This story was originally published in The Sylva Herald, Feb. 9 edition.
Shoppers at Kel-Save Drugs can pick up prescriptions and Barbie and Ken dressed in classic Star Trek regalia in one stop.
Bob Kelley owned Kel-Save until he passed away in November 2020, leading his wife, Jeannie Kelley, to consider selling her house and downsizing.
Bob Kelley left a considerable mountain of collectibles.
After her children came and picked out what they wanted, Jeannie Kelley had a wide array of memorabilia left that she wanted to share with the community.
“I knew I was going to have to take it somewhere, and a lot of it was brand new, so I brought it down here and called it vintage,” she said.
The electronic sign in front of Kel-Save now advertises a “vintage shop.”
The shop offers a wide variety of items from the past, ranging from furniture to baseball cards.
It’s not junk.
For collectors of old toy and play items the most expensive thing in the shop would be the Barbie dolls, with some of them being priced at $250.
For sports fans and collectors, the most expensive item could be the stack of baseball cards sitting in the display case for $1,000. For those who like furniture, there are a few items priced at $1,500.
Not everything in the store is a budget-breaker.
“We have candy up front and, in the vintage shop the cheapest item would probably be $10,” Kelley said.
Kelley has a favorite among all the offerings.
“I love the Barbie Christmas dolls, they make them during the Christmas season, and I have several, they were always my favorite,” she said.
When asked about the strangest item in the shop Kelley mentioned the sport cards and some books that they have.
“We have a few sports cards from the ’70s and we have books from the ’70s that my children used at school,” she said. “We even have several Southern Living cookbooks.”
The shelves feature dolls of presidents and actors and glass decorations.
“These dolls here are Alexa and Crystal from the Dallas TV show from the 1970s or so, that was a fun time,” Kelley said, showing off two of her treasures.
There is also a glass statue of a horse with mosaic paintings on it and painted on cracks for decoration. Two small glass pig statues can also be found.
Kelley has a Christmas section with the classic red, green and white decorations and her Christmas Barbies. There is also a fall and a Halloween section and a section full of green items and plants. In the vintage shop there is also a wall of flowers for cemeteries or for decorations. “Purple flowers are the ones that sell the most,” because of Western Carolina students and alumni, she said.
The vintage shop can be found inside of Kel-Save Drugs at 38 E. Main St. in Sylva. The store is open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday and noon until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Kel-Save is on the web at www.kelsavedrugs.com.
