Ellen Campbell has always been a collector.

Growing up, Campbell's choice of collection was bone china teacups, but that was just one collection amongst many.

Campbell's love of collecting sent her to different kinds of consignment and thrift stores, including Your Sister's Closet, a used clothing store on the Square.

It was these visits to that store that led Campbell to learn about Trading Spaces, the consignment store next to Your Sister's Closet.

The idea of a consignment store proved a natural fit for Campbell, as her love of collecting had spread to her children to become avid collectors. The attic at their home had become a collection room of sorts.
Maggie's Attic is named after Campbell's 10-year-old daughter, whom she considers as the biggest collector she knows.

"Maggie collects everything from dolls to rubber balls to key chains," Campbell said. "She collects it all. She still has all the Valentine's cards she got from kindergarten."
"Anything his sister does, he wants to do it too," Campbell said. "So he collects anything that has four wheels."

Like their attic, the consignment store carries a collection of household items and décor, which ranges from furniture, photo frames and mirrors to china, teapots and radio cabinets. The store also carries a specialty line of bath salts and potpourri, along with featured works from local artists such as handmade jewelry, portraits and landscape paintings and hand-painted signs.

"As we continue to grow, I want to be able to find items that are in high demand - for example, saddles are very popular and I don't know why," Campbell said. "This way people can come here and get what they're looking for. And sometimes, they could find something just off-the-wall."

Each Monday, the store offers a 20 percent discount on all products, with the exception of works from local artists.

Not just anything can be up for consignment, Campbell said. When a client brings in an item for consignment, a price is assigned to it based on its quality, condition and market demand. The sale of the item is split 60-40, with the larger percentage allotted to the business.

And not everything in the store is provided by consignors. Campbell regularly visits auctions and state sales
for goods as well.

With her children growing up as avid collectors, Campbell has slowed her collecting over the years.

"I now limit my collecting to what I can sell at the store," Campbell laughed. "Especially now that my children are collecting, I've become a person who clears things out."

But every now and then, the itch to collect is hard to resist.

"I still like to collect shoes, purses and clothes," she added. "A girl can't give that up."