At former Sandbagger: Dusty Attic plans soft opening Saturday

Mary and Kevin Davidson plan to open the doors to the Dusty Attic in Colfax. Mary and Kevin are shown here with an antique stove, dated 1910, that came from a carriage house in Butte, Mont.

Colfax's newest business will open its doors for a soft opening Saturday.

The Dusty Attic, an antique shop, will be operated at the former Sandbagger Tavern by Mary and Kevin Davidson, formerly of Buhl, Idaho. The couple in July purchased the building from Felipe and Luz Guitron of Colfax, and the couple, along with son Dustin and daughter Rena, are now living in the apartment space above the store.

For the past few months, they have been working to renovate the building and ready it for business.

“We will be open, but we'll be working as we're open,” said Mary, commenting that some renovations still need to take place.

They still need some lighting in the back of the business, and the flooring is not yet complete. Painting is also on the to do list.

Mary previously operated Buhl Winkles for eight years in Buhl, which she sold prior to relocating here. The inventory from Buhl Winkles, also an antique shop, relocated here as well. Some of the inventory, Mary said, is still in southern Idaho.

Despite not having the entire inventory here or the renovations 100 percent complete, Mary said she is excited to open the doors.

“I just want to open,” she said. “It's like Christmas for me. I'm getting to open all these boxes I haven't opened in three or four months.”

The Davidson's daughter and son-in-law, Jana and Chris Mathia, plus four grandsons, live in Endicott, so the move has put them closer to family. Another daughter, Kara, is working in New Hampshire.

Son-in-law Chris with Western Heritage Flooring out of Garfield worked on the floors in the building, and Mary said she is still looking into services for the windows and vinyl for a new sign outside of the building. Eventually, she said she plans to have the front of the building re-painted to look like an old house.

As for the inventory, Mary said she plans to have a furniture and kitchen section, as well as a men's and kid's section.

“I'll have a variety,” she said. “I'm excited about working with the other businesses in the area. I think we'll work together well.”

She said there will also be some handcrafted items included in the stock, and some items that are not yet considered antique will be available for purchase as well. To be considered antique, an item needs to be at least 100 years old.

“It's got a lot of antiques, but it's also vintage,” she said. “I've got some stuff from the '20s.”

She said she is still working to finalize the layout of the store. She said once she is able to see more of her inventory, she will have a better vision for that.

The grand opening for the Dusty Attic will not be until March.

“We're hoping for a grand opening in March when everything is done,” she said. “We're not putting a date on it yet.”

Until then, the shop will be open six days per week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Dusty Attic will be closed on Sundays.

Mary said she is also planning to create a Facebook page, which will allow customers the opportunity to sign up for discounts and specials.