By Sophia Chang
The small store tucked off of Bell Boulevard's commercial strip is bursting with thousands of items covering almost every square inch of the location. Shelves are crammed with notable salt and pepper shakers, walls are covered with oil paintings. Much of the store's extensive inventory comes from the owners' personal collection.”We have a lot of this ourselves, and we occasionally go to estate sales and auctions,” Cooker said.”We have so much stuff at home,” McKenna said.A customer drawn to the store's specialties, vintage jewelry and art pieces may be tempted by all manner of other curios as well. Need a vintage Ken doll, clothing not included? Or a gleaming waffle iron from the 1940s, never used, that McKenna thinks was probably an unwelcomed wedding gift? Or a rather intimidating chalkware figurine of Mother Cabrini? The Carriage Stop has them all.And even if an item is not to be found in the store, the owners will search for particular requests during their forays for new acquisitions.”People ask us for special things and we go out and specifically look for them,” Cooker said. “Last month somebody asked for a chamber pot. We went out and found one for her.”The store has a loyal customer base from all over the city, as well as Long Island and upstate, drawn by prices that are lower than many other local antique stores, McKenna said.”Even antiques dealers from the island and upstate come here, and they always have to mark up the prices for resale,” she said. “Evidently the prices are good for dealers as well as private people.”The two met on the estate and auction circuit and discovered a mutual interest in the art of finding and acquiring antiques. Cooker, who lives in Douglaston, and McKenna, who has been in Bayside for more than 50 years, joined forces to open the Carriage Stop three years ago.Both still love the thrill of discovering a lovely item and bringing it back to the store.Cooker said his favorite piece in the store was a French bronze statue from the turn of the century, called “Girl with wheat.””I found it years ago at an auction,” he said. “It's beautifully done. The detail is phenomenal.”For McKenna, her passion lies in the store's large selection of vintage broaches, necklaces, earrings and bracelets.”I'm a big jewelry fan,” said McKenna, who was wearing a purple necklace from the former Czechoslovakia. “I look for jewelry that I like and that's not run of the mill.”Cooker said he grew up around antiques, with his grandparents bringing collectibles from Europe. McKenna's love of vintage goods was humored by a patient husband who used to shuttle her to different auctions.”I would be in the front row with my hand raised continuously,” she said. “So I accumulated all this stuff and eventually starting selling it out of my house.”Despite the store's success, the owners have no plans to change locations, preferring to stay in their intimate storefront.”People make the mistake of trying to move to a bigger store like on Bell Boulevard,” McKenna said. “We're cozy here. It's a friendly store.”Reach reporter Sophia Chang by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
