Story of Florence Antique Mall

Our Story

The Florence Antique Mall opened for business on August 1, 1998 with 65 dealers in place and over half of the 50,000 square foot showroom still empty. The Grand Opening weekend was incredible, and the store has experienced tremendous growth and success ever since. We are now home to a wonderful selection of fine antiques, collectibles, furniture and art from over 300 quality Dealers, and the Florence Antique Mall has earned much recognition, including the prestigious Cincinnati Magazine BEST OF THE CITY Award!

The Florence Antique Mall is owned and operated by long time Florence residents Mike & Coleen Detzel. Coleen had been a successful antique Collector and Dealer for many years, and was considering the idea of opening her own shop. For over a year she and Mike used their spare time to visit many antique shops and malls, and they worked with the Small Business Development Center at Northern Kentucky University to develop a business plan for a new antique mall based on the best of what they had learned.

With little more than a plan and sheer determination, Coleen and Mike began looking for possible store sites and funding to start their venture. In June 1998 they leased a former department store building located on Mall Road in Florence, Kentucky. Next came the work of designing the store interior and finding good Dealers. "By far most of the antique malls we visited were hard to find, often in cold, damp, leaky old buildings and pole barns" recalls Mike. "We wanted to raise the standard and put the Florence Antique Mall in a good retail area, and this site was just unbeatable, located right off I-71/75 in one of the finest retail centers in the Midwest".

With their new store site secured, and with a lot of help from family and friends, the work began to build the store interior, hire and train employees, develop advertising, organize a grand opening, and most importantly, sign on new Dealers.

"It was like running for an elective office", laughs Coleen. "I knew a few people from going to auctions and garage sales, but it was a real challenge to find and persuade Dealers to rent space in a new startup mall. It took a great deal of trust and confidence in Mike and I for them to commit to us and our store. When we opened on that Saturday, people were lined up out in the parking lot, and we knew that the Florence Antique Mall would be a real success".

Coleen, Mike and their staff work very hard to ensure that all customers are treated with courtesy and respect. "We take a great deal of pride in our store, staff and Dealers", says Coleen. "I've been in a lot of antique shops and malls all across the country, and I think we have one of the finest stores anywhere. We constantly look for better ways to do things, and we go out of our way to help customers and Dealers in any way we can. Our staff are really friendly and helpful people who actually know something about antiques, and we have wonderful Dealers who bring a fantastic selection of great merchandise at reasonable prices--what more could you want?"

Coleen and Mike invite you to visit the Florence Antique Mall to see why they say:

The Florence Antique Mall - Where the Past makes a Perfect Present!