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NILES — Cat Dobecki remembers her first time as an antique vendor like it was yesterday.

“My first booth was the size of a closet,” she recalled.

Seven years and dozens of shows later, Dobecki is gearing up for the grand opening of her new storefront, Homestory Vintage, 218 N. Front St.,  Niles, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Homestory Vintage carries what Dobecki describes as curated antiques and quality vintage for the modern home. 

“We carry everything in here,” she said. “Everything is vintage, modern, antiques, mid-century. We encompass quite a few different styles here.”

Similar to a pop-up market, Homestyle Vintage will be open five days per month, with each month featuring new items curated by Dobecki, herself.

“It’s a new shopping experience every time,” she said. “It’s not your traditional antique mall shopping experience; We sell pieces that have a story. What we put into the home are things that connect with customers, whether you’re adding character to your home or looking for a standout piece.”

November Market hours are:

Wed., Nov. 2 – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thurs., Nov. 3 – 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 4 – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 5 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 6 – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Homestory Vintage will also be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26 for Small Business Saturday.

For Dobecki, Homestory Vintage is a dream realized. After moving to Niles four years ago and navigating the COVID pandemic as a vendor, she felt the time was right to open her own location.

“We kind of just decided that to put more roots down in the community and the opportunity actually opened up for this space and it has been something that I’ve been looking for,” Dobecki said. “It has a cool industrial vibe and it’s in a nice location so it all worked out. I decided that I couldn’t sit around and keep waiting to make this dream happen, so we’re doing it.”

Dobecki said that both longtime customers and Niles community members alike are looking forward to her business opening up.

“We have a lot of great customers who aren’t necessarily local and there are a lot of them like we’re coming to support you which has been awesome,” she said. “We’re hoping for a great turnout; I want this to be that fun place people want to come and bring their friends to shop. If you’re an interior designer, if you’re staging Airbnbs or if you have a new home and you’re looking for something cool, they’ll know they can come here during that market and find something that they love.”