JAY — It started out originally as a dream of Sharon Carter’s to open a used furniture store. Now it is becoming a reality with a twist. Some new items will be offered as well.
Carter of Strong with the help of her daughter, Elizabeth Renshaw and friend, Holly Howard, both of Strong, are putting together Carter’s Used Furniture and Hidden Treasures in a section of the former Sumner Sheet Metal building on Route 133 in Jay.
The women were moving second-hand furniture, baby items, clothing, knickknacks and other goods in Wednesday. They plan to open Tuesday, Sept. 29. A grand opening is planned for Thursday, Oct. 1, Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3.
The shop will offer “anything you can imagine,” Renshaw said.
“The way I got into it is when I was young I couldn’t afford brand new. I always bought second-hand,” Carter said.
What started this project, Carter said, was a heart attack she had three years ago. “I couldn’t walk until March and I’ve always been active,” she said. “But now I feel really good about it. I feel awesome. I’m able to help people.”
“It started originally as a dream of hers,” Renshaw said of her mother.
When the Mt. Blue Market Place opened at the shopping center in Farmington earlier this year, Carter tried her hand at selling used goods.
And then her market exploded with people seeking used items and selling or donating them to her, Carter said.
“I help a lot of people in need,” she said. “We do consignment, layaway and delivery.”
Carter has been a Jill-of-all-trades to a degree, having spent 20 years as a certified nursing assistant and time as a pharmacy technician, owning a lawn care business and being licensed in insurance. She still has her housekeeping business, she said.
Her hours for the shop will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It won’t be open on Sunday or Monday.
“If people want something and I don’t have it, I’ll put it on my wish list because if I don’t have it, I’ll go find it,” Carter said.
Sharon Carter of Strong, center, is opening Carter’s Used Furniture and Hidden Treasures in the former Sumner Sheet Metal building on Route 133 in Jay. Carter is being assisted with the project by friend Holly Howard, left, and Carter’s daughter, Elizabeth Renshaw, both of Strong.
Sharon Carter of Strong, left, moves a baby stroller into what will be Carter’s Used Furniture and Hidden Treasures in the former
Sumner Sheet Metal building on Route 133 in Jay. Carter is being
assisted with the project by her daughter, Elizabeth Renshaw, left, and friend Holly Howard, right, both of Strong.
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