Golden Ridge Mercantile now offers new, antique home décor

Cresco - The sandwich board outside of Golden Ridge Mercantile in downtown Cresco entices would-be customers with, ‘Antiques, Retro, weird stuff and cool junk’ and that is exactly what people find when they stop by the eclectic shop.

Owners Jette Berken, originally from the Waukon area, and Pat Reicks, a native of Cresco, have re-opened the store at the same location where it existed a few years previously, and Berken said the community has welcomed them with open arms.

“We have been here since August. A lot of people have said ‘Welcome back’ and ‘We missed this store.’ I didn’t know we had that big of an impact,” she said.

Berken said she has changed the focus of the store slightly since its previous incarnation, coupling antiques with newer home décor items.

“I find things here, there and everywhere,” she said. “That’s the fun of this job; you can shop for a living.”

Berken scours stores in the tri-state region for unique home décor items and also shops through catalogs.

“I mix in new with the old. Basically, our store is a little boutique of antique and new home décor and some retro items from the 1940s-1970s,” she said.

Berken said she was inspired to open Golden Ridge Mercantile when she had to downsize and move into a smaller home.

“I downsized my house. I moved from a four-bedroom to a two-bedroom, and I had to get rid of the stuff, and thought this would be a good way to downsize,” she said. I love going to the shops and I thought, ‘I have been in retail most of my life; I can do this.”

Reicks says the Golden Ridge Mercantile has something for everyone and that both men and women will find items that resonate.

“There are plenty of things for the man cave,” he said. “People love our signs, and we also have greeting cards.”

Berken adds that while people come to the store, they see antiques, and remember, “Grandma had this,’”or “Back on the farm, we had that.” The new items featured in the store also draw interest.

“We’ve had people stop by from all over. We’ve had customers from Canada, California, Georgia, New York and Rochester, Minn. Especially coming from Rochester, Cresco is within driving distance, and the more new stores we have like this, the more of an enclave (Cresco) is for people,” she said.

Presently, the Mercantile features autumn, Halloween and Thanksgiving home décor among many other items, but  Reicks said customers will find something new and different to see each time they visit.

“We are changing things all of the time,” he said.

Berken said she is pleased with the community response to the store’s re-opening.

“Thanks for welcoming us back,” she said. “We thank them for their business.”

The Golden Ridge Mercantile is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. The store’s Facebook page is currently being updated.