Treasures of the past offered at new shop

Ormond Beach Observer
Business

Everyone hopes to find a treasure, and it seems possible when walking into the new shop on North U.S. 1. Neatly arranged vintage décor, collectibles, art and antiques beckon the shopper at Fran’s Interior Treasures, 1439 U.S. 1, Suite A-5, in the MBA Plaza.

Owners Fran and Mel Cliff, residents of Plantation Bay, have collected the treasures since the early 2000s at estate sales throughout Central Florida, operating five booths in antique malls. Now, they have consolidated the entire collection in new Ormond Beach location. Making the search easier, the shop is arranged in “rooms” including a parlor, children’s area, and dining room.

At estate sales, the couple looked for that special item.

“Over in the corner, we’d see stained glass, or a crystal lamp, something someone cherished,” Fran Cliff said. “The antiques and collectibles in our shop were someone’s treasure from yesteryear. Our mission is to preserve these treasures and to share some of our past.”

She explained that people retire to Florida and decorate the house with tropical décor, but often there is something they don’t want to part with.

“Now the person who buys it will have a treasure,” she said. “They can take something special into their homes and pass on to their children.”

She researches the items and writes information on a tag so the buyer knows about the history.

She said when shoppers sort through the vintage china, crystal, furniture, lamps or dolls they are often reminded of their own past, saying their grandmother used to have a certain item, for example.

Cliff has always been a collector, starting with cherubs, birds and art. Her mother was an artist, and her father often took her to art museums in the Philadelphia area where she was raised. Her husband, Mel, studied humanities and history in college.

They’ve had careers other than collecting. She was in marketing and publishing, and he still works as a software engineer.

They own the space in the MBA Plaza, saying it’s an investment, and they wanted to get away from paying rent and commissions. They are pleased with their location, pointing out a nearby nail spa and Italian restaurant that bring traffic.

They worked on remodeling the space and arranging merchandise since last summer.

“We’re proud of our shop,” Cliff said.

Email [email protected].

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