By ADAM STEWART

Staff writer

A customer went into Red Barn Antiques in Hillsboro on Dec. 22, looking for a painting of a ballerina or a princess.

Owner Shirley Krause didn’t have exactly what the customer was looking for on-hand, but she gave the customer suggestions where she might find what she was looking for.

That customer fit into one of two categories of customers Krause has seen in the store.

“They’re on a mission to buy one or two items,” she said.

Most men fit into that category, she added.

But other customers take their time and see everything the store has to offer.

“They browse until they find something that catches their fancy,” Krause said.

Krause was a regular customer of Red Barn Antiques when a previous owner operated the store in the same location.

“We had our eye on this ever since it closed about five years ago,” she said.

She and her husband, David, couldn’t afford it at that time, but pieces eventually fell into place, allowing them to buy the store and neighboring house.

They sought the previous owner’s permission to use the name Red Barn Antiques because they expected it would still have some name recognition from the store’s previous incarnation, Krause said.

They reopened Red Barn Antiques on Nov. 19. However, they have previous experience with antiques, selling in booths in Marion and Abilene.

Stocking an antique store with goods can be a time-consuming process.

“(A lot) of time is spent at auctions, estate sales, yard sales,” Krause said. “I have some people come to me, too.”

Dolls and decorative glassware are her specialties, she said, but she tries to stock something for everyone.

“Everybody has different taste,” Krause said.

Classic toys from the 1970s and 1980s are increasing in popularity, she said. Many people who grew up in those decades are becoming nostalgic for the toys of their childhood.

Red Barn Antiques is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. For more information, call (620) 947-3219.