By Laura Gossman
lgossman@postbulletin.com
HARMONY — Shelves lined with antique glassware, linens and knick-knacks, and floors dotted with furniture and Amish-made items can be found in a newly built antique mall along U.S. 52 in Harmony.
Jean and Terry Ingvalson opened their new shop called Generations of Harmony on Nov. 3. A grand opening is planned for today and Saturday.
Having lived in Mabel most of their lives, Jean said it was a difficult decision to move to another town.
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She and her husband owned Village Furniture in Mabel for more than 20 years, but recently decided to hand the keys over to their son Quincy, and his wife, Jean.
"Terry and I wanted to try something different and it was good timing for them to take things over," Jean said Wednesday while working at the shop.
She and her husband first became interested in antiques when their friends took them antiquing while on vacation.
"Some things that are called antiques today are things I remember my grandmother or mother using," Jean said. "Some antiques are toys I remember playing with when I was little."
She admits that she doesn’t know a lot about antiques, but is gradually learning as more items come in.
She and Terry are trying to sell their house in Mabel and plan to live in an apartment in the back of the antique mall.
Jean said they couldn’t pass up the location in Harmony.
"Harmony has already built a tourism industry," Jean said.
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Unlike some businesses in Harmony, they plan to stay open year-round, seven days a week.
Jean said she’s happy with the shop’s progress, as it has 13 vendors. There’s room for 84 vendor spaces and 40 display cabinets to rent.
"New vendors are moving in almost daily," she said.
Antique dealers from as far as Geneva, Minn., and Marquette, Iowa, and as close as Chatfield and Spring Valley are selling their items at the store.
"A lot of young people have been coming in looking for vintage items," Jean said. "Antiquing isn’t just for us old folks anymore."
