St. Joseph businessman Jack Kelly of Jack Kelly & Associates has shared this article about the success of Great Lakes Antique Mall owner Dave Walker, which Kelly crafted for publication in the Auction Exchange & Collectors News, a companion publication to Antique Week.
When Dave Walker joined the military at age 17, as an Army paratrooper, he never dreamed he would be the owner/operator of a working 22,000-square-foot antique mall 33 years later.
After his hitch in the Army, Walker begin his career as a police patrolman, working in several departments and retiring at age 50 from the Tinley Park Police Department, a suburb of Chicago.
While still a policeman, he made visits to his father’s cottage in Southwestern Michigan, becoming a regular visitor and then a booth renter at the Great Lakes Antique Mall, housed in a former supermarket in Coloma, Mich., 30 minutes west of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Walker’s love of buying and selling old coins, which began as a youngster, blossomed into an interest in antiques and collectibles – and the antiques business in general.
Walker said he financially “pulled out all stops” in order to purchase the antique mall business and the building in May of 2012, but only recently took over on-sight management of the mall in December 2016 when he retired from police work at age 50.
How does his new job compare with the old one?
Walker laughed and said, “Police work was easy, minus getting killed. Managing the store is fun, busy work. I probably walked 7 miles today between those aisles.”
And he must like the business because the ex-cop recently purchased an existing two-story 5,000-square-foot antique mall in downtown Lawrence, Michigan, “just a short drive from Coloma” He re-named it Great Lakes Antique Mall II.
Walker said he has a regular team of helpers running the two malls and is quick to point out that he has “lots of help from my family.”
Walker’s wife, Kelly, who is seen from time to time at the Coloma location, works full time as a nurse-practitioner at a local doctor’s office. The Walkers’ four children round out the team of helpers.
The children are Sydney and Morgan, both 15, Reilly 13, and Logan, 18. How do two of the children share the same age? Walker smiled and explained, “Two of the family, Logan and Morgan, were adopted, from Russia.”
“They help with everything from sweeping the floors to running the computer on Quick-Books accounting chores,” he said, adding, “they might be running the business if I retire – again — in another 15 years.”
Walker said at Coloma he sees a regular flow of visitors from the surrounding communities and a heavy number of browsers “from southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida that sometimes just about clean this place out.”
In all, the Great Lakes Antique Mall at Coloma boasts 118 rental areas with 88 people occupying them. The sprawling brick building is located at Coloma, Mich., exit 39 off I-94 and immediately behind a McDonald’s restaurant.
“It’s a good place to visit,” said one shopper browsing the isles, adding, “there are lots of traditional antiques and collectibles along with a blend of decorator items too – it makes for a fun stop.”
Both locations are open 7 days per week.
For further information contact: www.greatlakes-antiques.com or phone the Coloma location at (269) 468-3208 or Lawrence at : (708) 469-9007.
