by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
New Downtown business owner, Lori Hoag, offers more than just “Needless Things” in her shop.
Hoag is the owner of the new antiques and collectibles shop called Needless Things on Monroe Street, across from the Main Library.
She said since the store opened earlier this month, most of her customers claim the name of the store is what sparked their curiosity and encouraged them to stop by to see what it’s all about.
“When people see ‘Needless Things’ out front, they wonder, ‘What is that? What do they have in there?’ ” she said.
Needless Things is small store filled with an eclectic assortment of items including everything from small glass ornaments and collectible figurines to large furniture sets. The store also sells hard-to-find used DVDs and video tapes, as well as used paperback and hardbound books.
Hoag said the customers at Needless Things range from college students searching for a vintage piece of furniture for their dorm or apartment to stay-at-home moms on a quest to find the perfect serving platter.
This is not Hoag’s first attempt at owning a business. In 2004, the former accountant had a booth at the Pecan Park Flea Market after she decided she needed a career change.
“My husband was a garage-saler and was always bringing home this stuff that I considered to be junk,” said Hoag. “I was very modern and I was used to having all of my stuff my way, and here he was bringing in all his stuff.
“But not too long after, I started to take to it, and before you knew it I was collecting things, too.”
After expanding her space at the Flea Market three times and realizing that a commercial space would be needed to accommodate her growing business, she began exploring storefronts around Jacksonville.
“I wasn’t aggressively pounding the pavement looking for places but I just kept my eyes open,” she said, adding that Downtown was her ideal location.
Hoag said she was thrilled once she found the location on Monroe Street.
“Everyone Downtown has been so helpful since I’ve been here and I couldn’t be happier,” she said.
In addition to the items on sale in the store, Hoag also designs specialty glasses that can be customized to a person’s taste. The glasses are painted as requested, then baked so they can be washed without losing color.
There are also dozens of glasses already painted that customers can choose from. Hoag said the glasses have been one of the store’s most popular items since opening.