A couple from Grandville, Michigan, sells everything from golden loveseats and Coca-Cola fridges to license plates and comics at their thrift store, Le Vintage Rose, in Allen, Michigan. 

The property of the Antique Village was abandoned and forgotten for more than a decade, until Mary Nguyen-Frei and her husband, Emerson, filled it with their collection of historical items.

“My dream was always to run a fun shop that has everything,” Nguyen-Frei said. “Because growing up, I didn’t have much. I was raised by my grandparents with 10 kids, so I had a lot of hand-me-downs, and that’s how I got into secondhand fashion. I learned that it’s actually a fun, cool, and affordable way to be different.”

Walking into the antique store, customers are greeted by old Hollywood faces in photographs and posters — people of the past who have marked the fashion industry. Racks of thrifted and collected clothing fill the room with all sorts of fabrics and patterns — denim, velvet, animal prints, and stripes —  from various decades. Glass cases are filled with jewelry, watches, brooches, and masquerade masks. 

An adjoining room is filled with eclectic finds. One shelf holds ornate china and colorful glasses, while the next has vintage model cars and rare Pokémon cards. 

The next room still has black and white checkerboard flooring and the same soda-pop-shop counter it had when it was a diner. 

“When I was in college, on Saturdays we would go to Allen to a store called Poor Richard’s. The lady at the store there sold lots of vintage hats,” Sue Walberg ’83 said. “We would buy vintage hats, then we would go over to The Wooden Nickel, which is now the Le Vintage Rose. They had a porch and an old jukebox there. We would sit there all afternoon and play the Jukebox and drink coffee and dance. The people who owned the Wooden Nickel just let us stay there all afternoon and enjoy their restaurant.”

The Antique Village has 27 historic buildings on its property, 20 of which were moved in the 1980s from different places in the area by one of the former owners, Jim Klein. Five of the buildings are currently in use or have plans for renovation. Nguyen-Frei said she hopes to polish up the antique store as well as revive the old buildings — a pink chapel, a one-room schoolhouse, and a vintage candy store — to their original purpose.

Frei said the locals were disappointed when the Antique Village was closed for so long, and that she’s pleased to bring back the history of the property and the individual buildings.

“Everyone is so thankful that we are here now to bring it to life again,” Nguyen-Frei said.

According to Nguyen-Frei, she and her husband have a lot of events and new businesses they want to add on to Le Vintage Rose. This spring, they are hosting a Galentines party themed as a masquerade ball and a Mother’s Day fashion show. Bigger plans involve opening an Airbnb and restaurant.

“We are starting an Airbnb next month with a queen bed and three twin beds,” Nguyen-Frei said. “I thought it would be a good idea since I always hear about Hillsdale parents needing a place to stay.”

According to Nguyen-Frei, Le Vintage Rose attracts a lot of creative people, and she hopes to use some of the small, eclectic buildings on the property as vendor spots for her creative friends. 

“I recognize all the people I talk to for the true gift that God has given them, and I feel like they need to be known,” Nguyen-Frei said. “That is what I’d like to do here, mainly, to bring everyone together and let everyone flourish here. We’re meant to be here — to help them display their art.” 

Le Vintage Rose has something for everyone — the artist, the collector, the thrifter, and the old soul, according to junior Anne Crites. 

Crites said she loves the variety Le Vintage Rose has to offer. 

“I came here last semester to get off campus, and I thought it was really cute,” Crites said. “It has a lot of different things like clothing, jewelry, and candy.”

Walberg said she is excited for the future of the store.

“When I saw that Mary opened that store, I stopped there, and I told them it was where I used to go all the time, and I brought her some vintage hats,” Walberg said. “I feel that Le Vintage Rose is going to have great success.”