The Little Shop of Hoarders, owned by Cindy and Mike Scime, opened in downtown Chillicothe in 2016. Reviewers laud the resale shop for its affordable prices and friendly atmosphere. (Photo by Elise Zwicky)

Cindy and Mike Scime hadn’t exactly planned on opening a resale shop but when their house began to fill up with stuff faster than they could sell it online, they saw the writing on the wall.    

“My husband and I both enjoy picking, so our house was kind of turning into a warehouse and we realized we needed an outlet or we’d never sell it all in time,” said Cindy Scime, who owns the Little Shop of Hoarders at 1017 N. Second St. in Chillicothe.

The shop’s name came from an offhand remark by their then 16-year-old granddaughter, Brittany.

“We were driving one day with a car load of stuff and my granddaughter said, ‘Do you have a name for all this stuff? Because I’m thinking you’re just a hoarder.,’ ” Scime said with a laugh. “So I said we’re going to open up a shop one day and it will be the Little Shop of Hoarders.”

After praying about it and deciding to take the plunge, the Dunlap couple began looking for a location. “I drove down to Chillicothe and there were several places for rent and everything just fell into place,” Scime said. “We rented the building in December 2015 and opened in April 2016 after doing some refurbishing and remodeling.”

The business sits on a downtown block that features several other unique shops, including an old-fashioned candy store.

“When I say my prayers, I always pray for my Second Street family,” Scime said. “We love it here.  The people in Chillicothe are so endearing. And we shop owners all watch out for each other.”

Cindy Scime stands behind the counter at the Little Shop of Hoarders, the resale store she owns with her husband, Mike, in downtown Chillicothe. The Scimes are planning to open a second shop, More to Hoard, later this year. (Photo by Elise Zwicky)

The Little Shop of Hoarders offers an eclectic mix of antiques, primitives and mid-century moderns. It also features a large selection of old and new books.

“The shop has everything because we like everything,” Cindy Scime said. “We love the picking process. I especially love the wow factor, anything that’s bizarre or really different.”

Mike’s job with AT&T often takes him out of town, and he uses those opportunities to pick through antique stores or other places. The couple also enjoys hitting estate sales together.  They travel all around the Midwest and as far away as Denver, where a daughter lives, to buy stuff to resell in their shop. They also buy from customers.

“People will stop and say I’ve got some stuff in the car do you want to take a look, and we’ll pick and buy it right out of their trunk,” Scime said.

The Scimes have accumulated enough items to soon open a second shop on the same block that they plan to call More to Hoard.

“We had six storage units but no one can see anything in a storage unit. The new building will be like a working warehouse, but it will be set up in sections so people can shop out of it,” Scime said.

The new shop will initially only be open on Saturdays when Mike can run it, and the hours will expand when he eventually retires. Cindy currently mans the Little Shop of Hoarders by herself. It’s a natural fit for her as she comes from three generations of auctioneers.

Most of the reviews on the shop’s Facebook page laud the shop’s affordable prices and the friendly atmosphere.

Customer Kendra Johnson of Laura said she first discovered the shop on the recommendation of her grandmother.

“I was in search of farmhouse décor/porch décor, and a farmhouse hutch to refinish,” Johnson said. “I found what I was looking for and more. I have been back a few times since. The owner was so friendly and very helpful.”

This table made from a mannequin and a boogie board is one of the eclectic offerings at the Little Shop of Hoarders in downtown Chillicothe. “We love the picking process. I especially love the wow factor, anything that’s bizarre or really different,” Scime said. (Photo by Elise Zwicky)

Johnson said she had her two sons, ages 2 and 3, with her the first time she went, and Scime gave them cookies to help keep them occupied while she shopped.

“I have a coffee bar and cookies every day that’s free to customers, and they’ll sit and chat,” Scime said. “It’s a fun place, and I just feel very grateful for the people I meet. Everyone’s got a story, and I love that part of this business.”

She recalled purchasing a five-foot tall Ironwood tree light at an estate sale in which the owner had died. “No history or story accompanied this piece,” Scime said. “One day a lady came into the shop and let out a scream, saying, “That was my dad’s!’ She had fond memories of it. Her dad would throw his hats on the top of the branches when he came home.”

Scime also remembered a customer who came in looking for a vintage doll she’d had when she was 5 years old. “The doll had a huge significance in her young life, and she said she’d been looking for another one for over 50 years.”

Another customer in the store overheard the conversation and promised the woman he’d find her the doll, which he later tracked down on eBay. “He had it delivered to his house, and then at a scheduled time and date, they met at the shop for him to give it to her. As she unwrapped the package, she cried and cried. That day was one of the happiest days in the shop,” Scime said.

“My mom used to always say every few years you need to reinvent yourself. So I feel like this has come full cycle and this is part of who I am now. I love it. I love the people. I love the location. I love everything about it,” Scime added.

The Little Shop of Hoarders is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.  For more information, visit the shop’s Facebook page or call (309) 657-2505.

–A little bit of everything found at Little Shop of Hoarders in Chillicothe–