Northglen Antiques moves, continues to celebrate Scottish heritage in Hays

Bickle has used spaces formerly used to display hot tubs to her advantage, setting them as vignettes in her new building at 2010 Vine St.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

After multiple moves during the last 17 years, Northglen Antiques hopes it has found its final home on south Vine Street in Hays.

The antique store opened Monday at its new location at 2010 Vine, moving from the former sale barn on north Vine Street north of Walmart.

The business was originally located at the corner of 43rd and Vine streets, where Wendy’s now sits. The business was in the Wiesner Building downtown until that building was sold. The business was also in Ellis for a time.

Sue McRae Bickle said she has purchased their current building and has no intention of moving again. She said she hoped the new location will increase visibility and traffic.

“Here’s what I tell people,” Bickle said. “I have had a shop downtown. I have had a shop out of town. Today, I have a shop uptown. We are now uptown.”

Right now, she is occupying about 2,500 square feet of the building, but there is more space in the rear and a second attached building that she hopes to remodel and expand into. At the downtown location, she was able to have booth space for other antique vendors and said she would love to be able to offer that again.

Bickle is seeing a renewed interest in antique books. She has a dedicated space for her collection, which is now categorized by subject, including poetry, history and military. Her oldest editions go back to the mid-1800s.

“It brought a lot of people in,” she said of vendors, “and most everybody found something.”

Bickle began her business in 2001 by importing antiques from Scotland, her family’s ancestral home. She still has many pieces from Scotland, including art, furniture, clocks and stained glass, and carries new Celtic items, such as kilts, tartans and jewelry.

Bickle is the fifth generation to live in North America. Her family came from Scotland to Canada in the middle 1800s. The family settled in Hays, when Bickle was 4. The whole business started from one family trip to Scotland with her father and siblings. She said the trip was more than a vacation, but an education. She felt the history and the land and has had a special connection to the place ever since.

“I had a strong desire to go back, and this was my way,” she said of the antique shop.

Bickle’s ancestors were Scottish, and she carries many items both new and antique from the region.

She was talking to a Scottish cab driver during one of her trips about her desire to keep coming home to Scotland, and he said, “Aye, I know. You had a bloody spiritual connection, you did.”

In the early years of the business, Bickle was traveling to Scotland twice a year and sending a couple of semi boxes of Scottish antiques back to the States. The store was known regionally for its Scottish wares.

Once she gets the store established in its new locations, Bickle said she would like to resume her trips to Scotland.

However, she has expanded into American antiques. Many local families have come to Bickle to sell estate items, including furniture, glassware and quilts.

In the front section of the building, Bickle has set up a library area with her antique books. Above the main bookcase is a painting of the ancestral clan seat, Eilean Donan Castle. The famous landmark can be found in photographs and postcards all of the world. Bickle even saw a photo of castle on a TV box in the States.

The oldest item in shop is a walnut and oak European prayer cabinet that was likely carved in the 16th century.

With the rise of the digital age, some argue the printed word is becoming obsolete. However, Bickle is seeing a renewed interest in antique books. The collection is now categorized by subject, including poetry, history, military and more. Her oldest editions go back to the mid-1800s.

Northglen’s new location on Vine used to be a pool and spa dealer. The showroom space was designed with nooks to showcase hot tubs. Bickle has used those spaces to her advantage, setting them as vignettes.

The oldest item in shop is an oak and walnut European prayer cabinet that was likely carved in the 16th century. Bickle has spent years trying to interpret the meaning of the carvings on the piece, which depicts the crucifixion of Christ. She does not know but thinks it may have been carved by unskilled monks and, based on the design, may have held the sacraments for a small community church.

The cabinet is for sale to the right buyer. Bickle said she would love to see the piece in a museum.

The store also has a painting by John C. Thorns Jr. He was the chairman of the Fort Hays State art department from 1973 to 1990. The Moss-Thorns Gallery at FHSU was named for him.

Brass candle sticks line a bureau in the front of the store.

On visiting the shop, you might also get to meet the store’s three mascots — Scotty dogs Heather May, Bonnie Bell and Bella Rae.

The shop is open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, except for Fridays when it closes at 5 p.m. The store is also open 1:30 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Bickle is 60 — a time when many people are looking forward to retirement — but she said she has no plans to retire any time soon.

“I can hear people saying, ‘She’s moving again.’ Most people are ready to retire when they hit 60, but I don’t feel like this has ever been a job. I love what I’m doing. I love the people I meet, and it’s not work. How do you retire from that?”