BY MALLORIE MCCOY
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LANETT — On Saturday, May 10, MustardSeed Mercantile, downtown Lanett’s new antique store, opened its doors to the public. The modern-rustic business, located at 112 N. Lanier Ave., is owned by Angel Elliott and her daughter, Erica Tapley.
Elliott and Tapley’s idea to open an antique store originated from a hobby that turned into a passion project.
“This has been a hobby of ours for years, and this is what we do in our free time,” Elliott said. “We get out and we go look. Then, our collections became so big, but we didn’t want to quit doing it.”
After a few years of collecting, the two registered for a booth at Timeless Antiques and Flea Mall in Valley to sell their many finds. In 2024, Elliott’s husband, Royce, bought a building to renovate for office space in downtown Lanett.
“But he didn’t need all that space,” Elliott said. “So, it just opened up the opportunity for us to have a store.”
With renovations taking less than two months to complete, the shop was ready to open by Mother’s Day Weekend.
“We want this to be a spot that you can be like ‘Hey, I need something last minute’ and go in there and get something. And then that happened opening week,” Elliott said.
The mother-daughter duo is well-versed in their craft of antiquing. They have traveled around the United States to find some pieces currently being sold in their store. All items sold are antique or vintage, besides a few newer pieces that were “just picked up somewhere.”
Elliott describes herself as a “brass and glass” antique shopper, whereas Tapley tends to lean more towards primitive, simple but classic, antique items when collecting.
“I think that when you put it together, it just creates such a neat look,” Tapley said.
All antique items sold at MustardSeed Mercantile have gone through a cleaning process and, if required, certain repairment.
“Just about everything that’s come into the shop has had to be cleaned. Even if you get it at yard sales, it all has to be scrubbed,” Elliott said. “Or frames will be messed up, and we have to kind of give them a little love. There’s a lot that goes into it that people don’t realize.”
As store owners, Elliott and Tapley’s approach to antiquing has changed. They now set out to cater to their customers’ wants and wishes.
“I think it’s going to be different from now on when we go out because we’re going to start looking for the stuff that they’re asking us to,” Tapley said. “We get things that give off timeless. Like, the old things that aren’t trendy, so they don’t go out fast. They just kind of keep their value.”
Also, MustardSeed Mercantile isn’t just for the ladies. There are many great antique finds for men as well.
“My daddy [Royce] has a lot of stuff too, and he brings his little flair to the shop,” Tapley said. “He’s actually the one that got us started way back in the day. He would take us around to all the stores, the flea markets, the auctions and so then we just started loving it too.”
In the future, Elliott and Tapley look forward to incorporating other items from local businesses that align with the business’ “vibe” to be sold in store.
“We always say we won’t get rich off this business, but we just love it,” Elliott said. “There’s a lot here we’d like to keep, but seeing somebody else love the same thing as much as you do is pretty cool.”
MustardSeed Mercantile is open Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Greater Valley Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony for the new business on Thursday, June 26, at noon
“In this opportunity, we really want to get across how thankful we are for the support,” Elliott said. “We didn’t expect people to come out of their way to come here, and so many people have. It’s just been a blessing.”
