Couple turns collecting into local business



Every day Richard Schneck said he would drive past the abandoned Kmart building on Colleyville Boulevard. In his spare time he collected German beer steins, while his wife, Carolyn, collected old plates.



Richard said he was as surprised as anybody when the empty store and the steins became connected in his mind. Eventually the old Kmart turned into the Schneck family business, the Vineyards Antique Mall.



"My wife and I were wondering what we could do to get out of the corporate rat race," Richard said. "I don't know how it happened, but God answered the call."



Converting the building into Vineyards Antique Mall happened with a great deal of planning, a solid business plan and plenty of research Richard said.



In July 2003, Richard quit his job in the health care industry. He had devoted 30 years to the field, spending time in a variety of jobs ranging from physicians assistant to chief executive officer. In January 2004 the Vineyards Antique Mall opened its doors.



Business has been steady ever since, though the operation is more of a mall than a normal antique flea market. There are no consignments. Richard and his employees handle all of the sales. The mall consists of 300 spaces, most 10-feet-by-10 feet, in a 40,000 square foot space. Currently, the Vineyards has 197 retailers or dealers, as many occupy more than one leased space.



The dealers are a key part of the Vineyards success.



"They keep their areas stocked and looking great," Richard said. "We have about 50 percent of them that have been with us since we've been open. We've had a waiting list for dealers for about two years. We currently have over 80 on the list, and it takes them about six months before they get a spot."



The businesses range from antique and collectibles dealers to sellers of musical instruments. Home dcor and gifts are popular items. Furniture and clothes, both new and used, are popular items.



Coco's Tea Room, an eatery, provides a place for shoppers to relax.



Richard said that few of the dealers compete with each other. Each dealer runs his own independent business, paying Richard rent and a piece of the sales to cover overhead and the costs of the sales transaction.



"It is not as much a business as it is one big family," Schneck says. "This goes for both our dealers and our customers."



The Vineyards actually is a family business. Son Kevin has worked with his mother and father from the start, with the mall's three other employees since they first opened.



Many of the customers are long-timers too, with repeat business being a marketing key. The Schnecks keep an extensive email list, keeping their customers updated monthly.



"We live in Colleyville, and our business is in Colleyville," Richard said. "The city has been very good to us. We hope we can continue to keep going well for the next 11, 12 or 15 years. We want to retire soon and let my son take over. He is ready."



Busy season



Co-owner Richard Schneck says the Vineyards is busiest during January and the summer. "It is slow from spring break to tax time, but January is always super busy," he said. "Our theory is that a lot of people have money that they got from Christmas and are looking to spend it."



Special sales



One weekend a month, the Vineyards Antique Mall schedules a sale. Even more popular than the monthly sales are the quarterly Tax Free Weekends, in which the Schnecks pay each customers sales tax.



Vineyards Antique Mall, 4701 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville, 817-849-1330, www.vineyardsantiquemalltx.com, Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun. noon–5 p.m.



Coco's Tea Room & Bistro, Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m.–3 p.m.