Making the Old, New Again
Grace Phillips
The Ashland Beacon
Lynn Self is no stranger to operating her own company. She has owned a cleaning business, Yard Cards and a number of other ventures through the years but perhaps her newest venture is the biggest undertaking so far. South Side Square is located in the former Adkins Hardware at 2010 29th St Ashland.
The building had been empty for many years until one day Lynn had a vision of breathing new life into it. Self says, “My original vision was a type of Peddlers Mall where people could rent booth spaces and sell their goods. One half the store would be rental spaces and the other half would have used furniture.” She continued that even though the building was 6,000 square feet, it very quickly filled with household goods and furniture. So quickly in fact, she pivoted and at this time there aren’t any vendor spaces but she hopes to work that in sometime in the future.
Stepping through the front door of the building it is divided in two departments. One contains furniture the other side has all the accessory pieces needed to make you house a home. “I fell in love with glassware and pottery pieces. I didn’t really know that I like these things until I started doing this.” Self replied. All of the original shelfing in the store has been utilized to display the glass and pottery pieces. You can also find some art pieces in the shop.
The items in the shop come from private homes that have called for Lynn to take the items. She explains, “When people move or their parents are deceased, and estates have to be liquidated, they take what they want and then there is always the question of what to do with everything that is left. That is where I come in….we go in and move out everything that remains.”
The shop features just about any type furniture that you would need for a home. “We have bedroom suits, couches, chairs, antique rockers, kitchen tables and chairs. We also have a whole section downstairs of spring furniture including the old-time metal gliders like my grandparents had.” The price range of the items varying depending on the age of the pieces. You can find more modern style furniture that has a moderate price tag. There are also a number of antique pieces in the store. It is truly a treasure hunt when you shop at South Side Square.
The store is open Thursday-Saturday from 10am to 6 pm and Sunday from 12 – 5 pm. Grab a friend and spend the afternoon browsing through the many items in the store. Who know what you may find. For any additional information regarding South Side Square, call Lynn Self at 606-615-1544.