walmart.
