Celebrating its 50th year in business, Treasure Mart has become synonymous with Ann Arbor much like its neighbor Zingerman's Deli, just half a block away.

For the rare Ann Arborite who may not be familiar with Treasure Mart, it is a three-story consignment store located at 529 Detroit Street, filled to the rafters with items ranging from the useful to the whimsical. This is the place to come for that one-of-a-kind salt and pepper set or a solid cherry chair for the dining room.

On any given day, people stream in off the street stopping to stare intensely at a piece of merchandise or quietly whispering into their cell phones to mull over a purchase or share a good find.

“Think how much stuff has gone to new homes in the last 50 years,” says Elaine Johns, who owns and operates the store with her husband Carl. “And the best part is that people get so excited.”

And for good reason. The first floor is filled with unique crystal, sterling, jewelry, china and antique furniture priced well.

“Look at this sideboard.” Elaine reveals a large Thomasville mahogany buffet with detailed carvings—a steal at $1200. She thinks it might last a week before someone snaps it up.

One of her favorite items that just came in are three hand sewn dolls from the 1930s that belonged to someone’s grandmother in Iowa.

“Look at the craftsmanship and the detailing,” she points out.

It is impossible for them to offer even an estimate of how many items they have in their store.

“Our insurance company is always asking us but the merchandise moves constantly and there are so many small items, like a spoon,” Elaine laughs. “Our insurance company loves us, though: 50 years, no claims.”

The insurance company isn’t the only one who loves them. On Saturdays the crowd can be wall-to-wall people.

“A few Saturdays ago it was just a sea of people--you couldn’t even move,” says Elaine. “I just wanted to take one of those snapshots with everyone looking back at me and waving.”

It is this neighborliness that is one of Treasure Mart’s trademarks. There are regulars who come in twice a day six days a week just to make sure they don’t miss anything new coming in the door. Elaine and her staff know them—sometimes even their grandchildren--by name.

This sense of loyalty and dedication is true with the staff as well, as seen by the astonishing length of service of most of its 15 employees. Nina Mallette has been there for 12 years; another woman started March 3, 1980. One employee worked here 46 years before retiring.

Humble beginnings
Elaine’s mother, Demaris Cash, opened the store when Elaine was nine.

“She had never worked, and when my dad had a heart attack she felt she had better get some kind of job in case she needed to support us one day,” said Elaine. “One of her friends who traveled often suggested opening a consignment store because she never knew where to get rid of stuff she no longer needed. There was no place around here to move things on at that time.”

Cash found a friend to go in on it with her and heard about this building which had housed a food and produce distributor on the main floor.

“Everyone said ‘Oh, don’t open there, no one will come to that part of town—it was not the best part of town at that time—but she thought, 'The building is empty; I’m going to try it.' So she opened in 1960 for $200 a month rent. It took off right away.”

Although advancements such as Craigslist and eBay have made pricing items easier, overall their business model hasn’t changed much in 50 years.

What has changed are the trends. Shabby chic was hot for awhile, then oak furniture was big. Once desirable, collectibles like Hummels and Royal Doultons are now “dead on the market,” according to the employees who process the merchandise.

What’s hot? “1960s modern furniture. Kids like the straight clean lines,” says Elaine. “My daughter always asks why I didn’t buy that stuff back in the 60s and save it. I said I liked country back then!”

Waterford crystal and Victorian jewelry moves fast, although Victorian furniture is out right now. But don’t worry. As Elaine says, everything comes back.

With the recession, more people are shopping secondhand and rediscovering the quality.

“You can get wonderful solid mahogany or oak furniture and it will last forever,” says Elaine, who does add that prices have come down because of the economy. “An antique oak secretary with a carved glass front that used to go for $1,200 would go for $395-600 today.”

On a recent Friday, Keren McGinity, a University of Michigan historian, was shopping with her mother.

“We like to come here when my mom is visiting for some fun mother-daughter time,” she explains.

“She has been antiquing since she was in a baby carriage,” says her mother, Mae Rockland Tupa, who is going to purchase a miniature chair for her collection and a piece of lace. They are also considering a pair of candlesticks and eyeing a decorative plate.