Family on 3rd Street

Guest Article by Amy Hall, owner of McMinnville Antiques Mall

I was not born here, but I have created a real family here…

Growing up in Texas surrounded by extended family, I had a huge social network of family and friends. Upon moving to Oregon 31 years ago that support system vanished. I moved to Lafayette in 2002 to raise my own family…but I was not whole.

In 2014 I became a local vendor at the McMinnville Antiques Mall downtown on 3rd street and shortly thereafter became a store volunteer. As time passed and my little vintage & antiques booth began to take off I volunteered more and more of my time, becoming part of the mall’s vendor family. The store expanded in late 2017 taking on more space and more room for vendors on the waiting list.

A few months later my husband and I were blessed with the opportunity to become the new owners of the antiques mall as a whole. While I loved being part of the business early on, given the opportunity to grow the store and meet and lead new vendors and volunteers has restored to me that vast supportive social network in my life I had been missing since 1989! 

McMinnville Antiques Mall LLC is blessed to house over 50 local business people in our store, many of whom also volunteer their time to help run things from day to day. It is not just a hobby anymore, or just a volunteer opportunity to me, the store is a haven to myself and most of the vendors as well. When you visit us to shop, you can feel assured the people there are volunteering their time because they too love the store’s vendor family. I truly value each vendor’s positive presence in the store, and in my life. Deep friendships have been created here among these fun and talented entrepreneurs, ensuring that as my children are now grown, I will not be without a family to call my own…that is where my smile comes from….