By Anna Yoder | Columnist

My father is a gifted musician who shared his talent of playing the accordion with me. Regrettably, I did not inherit his level of talent. In 1972, he gave me a little porcelain accordion figure that I never knew anything about until, as an adult, I discovered it was an “Occupied Japan” figurine. Since then, I have been smitten with collecting these little accordion figurines.

While driving through Brighton Heights, the alluring store window of Mustard and Relics, with its vintage items displayed in sync with the current holiday or season, has always beckoned me in. Yet it seemed I was on a mission to some place else when I passed by. So on a Saturday in early spring, I made a conscious effort to stop and explore this vintage store in search of additional “Occupied Japan” accordion figurines for my collection. As I entered the store, I was flabbergasted at the same nostalgic (dare I say groovy?) vintage pieces I recognized from my grandmother’s (and my own) home as a child.

As it turns out, Mustard and Relics did indeed have the style of figurines I was in search of, yet the young gal working that day said she didn’t think they had any figurines depicting accordion players. The visit was not in vain. Instead, I purchased a lovely set of eight vintage cordial glasses which were very reasonably priced.

On a sunny April day, I returned to Mustard and Relics and met with Kate Kelley — the owner — to chat about her store, which opened in 2015, and her connection to Brighton Heights, where the store is located. Kate, who lives near her store, is exactly the type of neighbor anyone would want! Kate “loves Brighton Heights” and has been active in the neighborhood by writing community grants and through her involvement in kids’ programs. She shared that her store is at the site of what was the oldest school in Brighton Heights and said “the spirit of the kids” is what drew her to that location for her “curated vintage store.” Kate also describes her store as a “safe stop on the way home” from the neighborhood elementary school situated near her shop.

Kate is a passionate collector (who admittedly “hates throwing stuff in the trash”) of which her favorite vintage pieces include “dishes and glassware from the 1940/1950’s.” Kate’s inquisitive mind prompted her to identify the glass maker and all the backstory behind the glass pieces. It’s that “love of history” that drives Kate to “find out the story” on the pieces she places in her store. Yet the extensive collection of dishes and glassware aren’t the only vintage pieces you will find in Mustard and Relics. You name it and Kate likely has it; her massive collection includes hats, a huge assortment of vintage jewelry, albums, classic clothing, clocks, suitcases, primitive kitchen gadgets and the list goes on and on. Kate’s vast inventory in part comes from her annual visit to the “100-mile yard sale” which spans the “Pennsylvania Wilds” of Clearfield, Cameron and Elk counties. Kate is emphatic that she is more “than a thrift store” and claims that if the item you seek is not in her store “she can find it and help fill out your collection.”

After that claim, I put Kate to the test and described my previous visit to her store and my failed search to find the elusive “Occupied Japan” accordion figurines. With a quick turn of her desk chair Kate nonchalantly stood up, approached a tiny shelf and to my utter amazement produced not one but two “Occupied Japan” accordion figurines! I was thrilled and bought both for my personal collection.

If you purchase one of the gorgeous vintage clothing pieces in Mustard and Relics and you find it a bit snug or loose, Kate also has a “line on alterations” at another local shop to help you achieve the needed alteration. So, if it’s your grandmother’s dishes, or your father’s album you seek or you are just interested in adding a lovely vintage piece to your home, the person you want to connect with is Kate. She WILL find the piece you have been searching for!

Mustard and Relics is located at 3596 Brighton Road.