March 23, 2009

Business owners set out on a new adventure

By Roy Mitchell

CENTRE — For 18 years, Sandra Beason rarely left her home in Cedar Bluff. She was occupied day and night tending to her ailing mother. Following a serious car accident and, later, the onset of Alzheimer's disease, Beason's mother required round-the-clock care.

Beason's mother passed away in 2005. The following summer, Beason opened an antique store in the Cherokee Plaza in Centre.

“It was more or less out of necessity to work out the grief,” she said.

Now, less than three years after opening Finders Keepers, Beason is closing her doors for good. Saturday was the last day for Beason's business; there are no plans to relocate.

A business closing amidst the backdrop of this nation's perilous economy may come as no surprise. But one gets the sense from Beason that the closing of Finders Keepers is less of an end than a beginning.

“God doesn't close a door without opening another one,” she said.

So Beason is leaving her antiques behind in search of another purpose, one created by a higher calling.

“For years I'd go to the nursing home dressed like Raggedy Ann,” she said. “It was like a ministry. I would like to start doing that again.”

Beason believes her years of caring for her mother were a part of the same calling.

“Taking care of my mother was a job God gave me.”

Along with the antique store, Beason also operated Angel's Closet, a clearinghouse of free items for the needy. Now, with the business closing, she's considering taking her skills for compassion across state lines.

“I want to take mission trips to places like Kentucky, giving clothes to miners,” she said. “I hear that's a real need.”

Even though Beason sees the world as a glass half full, some of her steady customers have had a more emotional reaction than she envisioned.

“The hardest part is people who come into the store who start crying, literally crying,” she said. “I never thought about saying goodbye to my customers. It's become more like leaving a family, not a business.”

“There really was something for everyone, from used books, to floral arrangements, to jewelry,” said customer Sarah Benefield of Centre. “It seems like every time I went in there, I found something I wanted.”

Beason and her husband, Elton, moved to the Cedar Bluff vicinity from Fort Payne in 1987. At one point, Elton owned and operated three local businesses. The family purchased flea market/antique items and set up shop at one of the sites on the weekends. Though the enterprise didn't last, the Beasons continued to collect antiques. From these purchases, Elton, an avid fisherman, grew a collection of antique fishing lures.

Beason estimates that Finders Keepers held approximately 30 vendors at a time. She can't even begin to recall how many total sellers she's had since the doors first opened.

While flea market/antique type venues may gravitate toward a junky appearance, Beason prided herself in her store's organization and product quality.

“I wouldn't let vendors bring just yard sale junk in there,” she said.

Since announcing the closing, Beason has encouraged her vendors to find other venues for their antique items. She has been encouraged by several told her they would follow her if she re-opened.

“I have had some wonderful vendors, truly wonderful,” she said.

Not only is Beason grateful to her vendors, she also is overwhelmingly appreciative of her customers.

“I would like to thank all my customers,” she said. “I have a lot of regulars that I'm sure going to miss. They've been such a joy to me.”

Beason is set to turn in her keys on March 31, exactly three years since signing her lease with Cherokee Plaza. That date allows her a scant week and a half to depart the premises. Yet, she seems to have much of the departure settled already. She has taken book donations to the Cherokee County Public Library and she gave a local church a collection of Christian books from the store.

A visit from a stranger as Beason's last week of business approached may eventually do even more to help clear out the store than any donations.

One recent Monday, Finders Keepers was closed to the public, but Beason was working in the store when she heard a knock. A man told her he had heard of her business closing, and that he would be willing to buy everything in the store that remained. Beason said she plans to take him up on the offer.

Beason said she's hopeful the extra free time will allow her to spend some time on a few favorite hobbies, too.

“Now I'd like to do some traveling and some fishing,” she said.