New antique store Estate Medics has opened at 5611 Ringgold Road, Suite C, in the Ridgewood Village Shopping Center in East Ridge.
Owned by Darlene Poole, the store features numerous collectable items including Fenton glass, Byers carolers, Ron Lee clowns, Possible Dreams Santas, vintage jewelry, antique furniture and much more.
Ms. Poole, who works full-time with Hamilton County Emergency Services, has also organized estate sales in the Chattanooga area for the past three years.
Many items in the store were culled from these estate sales, while others were purchased specifically for the store.
“Antiques and vintage items are my passion, and it’s been a dream of mine for many years to open a retail arm of my successful estate sale business,” Ms. Poole said. “I’ve rented booths in other local antique malls for 17 years, but Estate Medics is my opportunity to have more space and offer more unique items to my customers.”
The 1,000-square-foot store is full of the items Ms. Poole says are the most requested by her loyal customer base, and she’s happy to search for specific items requested by clients.
“Because I’ve worked in the industry for many years, I have the contacts and resources necessary to find the collectables my customers are looking for, whether it’s something as general as antique jewelry or as specific as pieces of a china pattern or firefighter collectables,” Ms. Poole said. “I love what I do, and I love helping people find exactly what they’re looking for. You never know—what you’re looking for might already be in my shop.”
Estate Medics—which earned its name because Ms. Poole has more than 26 years’ experience with Hamilton County EMS and currently serves as captain over its training division —plans to have an official grand opening celebration in July. In the meantime, the store is open on Thursday and Friday evenings, from 5–8 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with additional hours posted on the door weekly. The Estate Medics team is also available to organize estate sales and is available by appointment to discuss estate sale needs.
Established in May 2014, Estate Medics is at 5611 Ringgold Road, Suite C., in the Ridgewood Village Shopping Center in East Ridge. Call 423 991-6848 for more information.