When you grow up with a mother who practices the art of “garage-sailing” — going from one garage sale to another — there’s an excellent choice you’ll end up in one of two camps. You’ll either be hooked yourself, after being dragged along to many a sale, or you’ll vow to never take up that lifestyle yourself.
For Nancy VandeVrede there was never any doubt that she would acquire the garage sale bug and thus the avocation of establishing her own shop to showcase the resultant collectibles for sale to other fans. That’s the prime motivating force behind Nancy’s creation this past spring of The Pink Poodle — a marketplace of “eye-pleasing collectibles” — located at 2250 John Beers Road in Stevensville.
The Pink Poodle is a thrifty gift and re-sale store in the finest traditions of Nancy’s mother. Having spent many hours going from sale to sale with her mother as a young girl, Nancy says, “I developed a passion for collecting pretty things,” especially those things with bright colors and flowers. Having been a collector for most of her life, Nancy decided this spring it was time to open her own store.
The Pink Poodle got its name during the 2016 Christmas season, while Nancy was shopping locally and happened onto a lighted Santa Claus along with some reindeer. It was what was next to that grouping that caught Nancy’s eye. It was a lighted pink poodle. She says, “When I saw that Pink Poodle, I knew that would be the name of my business.” She purchased the piece and it now resides in the front window, welcoming guests into the store.
Nancy worked with the Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance to get her business started and found them to be extremely helpful in obtaining the necessary business start-up requirements.
The Pink Poodle is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 am-5 pm. You can find them on Facebook or contact them at (269) 369-2697. The Pink Poodle also has rental space available for interested collectors looking for a retail location.
