A love of vintage and antique items, and a desire to save them is a common thread among the three women behind VIA Patina, a pop-up shop opening downtown this month.
Sally Cooper and sisters Kelly Nash and Kimberly Robinson met a year ago and quickly bonded over their passion for discovering discarded and overlooked treasures.
Nash and Robinson frequent factories and old houses in search of historic and unique building materials and architectural details for their barn sales, and Cooper sells antiques via estate sales and auctions in Ohio and on the East Coast. She also has merchandise at Grandview Mercantile Co. in the Short North.
However, the ladies wanted an additional avenue for bringing their goods to market.
“When we met, it didn’t take long before we realized we were ready to take a risk and the pop-up shop evolved,” said Cooper.
VIA Patina will take up residence in a 2,300-square foot space at the corner of State and South High streets on the first floor of the Fifth Third building from Nov. 15 through Dec. 2. The shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
All the shop’s merchandise has a patina. (Hence the name.)
“[Patina] is the character an item takes on when it is old, used, and taken care of,” Cooper said. “It has a look, a finish, and a depth that is unique and beautiful.”
Iron, wood, glass, marble, and a wide range of vintage items −from furniture to jewelry− will be up for grabs.
“It’s all been used before or been repurposed to use in a new way,” she said. “Some of our items are more than 100 years old and some are from the ’50s and ’60s.”
Should you find something you like, but can’t haul it home yourself, don’t despair.
“VIA Patina will deliver those chairs or dresser that won’t fit in your trunk!” Cooper said.
Initially, the trio wasn’t sure where to set up shop. Then Capital Crossroads SID Retail Recruiter Kacey Brankamp took them on a tour of available spaces in the city’s core and they were hooked.
“We fell in love with the excitement of downtown Columbus and everything that is happening there,” Cooper said. “We wanted to be a part of it.”
Right now, they have no plans to establish a permanent shop.
“Running a full-blown retail operation year-round probably isn’t in our futures,” she said. “But you can never say never.”
VIA Patina will host a grand opening celebration on Nov. 17. Details are still being finalized, but Cooper guaranteed that the refreshments will not be old.
