Meet Jan Norris | Vintage shoppe owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jan Norris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have always been a stay-home Mom.

When I was younger, my dream was to be a teacher but a mother most of all. I never imagined that I would become a homeschool Mom. My kids were my life and we stayed very active and were involved in events that the whole family could participate in.

I headed VBS for years when my children were young, and we went straight into doing 40 musicals where I was set and props as well as some costuming. My girls would act in the play, and my husband at times, while also making this our family ministry. We did historical reenacting while homeschooling, and I ended up doing all of my kids’ weddings and helped with nieces, nephews and other friends’ weddings as they were married. I was very involved with church youth and all of these other above-mentioned groups. Therefore, I accumulated a lot of vintage items over the years… A barn full actually.

My husband helped as much as he could, and everything was pretty much a family affair.

The time came when my last daughter, Ariel, went off to college. She said, “Mom, it’s your turn to do what you want to do in life”…so, in a nutshell, I scouted out this 1912 building in Historic downtown Abbeville, SC. My husband and I worked on the building for a couple of years to make it what it is today. It has become way for us to unload a lot of the things from the barn while doing what we love. My husband has since retired from the military. He supports me at the business when I need help. The brick lined streets of Abbeville are a perfect backdrop for the vintage business vision that I wanted to build. In July, we held our one year anniversary and could not be more pleased with the progress of the last year. God is good and has really blessed us.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I simply love vintage, all vintage, but am especially drawn to shabby French cottage style. I love the hunt, I love the memories that surface, I love the history behind things and the stories that accompany each item, whether true or imagined.
I do not like the cleaning and I don’t particularly enjoy the repair work, and with both of these tasks, my husband greatly helps out… but after these things are done and I add a little paint and a dab of vintage lace, it’s magical when “finds” come alive and are ready to be used in a home again.

My absolute favorite part of it all, though, and some would call it the artistic part, is the display and curating of my treasures. If I could make a living doing windows, that would be a dream!
I love to use old chippy furniture and risers and stools and antique books and build things up for my displays. I use color a lot because that is what attracts an eye to a particular setting. I incorporate the pyramid technique, where you have something high as an anchor, and you build so the eye flows down the objects and has interesting places to stop and rest and study. I layer and stack. I go after the unique. I want my customers to have to “dig” a little bit, and receive some of the same thrill that I felt when I found these treasures tucked away in nooks and crannies, basements and garages. I want to display in a way that inspires others to go home and somewhat copy. I encourage customers to pull things out of closets and attics and under the bed and use and enjoy. My theory is that your kids will not have memories from these precious objects if they didn’t use these pieces and hold them and see them in everyday life. Many things that I curate would’ve been thrown in a dumpster as garbage; I look at the beauty of an object after we get done with it and it’s on display in its second glory. Then my customer visits our shoppe, and maybe for an hour, they forget the problems of the world and their lives and walk around my space and spot that vintage item in a display and fall in love and bring it home… The next day they see that item over their morning coffee and smile; their problems again dissolve for a few more minutes…I have brought them a little JOY….job complete in my book.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I actually have done this many times with my sister or with one of my daughters and husband. We will take all back roads and stay off the main highways at all cost. We hit every roadside vintage market and Mom and Pop businesses that have character. We also look for the hole-in-the-wall or cutesy little local diners that have full parking lots; always the best place to eat!

I can go any direction from my home and I will find somewhere to go and something to do. I especially stop at the places that have been given a lot of love and care because I want to reward the effort that these people have put into their business. We get asked where we find our vintage and my husband and I always answer, “where don’t you find it”. That would be the easier list to give.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Chris, is my biggest help. In the end, I will tell him my vision and he will make it happen for me, especially on the parts that I cannot do myself. I could not do this without him!

My son (Ryan), and my three daughters (Hanna, Melissa, Ariel) and daughter-in-love (Eileen), help whenever they can and greatly encourage me along the way. They are invaluable! My brother-in-law (Ben) pitched in to help in the beginning with some big jobs and a few times I’ve even had my granddaughters up there to do odd jobs …not to mention my next door neighbors Jason and Jen….the best ever and always ready to lend a hand. I’m so blessed in the encouragement department!

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Image Credits
All my photos