Rivers Edge Antiques and Collectibles, located at 238 Second Street in St. Marys, is now open for business, Tuesday through Saturday, from 1 to 7 p.m. (Photo Provided)

ST MARYS — St. Marys is now home to a new unique business, Rivers Edge Antiques and Collectibles, broadening the town’s association with tourism.

The establishment has a little bit of everything to offer the public, including a marketplace, which will specialize in antiques and collectibles, a comedy club that already has an act booked, to perform in January, and will even be offering bus tours that highlight the town’s history and charm.

Brenda and Tim Henry have purchased the historic Barron mansion, which will be their permanent residence, and the couple say that they are “nearly finished with the renovations for the home.”

Rivers Edge Antiques and Collectibles is located at 338 Second St. in St. Marys, comprised of three stories, with a total of 16,000 square feet that will be utilized to feature a marketplace on the first two floors dedicated to antiques and space which various vendors can lease on a month to month basis and the third floor will showcase a variety of entertainment, such as murder mystery themed dinners, as well as a comedy club.

“We have already booked a comedian by the name of Bill Biden, who will be performing in January of 2023, and ticket sales for the event will be available for purchase beginning in November,” Henry said. “It’s pretty exciting!”

Brenda and Tim Henry are the owners of Rivers Edge Antiques and Collectibles and are excited to bring their business to St. Marys. (Photo Provided)

Henry also noted, “The first floor of the building will include a customized 1950’s style ice cream and soda shop, which will reflect the nostalgia of that era and offer customers a tasty treat.”

The couple touched on their childhood, “Tim and I each had mothers who collected antiques,” said Brenda, “which led to the idea of us opening our own business, centered around antiques and collectibles, and after careful consideration, that idea eventually brought us here to open our shop. We previously lived in Columbus, where I eventually retired as a nurse and Tim is a retired business owner.”

Brenda also shared how welcoming the community of St. Marys has been to her and her husband, “The entire community, including St. Marys City Council, St. Marys Chamber of Commerce, as well as many of the other local businesses and shops, have all been extremely supportive of our shop and our ideas.”

One such idea was to implement bus tours for the city of St. Marys.

“We went to a trade show in Cleveland, where Tim gave a presentation about the bus tours in St. Marys, explaining that the town is such a neat, historic place, with a train track running through the center, located right on the Ohio River, where one can view the sternwheelers and barges and he really blew the socks off of the audience,” Brenda said.

Rivers Edge Antiques and Collectibles, located at 238 Second Street in St. Marys, is now open for business, Tuesday through Saturday, from 1 to 7 p.m. (Photo Provided)

“We now have several bookings with Great Day Tours, and so much interest in tour buses coming to town, and now we are just coordinating with the other businesses to finalize the details so we can be prepared when we receive the tour dates.”

The shop will also offer experiences during holidays and special events. Expect to see horse drawn carriage rides, carolers, cookie exchanges and more to come during the Christmas season.

“We want to bring back the old charm to the St. Marys area,” Brenda said.

“This is a great opportunity for us to do something we both truly enjoy.”

The grand opening of Rivers Edge Antiques and Collectibles was held Oct. 8.

Rivers Edge Antiques and Collectibles, located at 238 Second Street in St. Marys, is now open for business, Tuesday through Saturday, from 1 to 7 p.m. (Photo Provided)

“We saw well over 500 people in attendance and are very pleased with the response of the public being a part of our grand opening, and hoped everyone had a good time,” Brenda said.

“We set up a petting zoo that featured pony rides for the kids, with the help of Gab and Goats, a Marietta-based business and we also featured food trucks, candy vendors, as well as kettle corn, all within the courtyard of the property. It looked like everyone had fun!”

The shops hours of operation will be Tuesday-Saturday, from 1-7 p.m. Vendors who are interested in renting a space at Rivers Edge can call 304-299-4697.

Maria Rutherford can be reached at mrutherford@newsandsentinel.com