The History of Jack’s Antiques
Jacks Antiques opened its doors in 1946 by Jack and Shirley Mitts. They remodelled the two Victorian buildings dating from 1900, into one large showroom and kept the integrity of the exteriors mostly original, adding large windows and ornament. Jack grew up in a family that had an antique business in St. Louis and was immersed in the history of what makes each item unique and special. He learned from an early age about running a business and had an eye to differentiate pieces that were of value and rare, as well as what buyers were interested in. Jack was in the Navy during WWII and once the war over, Jack had no desire to do anything else but work in an antique business.
Shirley married into Jack’s family of antique dealers in 1944. They decided to start an antique business together, but Shirley requested one thing from Jack. She said, “I want to work with you, not for you.” Well they made a great team and began growing a successful business. Shirley learned about the antiques trade from Jack, and the knowledge developed over the decades. Jack was a great teacher and he was happy that she was learning about his passion.
Many knowledgeable and interesting customers enriched the shop which made the business exciting and just plain fun. Gathering and finding one of a kind, authentic objects contributed and encouraged a passion to collect and enrich a home with beautiful and useful objects. Shirley thoroughly enjoyed the process of being involved in the antique store and its many challenging layers.
During the early years of the business, Jack got most of their sellable items from a store down the street, as well as friendly customers calling with items to sell. These customers became lifelong friends and continued to visit the store over the years. Shirley states that Jack, “built a community.” Jack educated his customers and helped them build great collections of their own. This was one aspect of the business Shirley enjoyed. She loved learning not only about people, but their knowledge and passion about a specific type of antiques. Jack and Shirley and their inventory created a unique shop with hard to find items all in one spot.
Jack and Shirley worked together for 35 years until Jack's passing. After that, their daughter, Nancy, stepped in and has worked with her mom ever since. The new duo knew enough to keep the business running and wanted to continue Jack's legacy. At a young age, Nancy had gone to a plethora of house calls with her father and learned how to pick out items to display in the store. She loved watching her father talk about the items with a kind, business mindset. Nancy has a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree from the University of California at Berkeley, majoring in the History of Art. She continued her education through museum programs on the East Coast and also received multiple appraising certificates. After Jack passed, the Mother and Daughter team took pride in being the Purveyors of the unique, hard to find but practical merchandise.
Currently, Jack’s Antiques continues to thrive in the same location. It’s satisfying to find pieces of history and then see these treasures placed in homes to be used and admired for another generation. Our collection is hand picked and has been our joy and our life over three quarters of a century.