Before I opened Grandview Mercantile, I had a long and fascinating retail career encompassing buying, product development, merchandising and marketing for both major department stores and women’s specialty store chains.
After years of traveling extensively and being responsible for as many as 300 stores, I decided to combine my diverse retail background and my love of antiques to open a boutique Antique Mall in Grandview. In April of 1997, the original 7000 sq.ft. Grandview Mercantile store opened at 1390 Grandview Ave, featuring 75 of Ohio’s premier antique and vintage dealers.
As the business grew, it became apparent very quickly that there were opportunities to diversify the store if we could find a larger location. Many of our customers had furniture, art and décor that they needed to sell and there were very few venues to sell fine quality previously owned items. The search began to find the perfect location that could accommodate our potential growth.
In 2001, the Short North was still a struggling area. There was a lot of crime and buildings needing repair, but there was a wonderful core of small businesses and art galleries that were doing well. The area had a great potential and the monthly Gallery Hop always attracted big crowds.
There was a 20,000 sq. ft. historic building for sale, outside of what was the Short North business district. Most of the windows were boarded up, the roof leaked and occasionally the person who owned the building next door decided to let his wild boar run free on the roof. In spite of it all, we took the leap, purchased the building, spent 6 months remodeling and opened the new Grandview Mercantile in the fall of 2002. ReVue, our new consignment brand, opened within the same building 4 months later.
The 15 years in the Short North location were exciting and helped us create one of the largest consignment stores in the country. Our interesting and ever-changing merchandise mix developed a big local following and became a tourist attraction with frequent visits from famous visitors, including Elvis Costello and his band, Carrie Fisher, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many others over the years.
By the end of 2016, the business and community environment of the Short North had changed, and we decided it was time to sell the building to move back to our original neighborhood. In the fall of 2017, we opened Grandview Mercantile & Revue in our new 22,000 sq. ft. location at the familiar corner of Grandview Ave and Fifth Ave. With easy access and lots of parking, we have been able to expand our assortment and continue to grow.
We are currently celebrating our 25th year in business. Over the years we have found new homes for thousands of pieces of furniture, décor and art. We have been honored to help our clients discover and market some amazing and rare items.
Many thanks to all of you who have helped us make this happen, especially the many of you who have been along for the ride from the beginning. Here’s to another 25 years of the legacy of Grandview Mercantile.
Best,
Sharon O’Brien
Owner since 1997
