CollectM Antiques now open in Malta

According to Forbes' Top 10 Consumer Complaints, retail is listed at number four for "False advertising and other deceptive practices, defective merchandise, problems with rebates, coupons, gift cards and gift certificates, failure to deliver."

One of the main things is defective merchandise. More often than not, these items are not assembled here, but in countries abroad. Which is probably why antiquing has hit America by storm.

"I try to keep things out of the dumps because this stuff has a lot of quality to it," Mary Shores told the PCN. "Now the stuff that is made in Japan just falls a part. The stuff we sell has been through a couple of generations already and all you have to do is come up with a way to make it fit in with your decor."

Mary Shores is owner of CollectM Antiques, a shop located 1.5 miles south of Malta. The shop reopened it's doors only a couple of weeks ago, after it's winter/spring break.

Shores' property is chock-full-of-antiques and re-purposed decorations.

Part of her hobby and passion is that Montana's history would not be lost. Her recycling ways have proven to be an art-form and her knowledge of the items and artifacts she saves is incredible and worth the trip. At least two times.

Though her gig as a store owner is not her full time job, she hopes one day that it can be and based on her opening weeks, it seems it may be.

People have come from all over Western America to see what Shores may be storing in her shop.

According to Shores last weekend's sales with the Car Show and racing traffic were a great start to the year.

Her shop includes a garage the size of an airplane hanger full of vintage and not so vintage items she has collected from estates sales held on her property. The brand of shopping is called picking, made famous by numerous shows like the History Channels American Pickers.

According to Shores customers can go in and find what they want and make offers.

"Find your treasure and bring it in to me," Shores said. "It's dirty, it's not clean. It's been brought in from estates and has sat in here."

The art of picking focuses on popular items in American and world cultures and is popular for many that enjoy the thrill of antiquing

What's in her garage is always a mystery, inside her store is another story. For those who love antiques but aren't as "hardcore" as those brave enough to go picking, her shop has it all.

Glassware, jewelry, vintage signs, furniture, statuettes, belt buckles, lighters, knives, fishing gear, books, pipes, postcards and thousand of other things exist in her store.

She also has another building on property for garden items, like wagon wheels and old gasoline pumps.

For those who collect things her store is a match made in heaven, though the initial sight can be over-stimulating.

Though the store has a lot going on Shores said that in all of her years running the eye stimulating shop, only one person has declined to enter and almost everyone who enters comes back for more.

So how does she store all these items?

It helps that Shores' Husband Randy is pretty handy because, not only does CollectM Antiques feature thousands of items, it features many re-purposed shelves and stands that hold the for sale items.

"He makes these really cool things," Shores said. "If I get an idea, I can say this is what I want."

Rand Shores, owner of Randy's Machine Shop, gladly obliges.

Some of Shores' re-creations have to be seen to be believed, for example he fashioned a shelve out of a bed frame. He also re-purposed wooden crates to hoist vintage decor.

"Since Pinterest has been around, there has been a big drive for re-purposing stuff," Shores told the PCN. "I'm getting a lot of the younger generations in and it helps them learn antiquing as well as re-purposing. They pick up some things that they wouldn't normally pick up.

CollectM Antiques features an Art-Deco-Art Nouveau room which features antiques dedicated to the time, around 1900, when mass production of print-making was starting.

It was also a time that ceramics, jewelry and furniture took off. Art Nouveau wasn't only a French art revolution, it was a world art revolution.

So how did Shores get into antiquing?

"When I was a child, my mom would take me around to every flea market and estate sale," said Shores, who is a native to Northern California. "We lived by a scrapyard... She would kick us outside all day and we would make games and try and figure out what we can do with things. That was the start."

Her mother was all about antiques and showed her and her eight siblings about American history and culture.

When Shores moved to Malta 20 years ago she was going through a divorce and did daycare.

"At night I would work and get Levi jeans at the thrift store for 25 cents," she told the PCN. "I'd bring them in and sell them online."

Then it clicked.

Before the days of Amazon.com and Itunes, Shores' CollectM Antiques was a popular name. She was an online seller before it was over-populated with sellers, like it is today.

"That's how I survived, by selling on-line," she said. "That was back when the internet was new and there were a lot of buyers and not sellers."

Her old building was up in Hillcrest, but it didn't yield many customers due to location in a residential area.

"When I married Randy and moved out here, he said 'do whatever you want and I'll support you,'" Shores said.

Immediately Mary replied that she really loved to create. Since then the Shores duo has been creating many masterpieces

"Any job that you can just come out and work in the morning and the next time you look up and it's dark, and you think what happened to the day, it's exciting. This is what I love, it's like playing house to me," said Shores.

In addiction to beautiful handmade antiques, Shores has plenty of miscellaneous collectibles ranging from Coca-Cola products to genuine Vietnam Meals Ready to Eat and vintage signs.

The store also has "Maltacana" or items that are particular to Malta's rich history, including items from all over Eastern Montana.

Walking in her store is reminiscent of a walking through time.

When is the last time you saw a Western Electric Crank Telephone or Magic Chef Oven?

Shores re-ups on items every once in a while and her storage enables her to bring out new and exciting items almost everyday.

If you don't see an item at the store, simply make a request, CollectM Antiques may have it or will find it quick.

Barters are welcome as well as credit or debit.

The store hours are 9:00 a.m. To 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

For more information call Shores at: (406) 654-2646 Email: [email protected] Facebook: CollectM Antiques