The ribbon was cut and the opening was grand

ELIZABETHTOWN – The People’s Emporium packed up, cleaned up and organized in a very short time, making the move from a downtown leasing situation to 408 W. Broad Street in Elizabethtown where they own their own building and room to grow.

Once nestled in the heart of downtown E-town was a shop that tested the limits of eclectic. It continues to do that today – but from the different location.

I believe it was Horace Greely “Go West…” Somewhere along the way Dwayne and Mary Miller must have heeded the word as they packed up the eclectically fashioned wagon train and took their wares westward.

“Moving a house is one thing, but moving a business with all your inventory is another,” Dwayne Miller said. “It came with cleaning and painting and building this and building that. So, it’s been a process, but it’s a labor of love. We couldn’t be prouder to have our business right here in Elizabethtown – alongside a lot of other great businesses.”

Actually, the trip wasn’t that long as far as miles go – in fact, it is just about 0.2 miles. Instead of renting a space, they now own their own building with a possibility of one day utilizing the attic, two lots and a cool outbuilding that will be remodeled into an Dwayne’s woodworking shop. Presently the house has 1500 square feet not counting the attic or the outbuilding.

“Terri (Maria), who owned the mermaid castle went out of business,” Mary Miller said. “Our employee sent me a message telling me the building was for sale. So, we came over here and we looked at it and we knew that the possibilities are much better than where we were. The parking will be better, we’ll be able to hold festivals or activities or food trucks or birthday parties or whatever in the (vacant) back lot.”

The Elizabethtown-White Lake Chamber of Commerce came to hold a ribbon cutting commemorating the grand “reopening” of the business and with the snacks and charcuteries and fudge and fellowship, nobody wanted to leave.

The place just feels like home. And it’s a good fit for the Millers.

The trade-off for ownership was a no-brainer for the Millers.

“We are a lot freer now that we own versus having a landlord,” Dwayne Miller said.

The couple who had been pursuing a liquor license in the downtown area encountered some snags and they are still trying to get their license at this more urban area.

“We have plans to have a weekly food truck,” she said. “You know, just having food trucks show up on a certain day of the week. Both lots are zoned commercial so we could do whatever. We are thinking about ax throwing and all different kinds of activities that we can have back there. Since we have the land we could have big birthday parties for kids with blow-up bouncy houses, water activities. We’ve been going crazy thinking about all the things we could do.”

Not one to get their cart before the horse. The move was first and foremost on their agenda and it was brutal for them to pull all that they had from their past location and move it the few blocks to the new place. It was pickup truck load after truck load. And once they moved it, the arduous job of inventory, organizing and designing began.

Not to mention the painting -which is being done both inside and out. With the new coats of paint, the couple are truly making it their own.

“The garage in the back was going to be converted to a craft studio,” he said. “But that plan has changed a few times. Now it is the future home for my woodworking studio. We are also going to better organize our inventory by category. There are more rooms in this house instead of a big open retail space.”

According to the Millers, the smaller, broken up areas will cause shoppers to better hone their focus instead of trying to take it all in at one time which has been a bit overwhelming – kind of like an “eclectic overload.” It will be an exploratory adventure going through the rooms and finding the different themes and different treasures in each cove.

“The back is already set up with skateboards and the disc golf equipment,” she said. “The room with the fireplace will be homier and more welcoming when they first walk in. We won’t have a map to all the attractions, but each doorway to each room is large enough to have a sign as a clue as to what is through that doorway.”

The front porch, according to the Millers will be an advantage they didn’t have downtown and already paid dividends on the day of the grand opening when the throng of people were trying to get out of a driving rain.

It is a place to sit undercover on rocking chairs and perhaps sip some tea or wait for a spouse that is finding something inside that they absolutely cannot live without. It will also be a place to display perhaps signs on easels as to what to look forward to for the day or for the week.

Another great feature is that Maria left the gem mining equipment where kids can come and polish rocks and find out all it will take to exploring the makeup of the ground they walk upon every day. Dwayne points out that the gem mining station will also have running water.

“It’s going to be great,” Mary Miller said. “We are going to put two-disc golf practice baskets in the back and perhaps a barbecue area or a firepit with patio furniture. We want it to be like a place where people can come and hang out.”

“As for the upstairs attic – that’s going to be a major project and it’s probably going to be quite a bit down the road. As far as my woodworking, I am very low on inventory right now due to minding the store, packing, moving and all that. But once this is set up, I’ll be back in my shop half a day through the week and then half a day here. My inventory is going to increase and include new stuff. I’ll be making more cutting boards, I will be turning things and also making things out of resin.”

When people come in, I want them to have a happy experience,” she said. “I would like it to be more than just shopping. I want it to be a fun experience. As for the opening, all we can say is sometime in May.”

The People’s Emporium is a shop that has everything from dishcloths that never grow sour to handmade woodworking creations that will never wear out.

Emporium. It can mean many things from a center of trade to a store carrying many kinds of merchandise to a grand center of trade as a bazaar. Perhaps Fortune.com best sums up the great trading center of Elizabethtown owned by the Millers.

“Those who endure will understand that the key to success, as it was for the great emporiums of old, is building lasting relationships, customer by customer.”

Nailed it. Not only the shop itself, but the way that the Millers treat their customers. One at a time. Like family. A member of their gang.

And it’s true. Once you meet this symbiotic couple, you feel as if you’ve known them all your life.

The Millers know by the unfolding of this dream that they are right on time in the calling to open their shop and to be a ministry to Bladen County. It is still a work in progress and God himself only knows what it’s going to look like when it has come to fruition.

In the meantime, the world inside the Emporium is spinning fast and changes are happening. The dream is coming true for the Millers and their work.

The unique, the eclectic, the things made by the hands of man under the watchful eye of the creator. The shop is divine!

(More pictures on page 11)