ACWORTH, Ga. — A popular Acworth antique shop that was forced to relocate has now found a new spot. Back in June, the owners of what was then called Two LiRu Antiques & Decor said the landlord evicted them with 60 days' notice to make space for a multi-purpose building.
Now, it's got a new name and a new space -- not entirely by choice, according to owners Lisa Mack and Ryan Blankenberger.
"We miss everything that was, and now we're looking forward to everything is is going to be," Mack said.
They were forced to move out of a 10,000-square-foot location in the heart of Main Street, where they had been located for 10 years. They were able to find a spot down the road, consolidating all their special gems into a 1,700-square-foot location that was formerly a salon.
"There was a wall here, we took out the sinks, replaced tile, replaced the ceilings, I did all the paint," Blankenberger recalled.
Their hip antique store is now called Acworth Vintage and Vinyl. They made it through the pandemic, and now, they’re surviving that eviction.
"It was pretty horrible, to be honest," Mack said. "We’re still not really over it. We did a lot of growing there and I really felt like we were bringing something to the community, and we’re hearing all the time people say there’s hardly any traffic down there because we do believe we’re bringing business to the city."
Back in June, they say they were given a sixty days notice to move out in order to build a multi-purpose building instead. Twenty percent of their memorabilia, vinyl records, clothing, jewelry, coins, etc., were able to make it inside the new building, with the rest waiting in storage.
They said they're looking for a potential second spot in Acworth.
“We both worked here before we moved here, so we have embraced it as our home," Mack added. "Honestly, it was sad. The departure was very sad for us. We put our blood, sweat, and tears into that. But we’ll do no less here. Doesn’t matter how big or small it is. We’re excited to be amongst our community and do good stuff”
Their old location sits empty right now and appears to be getting remodeled inside. While they lost the old space, they gained new customers.
Mack and Blankenberger hope these customers will spread the word and take advantage of their Christmas sales and live bands some weekends, including this one.
"It’ll be about five or six local bands," Blankenberger said. "We’re going to be out in the parking lot. I think this is a great new chapter for us and for Acworth."
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