Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 5/8/2023
PALMER — If there is one thing that most people enjoy, it’s finding something they really love at a steal of a deal, and Potter’s Antiques and Curiosities says they offer just that.
Located at 1339 Main St., this up-and-coming addition to the pool of antiques businesses in town has two primary goals, said owner Cynthia Potter. The first, to be price conscious, and the second, to bring the coolest antiques and oddities available to their customers.
The store just opened during the second week in April, and Potter said, “One of goals is to be incredibly affordable. I want people to come in and say, ‘At that price, I better go home with it.’ I regret sometimes not buying something that really appealed to me, so I want people to be able to afford to buy the treasures they find and love.”
Some of the things one might find at Potter’s is a hoard of jewelry that reflects the owner’s love of jewelry in all forms, furniture, lamps, old magazines, crystals, candles, essential oils, and everything in between. Potter said there is so much interesting stuff that she has trouble choosing favorites.
“I have a fantastic chair from the early Victorian era with the original upholstery. Today I sold a couple of old newspapers from World War II and some old Life magazines. I have things people might not have seen before, like a little iron plate that is a wallpaper stamp from the Victorian era, a stirrup from China over 100 years old and doesn’t look like a stirrup at all by our standards, an African beaded doll from early 1800s,” Potter said.
Potter said she cares about integrity and honesty and will go the extra mile to provide customers with a good deal.
“I’m really excited when I can beat every price I can find anywhere. I know that I love saying, ‘Use Google lens and see if you can find this item for even half of what I’m selling it for,’” she said.
Potter added she has had antique dealers come in and haul away boxes of goods from the store to re-sell, which tells something about her price points.
Potter, who used to own book and gift stores, has an eye for antiques, rare finds and a fondness for retail. “Retail has been kind of fun for me. I get to get together all the things I think are fun and put them together,” she said.
The excitement her customers share when they find something they really love is one of the best things about being in a retail business, Potter said, explaining,
“There’s a lot that I love, but the most exciting part for me is seeing people excited, I had someone come in today and asked if she could take pictures to send to her friends. People being happy to find their treasure is one of the most rewarding parts for me.”
Potter, who said she used to have a booth in an indoor flea market in Springfield as well as some booths in shops in Palmer, had to pack up her wares and take some time off selling when her mother became ill and died.
After this, Potter said she had no intentions of opening up a shop, but feels fate had other plans. “In November I was driving past my current store site, saw a tiny little ‘For Rent’ sign, and decided to stop and check it out. I called the number on the sign, and the landlord said he would meet me there. While I was waiting one of my mom’s favorite songs came on. It felt like a sign,” Potter said.
“I met the landlord right then, it all felt right, and we did a handshake deal right there,” she continued. It is a family business, Potter said, and is her daughter’s shop as well.
Potter said although there are several other antique shops in town, she “loves the idea that the antiques shops around here all support each other, because we all have different stuff. The Palmer Antiques Co-Op even makes a map so customers can hit other shops.” Potter said she would like to see the area become a day trip destination, with clients hitting the antiques shops and new restaurants she said are popping up around her store.
The store is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 12:30-5 p.m. Anytime there is a Brimfield antiques fair, Potter said she will be open seven days a week for the duration of the fair.