Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

CASSOPOLIS — A new downtown Cassopolis storefront is giving its customers a peek into the past.

Cassopolis woman Theresa Slaski recently opened Past, Presents and More, a vintage shop located at 149 S. Broadway St., Cassopolis. At her shop, Slaski sells her own vintage finds, home décor and furniture, as well as items from various vendors.

“It’s almost all antiques or we try to keep it in that style,” Slaski said, sitting in a vintage armchair. “There are some great pieces here.”

A longtime collector of antiques, Slaski has been selling her finds at area antique malls and other places for several years. When the opportunity came for her to rent a space in downtown Cassopolis, she decided to take the plunge and open her own business.

“I decided it was time to start moving some of my pieces because I had so much,” she said with a laugh. “It seemed like a really good opportunity to take.”

Walking through the shop, Slaski can tell the story of any given piece in the shop — from an 1880s Austrian clock to a powder blue vase produced by a company founded in 1901.

“They just don’t make things like they used to,” she said. “I’ve always loved antiques, and they are just such well-made things. The wood carvings and things like that are just things you don’t see anymore. There is a beauty in antiques, a craftsmanship.”

Now that she has her own storefront, Slaski said she is excited to share her love of antiques with the community.

“It’s great,” she said, smiling. “I didn’t realize how fun it would be talking to people about different things. So many people have said things like, ‘my grandma used to have that.’ It’s been really fun talking to people and meeting people. Even though I’m from Cassopolis, I’ve still met a lot of people.”

Though her business is still new, Slaski hopes Past, Presents and More will be a long-time fixture in the Cassopolis community where she can share her love of antiques with her hometown.

“I just like the fact that I can keep finding new things — or old things — and bring them in,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed a lot of my pieces for a long time, so I’m happy to let other people discover them and get to enjoy them too.”

Past, Presents and More is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit the business on Facebook.