Not the average antique boutique

Shop offers Tea Room, stop on First Friday route

Not Just Antiques Mart owners Renee and Jessica Poole are looking forward to celebrating the first anniversary of their business March 3.

Not Just Antiques Mart, 1422 Western Ave., is a 12,000 square-foot antique shop chock-full of both common and uncommon antique finds. The shop has numerous dealer booths and rooms as well as an estate room, where Renee Poole displays some of the treasures from her other business, Call Renee! Estate Liquidation.

Two of the more important developments in the past year are that the store is now a stop on the First Friday trolley route and the opening of the Tea Room, which offers a full lunch menu.

"We are really excited to be a stop on First Friday," Renee Poole, mother of Jessica, said. "And we show a lot of local artists for free for First Friday."

One of the reasons Renee choose the location was because of the proximity to the growing arts district in the area of Charleston Boulevard and Main Street.

During First Friday, when the majority of the arts district shops and studios put on one big inviting open house, the Pooles offer free food, entertainment and Tarot card readings.

"This area is great for the arts," Renee Poole noted.

The facility offers many forms of art, from paintings to hand-welded architectural dinning tables. And the antiques run the gamut of Barbie dolls to late 18th century furniture.

The newly launched Tea Room, open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, offers customers a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy tea and snacks.

The Not Just Antiques Mart is a joint effort between mother and daughter, who both take on separate roles, making it a relatively smooth operation.

"I've watched my mom do this for so long, and I'm still learning so much," Jessica Poole said. "And it's interesting and fun to work together."

Jessica Poole serves as the manager and deals with customers, while Renee Poole spends more time acquiring the merchandise and interacting with dealers and seeking consignments. And all of the employees work together to help the community become more familiar with antiques.

Renee Poole said one of her goals is to educate the community about antiques, and part of that, she said, is to take some time every month to help people become more familiar with the treasures they may have.

So, the Pooles have created two monthly events in which they share their knowledge with interested customers.

The first Sunday of each month, they offer Free Appraisal Day and on the second Sunday of each month they offer Free Barbie Doll & Coin and Currency Appraisal Day.

Janice Kieffner and her mother, Kathy Kieffner, have been running the Faded Cottage, a room in the Not Just Antiques Mart, since the business opened. The Kieffners decided to show their items at the Poole's store because of their ongoing business relationship with Renee Poole.

"My mom and I both got to know Renee over the years," Kathy Kieffner said. "And when she mentioned an antique mall, we believed in her vision, and we knew it would be terrific."

Kieffner said she didn't have doubts that the business would reach its first anniversary, which she knows can sometimes be a difficult task.

"The location is great, and her reputation alone has brought in a lot of people," Kieffner said. "And she has a lot of highly collectable antiques that bring people in, too."

So, at the one-year mark, all those involved are excited for what the future will bring.

"Different shops have different philosophies, each store in Las Vegas is unique with different dealers and venues," Renee Poole said. "And we really try to teach people, we're very customer oriented, and we're going to keep doing that."