Uncovering timeless treasures
Couple open antiques shop after closing store downtown
Jessica Johnson
The Post and Courier
John Dowd (left) and wife Nikki (background) opened La-Dee-Da's, an antiques shop and cafe, one month ago on Simmons Street in Mount Pleasant.
Jessica Johnson
The Post and Courier
Dowd knows antiques and his wife, Nikki, has an eye for design, making them the perfect match in their new antiques store and cafe.
The Dowds never know who's going to cross La-Dee-Da's threshold. It could be a man coming to sort through Confederate treasures or a customer coming to buy the Bakhtiari rug right from under the shop's dining table.
John and Nikki Dowd opened La-Dee-Da's, a cafe and antiques shop, seven weeks ago.
"You never know who will come in. We love the people," John Dowd said. "We love interacting with them. We try to make it fun."
The Dowds ran a shop by the same name, La-Dee-Da's, with the same concept for a few years in downtown Charleston. When planning to reopen, the Dowds looked for a downtown location first before opting for a converted Simmons Street house in Mount Pleasant.
"Leaseholders aren't making concessions for the time," Nikki Dowd said.
Stores are shuttering on King Street. Antiques, a luxury item, are things people may not consider buying right now.
"Are we crazy? We don't know," John Dowd said.
But the couple, married six years, both grew up in retail and felt a void without a store. So when the Simmons Street location just down the street from their home recently became available, they took it.
"When everything's down, you've got to stand up," John Dowd said.
So far, they've done well. John Dowd knows antiques, and Nikki Dowd has an eye for design.
They pack the cozy rooms with assorted treasures: Intricate Herend china with handles shaped like figures, Chinese lamps, patterned plates and sterling silver are staged in antique cabinets and on tables. Then they wait for a customer to walk in so they can begin to create a new collector, John Dowd said.
They discover what someone likes, teach about the item's beauty and craftsmanship and buy more of it to keep the buyer coming back. Often they let customers make a deal. Price tags are just a suggestion.
Like the former La-Dee-Da's, the Dowds will offer tea parties for children where they might pick up some manners. And, eventually when they get time, they plan to build a better kitchen. Currently La-Dee-Da's offers just coffee, tea and antiques. The shop is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday.
Reach Jessica Johnson at 937-5921 or jjohnson@postandcourier.com.
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