A giant moose head wearing an antique cap and a warm welcome from behind the cash register typically greet customers walking into Hunt & Gather Antiques and Vintage Shop in the Richland Uptown Shopping Center.

“What’s important is first impressions,” said co-owner Cheryl Ziemer. “We say hello ... It’s kind of like a gathering place. People will sit and talk with us and get to know us.”

Frank Sinatra might be playing, but jazz is Cheryl’s favorite. She and her husband Paul Ziemer own the shop. The couple, who celebrated 48 years of marriage last September, are marking a decade in business at 1350 Jadwin Ave.

A wall of yellow sticky notes featuring children’s drawings is popular with young ones. “One of the favorites with the kids is these yellow Post-it notes,” Paul said. “When we first started this, kids would sit down and draw a picture and get a lollipop when their parents were shopping. When it got cluttered, we took them down, but kids would come back disappointed, so now we never take any down even though some of the drawings are now 10 years old.”

How it started

Cheryl’s parents had antiques and she began collecting fashion magazines at a young age. Meanwhile, by age 5, Paul was occupied with old railroad lanterns. In 1975, they started building a life together and combined their love for antiques and vintage collectibles.

As a hobby, they attended local and regional antique shows including Farm Chicks in Spokane. Twenty-four years ago, the pair founded the antique show that takes place in Richland on the Saturday of boat race weekend, the last weekend in July.

Once Paul retired from the nuclear power industry after 31 years in the field, the couple decided to become entrepreneurs.

“When I retired, I wanted to do something,” Paul said, “but I didn’t know what that was off the bat. This allows us to travel but also stay busy. That’s something that’s so important once you retire is staying busy.”

Cheryl always wanted to be in the Uptown. When she took the initiative, that’s when things started coming to fruition for their brick-and-mortar store.

“I kept looking and there was nothing available. I walked into Aunt Frannie’s Shop and asked the owner Francis if she was going to be renting this place and she said, ’As a matter of fact, I just might be.’ That’s how it all began.”

Photo by Jamie Council

Good help is easy to find

Hunt & Gather offers everything from comic books to jewelry, clothes to lamps, and vinyl records to other unique finds. The shop has 15 vendors who do the hunting for them.

“What makes us unique is what we have to offer to the customers,” Cheryl said. “We have unique things that other shops don’t have.”

The shop has a waiting list for vendors. Of the 15 existing ones, five have been with the Ziemers from the very beginning, and even back in the road show days, including Cheri Johnson, who specializes in vintage jewelry, but makes sure there’s lots of other treasures to be found for customers.

“Everybody wants in here because it’s the prettiest, the nicest, and has the nicest people running it,” Johnson said. “All of us that are in here don’t ever want to leave. (Cheryl and Paul) make us want to make our vendor space better.”

The owners always rely on their only son, Jeff, who has been collecting vinyl records since he was 10 years old. He has become a sought-after local expert to assist in good finds in records, comic books, and other niche areas.

“He knows his vinyl records,” said his mom. “He has an established clientele here. People rely on him.”

Home away from home

The Ziemers built their shop with the idea of putting “gather” in Hunt & Gather. Being a family-owned antique shop in the Historic Uptown District was always their goal and while Paul imagined this would be a two-year commitment, the couple says they are proud of what they have built.

“It’s a homey antique shop,” Cheryl said. “It makes people feel comfortable. It feels like our second home to us.”

“We’re grateful to our vendors,” Paul said. “We’re grateful for our clientele. We’ve made a lot of great friends over the years from all over the United States.”

The couple also serve as a host family for Czechia hockey player Lukas Matecha of the Tri-City Americans.

They say while they never expected to be celebrating 10 years of Hunt & Gather, they don’t have any plans of turning the lights off just yet.

“We’re still having fun,” Paul said. “When it becomes not fun, maybe we’ll be thinking of putting our energy into something different.”

Hunt & Gather Antiques and Vintage Shop: 1350 Jadwin Ave., Richland; 509-430-2151.