‘Family of dealers’ makes up Antiques and Uniques in Wickliffe |

After Tom and Barb Berges opened Antiques and Uniques in Wickliffe 10 years ago, the first item they sold was a duck sign.

Since that time, the antique mall that is made up of roughly 100 dealers at 30200 Euclid Ave. has sold 473,000 items and had 169,000 customers walk through its doors.

The Bergeses drew inspiration for Antiques and Uniques from Homer Marple in Hilton, New York, their hometown. In 2003, the couple brought the concept to Ohio when they opened their first retail store with other business partners. That business grew and thrived for 11 years.

In April of 2015, the couple launched Antiques and Uniques in Wickliffe with a waiting list on opening day.

"There were a bunch of dealers that were out there that wanted us to start a new location, so we looked around at different spots that were available," Barb said. "This was an old Big Lots store, but it had been empty for a couple of years, so we came in. We had walls built and we had the founding dealers. The people coming in helped tremendously with painting, booths and helping define the booths to get things going."

Antiques and Uniques in Wickliffe was founded by Barb and Tom Berges. The couple drew inspiration from Homer Marple in Hilton, New York. (Marah Morrison - The News-Herald)

Antiques and Uniques in Wickliffe opened its doors 10 years ago. (Marah Morrison - The News-Herald)

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Antiques and Uniques in Wickliffe was founded by Barb and Tom Berges. The couple drew inspiration from Homer Marple in Hilton, New York. (Marah Morrison - The News-Herald)

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Today, 20 of the 100 dealers are original dealers who started with the Bergeses.

"There's been a lot of life changes through the years," Barb said. "People have come and gone and retired."

At the store, space is rented and a central checkout area is provided. Additionally, the store provides all of the record keeping. Dealers will either rent a 10-by-10 space or sometimes 10-by-20, Barb said. The dealers then paint and decorate their space any way they want, as well as bring in shelving units and such to display their items.

"It's constantly turning over," Barb said. "We have frequent sales, so we have new merchandise coming in all the time. We call it a family of dealers because they really are nice people who help each other out. It's not a sense of competition. It's a sense of help everybody else do well."

Barb credits the atmosphere the store has to dealers helping each other load and unload cars, rearranging things in their booth and price items while sharing expertise.

The least expensive item sold at the store was a sticker for 50 cents while the most expensive was a piano for $3,000.

"We have at least 10 states that people have come from and four foreign countries, and we have some regulars from foreign countries who make trips to buy antiques every year or a couple times a year," Barb said. "It just really appeals to everybody. We've got a big store; it's clean, bright, the people are friendly and helpful."

Every couple months, the store will have a restocking day on a day they're not open so dealers can clean out their booth and do a total makeover.

"We had a family a month ago and the mom said, ‘This is the only antique store I can go in and my kids don't sneeze,' " Barb said. "It's constant turnover of inventory because dealers are always bringing things in."

The store also features a furniture gallery, which also changes frequently.

"If you see something there, you got to act on it because the person behind you coming in - it may be just the thing they're looking for," Barb said.

In 2023, the business was sold to the Bergeses' son, Rob Berges, who is continuing the store's format.

Antiques and Uniques in Wickliffe was founded by Barb and Tom Berges. In 2003, the couple sold the business to their son, Rob, left. (Marah Morrison - The News-Herald)

"It's exercising community building in a sort of utopian idea about the possibility of getting along with one another and working to a common end," he said. "I think it's really important to continue that. It's a matter of keeping up with that, fine-tuning it and make sure that it's future proof."

Besides the dealers renting space at the store, they also are required to work two days per month in the store.

"We have no employees," Barb said. "Everybody who works here is a dealer and the advantage of that is they know the business. They can answer questions, they are helpful to each other and they're a community."

Over the years, Barb has enjoyed seeing the reactions people have toward the items in the store.

"There's something for everybody," she said. "It's the kind of place where a husband isn't going to say, ‘I don't wanna go there' when his wife suggests that. We've had grandparents come in and show their grandkids dial telephones or typewriters. People come here to relax and enjoy themselves. They're fun to be around."

The store is open for business Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Marah Morrison, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio

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Aaron Moody is a sports and general reporter for the News & Observer. Here is a second sentence for the bio because it will probably be longer than this. Maybe even longer I don't know. Support my work with a digital subscription

This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 11:57 PM