Casa Chic offers a little something for everybody

Editor's note: Re4aders met Jared Harr in the Friday edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News. Here is is first story; we sent him downtown to see what he could find.

Casa Chic is a marketplace built in the community of Wapakoneta. The building consists of three floors — a main floor, upstairs, and a basement — filled to the brim with unique items for sale. There is something for and from everyone.

Casa Chic carries a large variety of items including home decor,

hand-painted furniture, antiques, clothing, stained glass, and much more.

“It’s all encompassing” states Lynn Skaggs, who owns the business with her husband, Todd.

Each floor has multiple stalls furnished with cared-for creations. Each stall is rented by different artists called “vendors” and are usually updated weekly with new

items the vendor has acquired or re-tailored.

Updated booths are what bring shoppers back to the store. Skaggs said regulars develop a love for a specific artist’s work, which keeps them coming back week after week to see what new items their favorite artist has put up for sale.

The variety brings people of all interests in, but the welcoming atmosphere and friendly owners keep customers coming back. This

has been a staple for the store previous owners, Lynn’s mother and aunt, have strived to maintain, and the sisters are still with them as vendors. The goal of the establishment has always been to create a

space where people could browse in a relaxed atmosphere. Furthering that “little bit of everything”

mantra the store seems to hold, there is a balance of items that come from local artists, and pieces that are bought and repurposed.

Casa Chic is a collaboration of 30 people.

“It takes that many people to run it,” Skaggs said.

Their vendors bring in items sourced from both inside the community and out. Casa Chic prides itself on its variety. No two stalls are exactly the same. It’s friendly

environment extends beyond the customers and to the vendors themselves. The owners make sure no vendors have to compete with

each other. The vendors always build each other up.

When asked about the top selling items, Skaggs said the clothes and furniture are usually the most popular. For the clothing, the store offers sizes to fit a wide variety of

people, with fun designs and styles that are “100% Casa Chic.”

As Skaggs describes, the store is unlike traditional furniture stores. In those places, customers could be left waiting weeks until their desired item on the showroom floor is available to take home. But Casa Chic is cash and carry. Clients can leave with an item the second it

catches his or her eye. The store is designed to make items not only

easy to find, such as pottery, but works of similar interests will be

placed nearby to prompt exploration outside of the norm. This may lead customer to finding something

new to enjoy. Using the pottery example, there might be a stall of

stained window works placed right next door, which may interest those who like pottery.

So, when did Casa Chic really begin? The business was built here in Wapakoneta. Casa Chic originally

opened in 2004 on the east side of Auglaize Street. The business initially was a single storefront. But it didn’t take long before the business

outgrew two, three, and four storefronts. Landa and Laura, the original owners, realized that they needed a place of their own, and were lucky to learn Mike’s Appliances, that had recently moved into the old Galaxy Furniture building, were retiring. The owners of Mike’s took a chance on the consignment

business. They completed a one year trial period where the stars finished aligning. Casa Chic moved

into the location back in in 2010, and is still there to this day.

Skaggs states she is “Really really blessed’ to be an a downtown with such vibrancy.

After a while, Landa and Lora decided to hand over the business to Lynn and her husband Todd in order to pursue other creative avenues. The couple run the business themselves at present. Before taking over Casa Chic, Lynn was the Veterans Service officer for Auglaize County and Todd was an inspector for an engineering firm. The couple, both service veterans,

now have four boys and all live on a farm. Transitioning from such physically demanding, labor-intensive jobs to being creative entrepreneurs has been a big change for them. But it’s one that changed their lives in the best of ways.

Todd also runs his own personal Youtube channel called “In and Around the Casa.” This channel documents the work he and Lynn do while restoring and repurposing items and about different things going on in the community, such as

business tours, the Rock Garden and other community event.

The business today has 35 stalls total all filled with iitems from the creative vendors. Each vender, and

stall, offers its own unique take on home decor, pottery, stained glass, clothing, and all the other items Casa Chic sells. There are no employees per say at the store. The

owners man the cash register, and vendors are responsible for keeping their collections updated.

Not only is the wide variety of items being sold unique in and of itself, there are also hand-crafted works that you can only find at

Casa Chic. Visitors will find custom stained glass pieces, handpainted furniture, and hand-painted signs. One aspect of the store that may stick out to newcomers,

especially those from out of town, is the stall completely dedicated to “First Man on the Moon” artwork and memorabilia. They are carried

by the “First on the Moon committee” and keep Casa Chic stocked with their products. A few of these

items are so exclusive that not even the Neil Armstrong Museum carries them. Not only that, but Casa Chic is so well respected in the community, that the Neil Armstrong Museum staff recommend shopping at Casa Chic for extra memorabilia.

When asked about what items are new to the store that customers might be interested in, Lynn said that was a hard question to answer.

“There is always something coming in that’s new and interesting,” she said.

But the piece that Skaggs ended up presenting in response was a beautifully hand-painted welcome

sign that had a gnome on it. The gnome had wooden clogs, long

straight legs, and comically large beard, nose, and curly hat. What’s

even more interesting is that the back was also completely painted. Except for one major difference. The character design, and indeed the entire back of the sign, was retailored to fit the Halloween season,

making it more versatile as well as visually striking. It was another work by the original owners, Landa and Laura.

Looking forward, the business is looking to continue raising the bar

in its quality and uniqueness. Branching out even further into the community to offer one of a kind pieces that can only found not just in the Wapak area, but Casa Chick itself. Todd and Lynn have big goals for the following years —

some as simple as keeping up the positive environment for both vendor and buyers, others as big as a fashion show. Rain or shine, Casa Chic is one of the best places around to find some piece of art that speaks to you. Not matter who you are, there is a high chance you’ll leave the store with something special. The business is open seven days a

week.