Renee Spaide of Pottstown transformed a job change into a new career opportunity, opening Renee’s Finders Keepers at 19 E. Main St. in Kutztown, a high-end consignment store.
“I just decided if I’m going to work as hard as I work, I’m going to open up a shop,” Spaide said who always wanted to open her own shop. “If someone asked me 20 years ago what do you want to do, I’d say I want to open a consignment shop, so here I am.”
Spaide graduated from Kutztown University in 1980, which was Kutztown State College at the time, with a degree in commercial design.
“I love design, because of my background. I love old things,” said Spaide, who was a store decorator for Pomeroy’s for a period of time after she graduated from college. “I change things up here all the time. I change the windows every two weeks.”
She also has a master’s degree in education. With ties to Kutztown, she included Kutztown in her search area for finding the perfect place for her shop.
“The people here were the nicest,” she said. “Kutztown has been really nice to me.”
Finding 19 East Main St. available for rent, Spaide called the number posted on the building and within a couple of days she was inside looking at the space. A couple days later she signed the contract and opened in early August.
“I’m not one not to work,” said Spade, explaining why she moved so fast on opening her own business.
“I always liked going into consignment shops,” said Spaide who is a one-woman business operator. “I wanted to do something different. All of my clothes are designer clothes.”
Her grown sons and brothers helped her move in the bigger items but most of the set up she did herself and filled the racks with high end brand name clothing and other items.
While Spaide doesn’t have a background in business, she feels that she is more than prepared to operate her own store.
“I think everyone has to have somewhat of a business background regardless of whether or not they have that degree or not,” said Spaide. “I think that anybody who has a sense of taking care of things can be in business. You have to have some sort of business background to be able to survive in life.”
In addition to clothing and accessories for sale out front, Spaide also has a Vintage Room devoted to antiques.
“I have a lot of antiques so I thought I’d make a Vintage Room. This layout just worked out perfect for me,” she said.
Spaide started out with six consigners and quickly the numbers rose to 30 consigners.
“I like to have nice things,” she said. “It’s not a thrift shop. I look at it helping my neighbors, consigning nice things.”
When explaining the inspiration for the store’s name Renee’s Finders Keepers, Spaide said, “I think that I have unique things so when someone comes in and buys something I say they found something that they can keep and will keep forever.”
Renee’s Finders Keepers at 19 E. Main St. in Kutztown is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sundays.
