Thrift shop opens on Main Street in Lovell

A retail business has returned to the familiar location of the former Hen House store in Lovell.Attic Space, a thrift shop owned and operated by Krystl Buchholtz and her aunt, Deb Harmer, opened for business Monday at 210 E. Main, giving new life to the retail space that had been empty since John Lafko moved the Hen House to Laurel, Mont.Buchholtz said she and Harmer, with her grandmother, Frances Theodorson, moved to Lovell two months ago from Cody, though Harmer continues to work in Cody as a housekeeper for Hands to Help in Cody while Buchholtz mans the store daily. The family roots are in the Cheyenne area, she said.Buchholtz said she and Aunt Deb saw a need in Lovell.[caption id="attachment_10600" align="alignright" width="285"] Deb Harmer (left) and Krystl Buchholtz pose at their new store at 210 E. Main in Lovell. The Attic Space opened Monday.
David Peck photo[/caption]“My aunt and I were throwing ideas around about different places Lovell would need, and when we moved here we were looking for dining room chairs and something to put knickknacks on,” Buchholtz said. “There was nothing here. We had to go all the way back to Cody. I had been working part-time at the beet piler. My aunt came in one day and I said, ‘Let’s open a thrift store.’ It just kind of bloomed from there.”“I knew of a storage unit for sale, so I bought it,” Harmer said, noting that the contents of the storage unit were used for initial inventory. “I’m keeping my eyes open for other units. I also work for AA Storage in Cody.”Attic Space also takes consignment items to sell, although they don’t want large appliances like stoves and refrigerators. They also can’t take baby furniture like high chairs, cribs and car seats because there are so many rules and regulations on such items that “it can get real sticky” in regard to insurance.“Our tag line is ‘used and slightly abused’ merchandise,” Harmer said. “We also take donations. If you have a closet full of stuff, we’ll take it. We go through it, price it, and if it’s not sellable, we’ll repurpose it. We fixed up and used a shelving unit in the back…I’m not opposed to going to a thrift store and buying stuff there, too (to bring to the store).”Attic Space has for sale men’s and women’s shoes, though more women’s shoes are needed, men’s and women’s clothing, Christmas decorations, furniture, with more needed, kitchenware, small appliances, photo frames, Avon products, bedding and some electronics. They will take game systems and games for sale if they can be proven to work and if the games play.They also plan to give back to the community.“If somebody has a fire and needs clothes and they can come to get them, I’d be willing to donate to them,” Harmer said. “Then they can pass it on.”Attic Space needs fixtures (shelving and racks) and has a lot of space to fill, but Harmer and Buchholtz said they wanted to get open as soon as possible to catch the Christmas season.“We wanted to open before Christmas,” Harmer said. “A lot of people don’t have a lot of money. This is a way to get Christmas gifts at a reasonable price.”Attic Space is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 548-2069 for more information.

By David Peck