Located in the heart of downtown DeKalb, found. Home and Vintage sells a variety of antiques for those looking for unique decor, furniture and more.
Leslie Conklin, owner of found. Home and Vintage store, has lived in DeKalb for the eight years the store has been in business.
“I’ve owned the building for 20 years. I had a different store that was more of a thrift store, 20 years ago, but then Goodwill came in and kind of knocked me out. I couldn’t compete with Goodwill because, you know, their stuff’s all free and I buy my stuff,” Conklin said. “And then somebody else ran the store for a while. I have had stores and been in retail for 35 years. So the buying, the selling, finding things that people want, it’s just what I’ve done my whole life.”
The store’s slogan is “you never know what you will find at found,” according to its website.
The store has two and a half levels including a basement, main level and a mezzanine. The store sells something for everyone, including items such as jewelry, clothes and books. The items in the store are in constant rotation.
The store’s merchandise is sourced from different methods. Sometimes, people will come into the store with items they want to sell. Other times, Conklin will go to estate sales and different markets to pick stuff up.
To Conklin, the most rewarding part of owning found. Home and Vintage is seeing people interact with the little reminders of the past.
“Just happy customers, you know, when they leave and they found something they really liked, something their mom had or something that reminded them of something in the past, because everything’s AI now and there’s old paintings and things that remind people of earlier times,” Conklin said. “So I think that the little trip down memory lane is nice.”
In addition to antiques, the store has two cats that are their mascots, named Morty and Pester. Sometimes people will go in the store just to visit the cats.
Conklin wants to work with NIU students on price to accommodate the tight college budget.
“If NIU students are coming down, always mention it, because I’ll try to work with them on price because I know students are always on a budget,” Conklin said. “So they just have to mention it. Now, I will always try to give the best price I can on whatever they’re looking at.”
found. Home and Vintage store is located at 153 E. Lincoln Highway. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. They are also available by appointment and by chance, meaning the store may be open unannounced.
