Alicia RobinsonModern and ancient have collided to...

Alicia Robinson

Modern and ancient have collided to rejuvenate an out-of-the-way mall

on 17th Street with the opening of an edgy new store.

Interior designers Richard Thompson and Oonagh Serna just opened

Anthom, a home furnishings and products store, in what used to be

called “Antique Row” behind the Harp Inn.

Anthom carries an eclectic mix of products such as furniture from

China, handbags and rugs made of woven vinyl, herbal tonics and tea

drinks mixed in the store and soy candles. One of the most unusual

items in the store is a line of scented sprays in fragrances

including vinyl, mildew and “wet garden.”

“I think that people think contemporary is all about glass and

steel and funky shapes, but we’re not like that at all,” Thompson

said.

They plan to change the look of the store every three or four

months, and they have the experience to do it. Serna used to design

store window displays and decorate model homes, and Thompson got into

designing after friends saw his house and asked him to decorate

theirs. The two have had an interior design business together for

about a year, but the retail store is new.

The store drew a big crowd for a grand opening earlier this month,

and since then there has been a lot of interest, said Richard Doyle,

who manages the shopping center.

The strip mall was built in the 1950s as a motel, but over the

years it’s included a mix of businesses that at times have been about

80% antique shops, Doyle said. He recently changed the center’s name

to “The Row” to reflect its current broader offerings.

Next door to Anthom is a different world. There’s not a whiff of

the modern in Sarah Whitcomb Antiques & Restoration, which is filled

with glass-fronted cabinets filled with flowered china and a shelf of

glittering brooches and other jewelry.

But the contrast hasn’t put off other store owners in the center.

In fact, they’re excited about their new neighbor.

Sharon Henegar, who owns Sarah Whitcomb Antiques & Restoration,

said she expects the new store to help the whole center by bringing

in a new segment of the furniture market.

“I think our stores are going to be compatible in that we’re going

to be able to work together to serve a wide variety of customers,”

she said.

Bill Darling, who owns the Newport Frame Co. a few doors down,

agreed with Henegar that Anthom is a complement to its neighbors.

“They’ve got nice stuff, and they’re generating a lot of interest

in the strip center for us,” he said.

The antique stores are welcoming modern furnishings, so perhaps

customers should be as open-minded about the mildew spray.

“If we sprayed it before telling them what it was, they almost

always liked it,” Thompson said.