Find something special at new Sycamore antiques and crafts store

SYCAMORE — Dawn Riedel, owner of Something Special II in Sycamore, is one of those people that just can't sit still. Riedel's first Something Special location was an antiques and crafts store she owned and operated in Tiffin for 22 years, beginning in 1994. After retiring in 2016 and staying away for three years, Riedel will be celebrating Something Special II's grand opening Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the new store, 111 S. Sycamore Ave. "I babysat my grandchildren this summer and it was a lot of fun, but they're in school now, and I just have to be doing something," Riedel said. Riedel already owned the building the new store is located in and when the person renting the space moved out, she decided it was the right time to bring her antiques and crafts business back. "We've opened slowly since August, to work out all the kinks in the new store, but now I've started advertising and we're doing the grand opening to get some people here," she said. Nearly everything Riedel stocks in the store is made in Ohio, from Swanton's Swan Creek Candles to crafts and boutique items created by the nine local artisans who display their work for sale in the shop. These handmade and personally curated items include floral decorations and home décor items, wreaths, specialty signs, wooden crafts, farm house antiques and essential oils and balms, in addition to many seasonal decorations and trinkets. There is a boutique section in the back of the store that offers clothing, jewelry and accessories for sale, and a section of locally-made t-shirts and clothing items celebrating area schools' sports teams with logos and the like. "Many of my own antiques are in the store, also, and I work on all of the farm house décor items myself," Riedel said. At this Saturday's grand opening, Riedel said there will be door prizes and ample refreshments available for shoppers and attendees. "My girls will be bringing in some really good food to eat, and I'm going to run specials Saturday, too," Riedel said. "So people can take advantage of those discounts." Riedel and her husband Jim, who is also an avid gatherer of antiques, will bring out prized pieces from their collections for the grand opening as well. Jim will present selections from his antique kerosene lantern collection, of which he owns more than 200, and Dawn will show off her pickle castors, ornamental Victorian-era pickle containers that often feature lavish designs. Before opening the original Something Special store, Riedel owned and operated a first aid and safety business in Meridian, MS, which included running 30 full-time vans and selling emergency response first aid kits and other safety equipment. She started another first aid and safety business when she moved with her husband back to Tiffin, but after three years she decided to switch gears and follow her passion for crafting and the antique industry. "I told my daughter and son-in-law that they could have my first aid and safety business and that I was going to start a new business, which was Something Special," she said. "I knew how to go to antique shows and find things, and I had help from my sister-in-law who decorates beautifully," she said. "I also had people from the area bring in local items, and I've always tried to support the local community. Riedel is ready to connect with the community through her small business once again. "I hope a lot of people turn out Saturday, and I'm excited to see all of my old friends and get reacquainted," Riedel said. The Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Wyandot County Chamber of Commerce will also jointly host a ribbon cutting ceremony for Something Special II Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 10 a.m. Something Special II is open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. For more information, the store can be reached at (419) 927-2010.