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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2019)
8 Wednesday, May 1, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon New owners re-open Antler Arts By Jodi Schneider Correspondent Jaimi Warren and her husband, James, residents of Alfalfa, took over the reins as the new proprietors of Antler Arts, a mainstay in Sisters since 1995, just days before the well-loved store was to close permanently. <When my cousin told me that my favorite store was going out of business, we stopped by their huge blow- out sale because we wanted a piece of history to take home,= said Warren. <My mom suggested that I offer to buy the inventory and keep the store open. I looked over at Antler Arts owner, Sharon Gladden, and she looked at me, we talked, and it happened. It9s been a dream of ours to make a sustain- able living with a store like this.= Warren, who previously owned a tanning salon on Wall Street for 16 years, grew up in Bend as a fifth-genera- tion Central Oregonian. <My family has a long history in this area, and we still have the wagon wheels that my great-great grandpar- ents used to travel over the Oregon Trail,= she said. For years, Warren and her husband drove to Sisters every Sunday after church to browse Antler Arts. <I9ve always come to Sisters to get away from it all, the town has a slower pace that I enjoy,= Warren told The Nugget. <And that store was always like Disneyland for me.= Warren grew up being the kid that had a passion for rocks, like the kind you9d find on display for sale in Antler Arts. Warren noted, <My dad, Buck Jenkins, was a rock- hound, and Oregon has the best thundereggs and pet- rified wood. That9s what brought my dad here.= At one point in time during the 1960s and 970s Jenkins and his partner owned the largest petrified wood and geode collection on the west- ern side of the U.S. Warren said, <I remember growing up with my dad9s rock cutters, polishers and turners. It was like being a kid at Christmas, because you never knew what you9d see inside a geode after he would saw it apart.= A thunderegg may be referred to as a geode if it has a hollow inside. Warren9s dad introduced her to Antler Arts decades ago, and over time Warren got to know the Gladdens. She added, <Their son Josh and son-in-law Ralle Johnson managed the store since the owners traveled a lot. And for the last 10 years it was Ralle. We would come to the store, visit and chat.= One of the things that attracted Warren to the unique store is its diversification. There are <one-of- a-kind= finds; everything from a $1 purchase up to a stunning handcrafted elk chandelier. <I love the décor in the store; they had put a lot of hard work into the build- ing to give it the right rustic look, so that when you walk in, you feel like you9re walk- ing back into time like in an old Western town,= Warren said. <And we9re not taking any of that away. What we9ve done is given the store a bit of a facelift. New carpeting etc. We took everything out and we sanded, stained and polished.= Warren said that the charm of Antler Arts in Sisters is that the locals love it, too. <The inventory changes on a weekly basis and we believe in recycle, repur- pose and reuse. So if we find something at an estate sale that we think somebody would love, we grab it up.= The Warrens focus on Oregon-made items for the store. They feature hand- crafted items primarily from Central Oregon. She noted that they will be selling their own items but will also have artifacts on consignment. <We have two artisans that have been creating antler art for over 40 years, and every- thing will be integrated into one big store.= Wa r r e n a d d e d , < F o r the last three years I9ve researched my family from North Dakota and found out we originated from the Lakota Sioux Blackfoot tribe.= (Blackfoot Sioux is a division of the Lakota people, distinct from the Blackfeet Nation). The Warrens have an entire area that will have handmade authentic Native American crafts. Antler Arts will be a blend of the old Western and native American. Jaimi is also an artist and crafts dreamcatchers, and will be creating dreamcatch- ers for sale in their store. She will also be displaying her father9s favorite piece, an amethyst geode, and will have petrified wood and geodes for sale. <I am so blessed with our relationship with the own- ers, they have given us all their inventory and have paved the way for us,= said Warren. <They have been so Not Using Your RV? Want it Sold? CONSIGNMENTS WANTED! to Cons i gn V ★ We arrange financing! S N O S A E R ★ We certify the RV as sound 9 R ith Larr y’s Your RV w with a full systems check! ★ No waiting by the phone! ★ RV is shown at our lot, ★ We advertise for you! not at your home! ★ We help you set a price! ★ We have excellent ★ No missed appointments! Highway 97 exposure! See our complete inventory online at www.larrysrv.com Call 541-923-4564 3000 S. Hwy. 97 in Redmond Meet the New Owners! Come Experience Our Unique Rustic, Western & Native American Decor Selection Today! L IGHTING • F URNITURE • A NTIQUES • G IFTS • J EWELRY W ESTERN A RT • A NTLER D OG C HEWS , T OO ! NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK, 10 A.M. TO 6 P.M. 541-549-4251 | 311 E. CASCADE AVE. | SISTERSANTLERARTS.COM PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER Jaimi Warren kept her favorite store in Sisters open and operating. helpful and are like family to us.= Antler Arts is located at 311 E. Cascade Ave., and will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.