Shop On Main: Three Women, One Dream

Three women, friends who share a deep love of yard sales and tag sale treasures, have come together with one vision for a shop that has transformed their lives.

Shop on Main, located on Main Road in Southold, will celebrate its one year anniversary at the end of October — and on Tuesday, the three owners of the antiques business shared stories of what the journey has meant to each of them.

Each woman has another job: Mary Giordano, of Shoreham, manages a health club, Michelle Lifrieri of Wading River owns a hair salon, and Barbara Jean Smith, of Cutchogue, works in garden design.

Smith met Giordano eight years ago through a mutual friend; Lifrieri and Giordano had met years earlier. 

The three women, each with a unique personality, share a love for tag sales and the adrenaline rush that comes with finding the perfect treasure.

"We all love yard sale-ing," Smith said. 

In fact, with each woman having amassed an extensive collection in their own homes of vintage furniture, jewelry, clothing, china, memorabilia, and other treasures, when the trio decided to open the shop, there was no need to seek new inventory — they already had enough to last for months.

"My niece in Arizona, three years old, asked what I was going to do with all this stuff I kept buying," Giordano laughed. "Three years later, we opened the store."

Shop On Main features a wide range of affordable finds, including pieces such as an antique Victrola cabinet that has been "distressed" and painted; a vintage tea cart, retro toasters, armoires, dressers, tables, comics, dolls ; the women each bring their unique artistic skills to the table to help transform and breathe new life into salvaged pieces. "The store has a little bit of everything," they agreed.

The trio takes turns manning the shop, each bringing in their own unique finds and items for the store, which has constantly revolving inventory.

Soon, the three hope to begin offering small classes to teach others how to paint and distress their own yard sale finds and small pieces of furniture.

Each of the women agrees that one of the best parts of their business is sharing stories with customers — Smith said she especially loves when customers come back to share photos of where a piece has been placed in their home.

While starting a business with friends can be "tricky," Smith said, the three agree that the past year has been smooth sailing.

Opening the store has transformed their lives. Lifrieri said the shop infused her with new energy and vision for hair salon at a time when she was thinking of closing. Today, she is renovating the salon in the style of Shop on Main, with vintage dressers and other finds.

"We all have different personalities but we share a love for this," Smith said.

"We have passion for what we do," Giordano added.

All three women agreed their working relationship and business are founded on trust.

And the bottom line, they said, is that the shop is pure fun. "You have to buy what you like," Smith said. 

If one of the women brings in a piece the others don't like, "We just paint it over, or throw it away," Smith joked.

Asked to describe their favorite items in the shop, the three agreed it's hard to settle on one; they have photos of special pieces that have gone on to new homes. Current favorites include the painted vintage Victrola cabinet, an armoire, and an iron chair that recently sold.

Lifrieri said she enjoys hearing the stories of those who pass through the store; half are locals, she said, and the others are tourists from the city and other destinations.

She is especially touched, Lifrieri said, by the seniors who have found new love and are shopping together. 

Customers include dealers drawn by their eclectic selection and affordable prices, as well as locals who find themselves drawn back, week after week.

"They say it's comfortable here, and affordable," Giordano said. 

Each of the women say it's inspiring to start a new venture at the prime of their lives; Lifrieri is 56, Giordano, 49, and Smith, 52.

"I've always wanted to have a shop," Smith said. "We're not going to make a million dollars with a side business, but it's our passion."

"Passion drives us," Lifrieri agreed.

Giordano said finding an item for a song and painting and re-selling it for a profit is rewarding ."It's definitely empowering," she said. "When you see it becoming a success, you feel empowered."

All three agree meeting new people and forming strong friendships is a bonus to the shop, which is an outlet to display their collective finds.

And still, all three women are fueled by their penchant for tag sales.

"We'll be driving up to a tag sale, bouncing up and down in the car with adrenaline," Smith said. "The rush is amazing."

One person's trash, all agreed, is another's treasure.

Looking ahead, all three would like to continue to grow the shop. Giordano would like to see limo tours of North Fork antique shops, with winery stops along the way.

But for now, the three are thrilled with the rewards reaped in the first year.

"Everything about this store is positive," Smith said.

To find Shop on Main on Facebook, where photos of the shop's merchandise are posted, click here.