Two things are dear to the heart of Amy Zimmerman, co-owner of The Shepherd’s Keeper at Kinderhook, an antiques and collectibles store in Greensburg.
The first is (obviously) antiques and the second is downtown Greensburg itself.
“My father was an antique dealer, so it’s in my blood,” she says. “I’ve been an antique dealer since forever.”
She grew up in Greensburg and has fond memories of going downtown to shop at now-defunct department stores like Royer’s and Troutman’s, where her grandmother also would buy her lunch.
“I bought my Buster Brown shoes at Troutman’s,” she says.
Right now, Zimmerman is putting her passions to work in organizing the inaugural “Antiques on the Avenue,” an antiques and vintage collectibles show and sale hosted by the Greensburg Business and Professional Association and planned for 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 3 on South Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Greensburg.
Co-organizer of the event is Zimmerman’s business partner, Carol Marko.
Eclectic mix
Dealers will set up in the 100 to 300 blocks of the busy business thoroughfare, which will be closed to traffic for the duration.
“We’ll have an eclectic mix of antiques, primitives and vintage collectibles,” Zimmerman says, with some of the more specialized items including estate jewelry, vintage holiday decor, yellow ware, jugs and crocks.
More than 30 regional dealers should be present, from Johnstown to Pittsburgh and in between. Zimmerman notes that none of the dealers will display firearms.
The idea for the show grew out of talks with members of the GBPA, an organization dedicated to increasing the profitability of downtown businesses by hosting events that draw more traffic to the area.
“We want to bring people together, to create excitement and activity in the downtown area,” Zimmerman says. “We want to provide more exposure, getting people to come back in to shop, dine, spend the afternoon, spend the evening.”
One of a kind
“I live in Ligonier now, but I grew up in Greensburg, I have a lot of ties to Greensburg and I love those memories. It’s my town and I want to see it revitalized,” she says. “It’s the county seat, so it should be a hub, but I’d like to see the downtowns of all the little towns come back.”
“Malls are sort of passe now, and they don’t have the one-of-a-kind things, the stuff made here in the U.S.A., like the little specialty stores,” she adds.
Organizing the antiques show is one way of preserving the community’s shared heritage and memories, Zimmerman says.
“When people see dishes like the set that was on grandma’s table for Sunday dinner, they get an ‘I remember when’ feeling,” she says. “You see the old buildings being demolished, and their history is lost. I’m helping to preserve our past.
”I’m sort of sentimental — can you tell?”
