New antique store brings rustic charm to Warsaw

WARSAW — A new antique store opened this month in downtown Warsaw. Hen & Houndstooth Antiques and Collectibles takes over a former grocery at 114 N. Front Street. A large window display with their houndstooth-framed logo on the glass and a houndstooth rug greet guests outside the antique white double doors leading into the business. Inside, two rooms are filled with an eclectic mix of wares from books and china to furniture and metalwork. Everything has a rustic European feel, like lithograph prints of a Quebec seaside village or pottery with scenes of Asia. “I wanted to be a crusty, old British shop that felt like it’s been here for decades, and I think I’m on my way,” owner MaryBeth DeTuro said of the store’s style.

Husband and wife team, MaryBeth and Michael DeTuro, share a love of old things. They moved into the area almost three years ago when they fell in love with and bought a 113-year-old house on E. Hill Street. MaryBeth decorates their home in antiques. “(What you see in the store) is how I style my home; this is an extension of my house,” MaryBeth says.

The houndstooth branding and the name were just MaryBeth’s way of making the store something uniquely her own. “I’ve been attracted to old quirky things, antiques, and furniture in general. I’ve always had this passion for decorating and redecorating even when I was little and didn’t understand it,” MaryBeth recalled. MaryBeth worked as an interior designer for years for a company in California, then for 10 years at Thomasville Furniture in Raleigh.

About a year ago, she admitted she would really like to own an antique shop. The dream became a reality because of the help and encouragement of her husband.

“When we moved here, there were a lot of vacant buildings. We decided to put some money back into the community by buying some real estate and converting it into a store,” MaryBeth said. Michael jokes that he is “just the underpaid, hired help,” but his assistance is so much more than that. “He handles all the business part of it, and I get to do all the pretty parts,” MaryBeth explained. Together, they enjoy sourcing auctions and estate sales to stock their store. If a customer is looking for something specific, a note is pinned to a board behind the shop’s desk with their name and the item for the DeTuros to “keep an eye out” for it. “We try to keep a (steady flow) of new stuff coming in several times a month, and we are always looking,” MaryBeth said.

Every item in the store has a story and coding on the tags helps MaryBeth remember each one of them. MaryBeth enjoys learning the history of things and sharing them with others. “It makes me happy that it’s going some place good and somebody else likes it just as much as I did,” MaryBeth says of selling her wares.

The DeTuros grew up across the street from each other in Long Island, N.Y. They dated as teens, then he joined the military and they went their separate ways. “He got married. I got married. We lost touch with each other for decades… Things changed, and we reconnected. He was in California, and I was in Long Island at that time. We got back together and we’ve been married over 20 years now,” MaryBeth recalled with a smile. “It was one of those meant-to-be things; I never forgot him, he never forgot me. You just never know what’s going to happen.”

Warsaw has been very welcoming to the new store, and customers have come in from all over eastern NC to purchase wares posted online. “People come in and ask about what else Warsaw has to offer,” MaryBeth says. “I would love to see this whole town come back to life. Maybe doing this will make others think they should bring their business here too.”