Business Spotlight: New antiques store brings fresh ideas to an old business

Like the building she and her husband own together, Robin Shriver's new business at 210 South Carson Street downtown is a collection of diverse tastes.

Shriver opened the doors to Kaleidoscope on June 4, replacing what had previously been a law office with a new retail store specializing in antiques, vintage decor and local art, she said.

The building that she and her husband have owned for the past 12 years has endured decades of change. It once was a bar, a grocery store, and a pawn shop, Shriver said.

"It's been a lot of different things," she said.

Back in Carson City's earliest days even, the space upon which the current structure rests used to belong to the Pony Express.

Shriver said the current building has been added on to several times over the years, the designs of each passing era evident by the visible remains of what had been left behind.

"That's why the architecture is not homogenous," she said. "It's a conglomeration of different styles."

The fact that Kaleidoscope now dresses the building is complementary, because the only thing better than an antique and vintage decor store is one located in a building that is itself vintage and antique.

However, operating her own store wasn't something Shriver said she had any aspiring plans for. That's just the way things evolved.

When the law office vacated the space after the last legislative session, Shriver said she had difficulty finding replacement tenants.

There was limited interest among prospective tenants, she said, with construction of the downtown Carson Street corridor project underway directly in front of the building's main entry.

"We started looking for some new tenants, but because of the construction downtown, we didn't find any viable options," she said. "So we decided to just open our own store."

The construction out front did not deter Shriver, either, even though it has limited Kaleidoscope's visibility from the street.

"We've had a lot of big equipment out in front of our building, so our visibility hasn't been that great for a good part of the time," she said.

But increased foot traffic during special events, such as the Wine Walk and Epic Rides, has helped spread the word about Kaleidoscope, she said.

"We had a lot of people walking through" over the Epic Rides weekend, Shriver said, while as many as 250 people visited Kaleidoscope during the July 1 Wine Walk.

"It was crowded and it was great," she said. "People who have come in have given us really positive comments."

Even though road construction continues to dominate the downtown landscape, Shriver said it proves to be only a minor inconvenience.

"People find it an inconvenience to come downtown. I think they're more intimidated than anything else," she said. "I personally don't think it's that hard to get around downtown."

The major construction project along Carson Street certainly doesn't dampen Shriver's enthusiasm for downtown Carson City, either.

"We're are excited to be downtown. We love the location," she said. "We want to see people having a good time, and have this be a place where people want to congregate."

Under future consideration, Shriver said, is adding paint-and-sip as well as craft classes to the Kaleidoscope venue, too.

These plans, along with Kaleidoscope's structure as an antiques mall, help to set the store apart from other antique retailers in town, she said.

The antiques mall concept, Shriver said, features a cluster of smaller retail spaces rented out to vendors looking for a venue from which to sell their wares.

"We came upon this idea because it's other peoples' inventory and we didn't have to invest a lot of money in inventory," she said. "We have booth space for rent, and we are renting out to people who sell antiques and repurposed, vintage decor."

Shriver said she has reached out to local artists, too, because she wants to offer them a venue for their work.

"I want to feature some local artisans," she said.

As antique malls go in the region, Kaleidoscope is only about 850 square feet of retail floor space. But size notwithstanding, Shriver said the point is to carry a little of a lot of things instead of a lot of little things.

She said Kaleidoscope has room for up to nine vendor spaces, and so far, five are already in the store.

Shriver brings a background of customer service to Kaleidoscope, having served three decades in food and beverage management, as well as time spent in retail management.

Although she is new to the antiques trade, Shriver said it captures her interest.

"I like the history of antiques," she said. "I like the story behind each piece, learning about how old it is, who used it, and where it came from."

Each vintage product also appeals to an eclectic palate of consumers, Shriver said.

"Different people are looking for different things," she said. "What we've sold so far has been a huge variety."

Visit Kaleidoscope Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 210 S. Carson Street, and see the diversity of antiques, vintage decor and artwork on display.