Meet Your New Neighbor: The Vault Antiques & Decor Opens In Lemont Downtown
Lemont is a destination for vintage lovers, and our antiquing scene just got even better.
We’re so excited to introduce you to The Vault Antiques & Decor, your new favorite treasure hunt on Main Street! As is tradition, we sat down with Johnny and Liz Rivas, owners of The Vault, to learn more about the shop, the story behind it, and what’s waiting for you inside.
KG: Thanks for joining me! I’m so excited to meet you both. Tell us about The Vault.
JR: We’re an antiques and decor shop at 408 Main Street, right next to Village Hall. You can find something from the 1880s in our shop, and something brand new but super cool, unique. We have a wide range of merchandise.
KG: What brought you to Lemont?
JR: My wife is a bit of a sucker for Hallmark movies. A few years ago, we were walking around downtown Lemont, and it started snowing, just like it would in a Hallmark movie. We said, “Wow, we’d like to live here.” At the same time, we were talking about opening an antique shop, and I said, “Wouldn’t it be great to open one here, like they do in the movies?” Sure enough, this property came about. We plan on moving to Lemont next year too, but it’s business first!
KG: I love that! Where do you find your pieces?
JR: All over! Some come from right here in Illinois, and the rest come from across the country. I’ll either take a trip or have things shipped in, depending on the size. If you’re talking local, we carry a lot of cast iron, like iron candlesticks, plus Chicago-made pieces like a 1940s key lock and Chicago Fire Department helmets. From out of state, we have Tiffany-style lamps and a lot of retro Coca-Cola and Pepsi. With the holidays coming up, we also have German nutcrackers made thirty, forty, and fifty years ago. All in all, we carry about 25 to 30 different types of antiques and decor.
KG: That’s quite a collection. What makes The Vault special?
JR: It’s a one-stop shop for the whole family. I’ve already seen families eat dinner downtown, then walk around and do a little shopping. Everyone can find something. The kids can dig through comic books, records, and die-cast model cars (perfect with the car show being so big in Lemont). Dad can find man cave pieces, from Elvis Presley to a Harley-Davidson bar mirror. Mom can find anything from a ceramic planter to an angel.
KG: Our whole team got excited when we heard you were opening. One of my coworkers looked at your website and said, “I’m on my way!” Between The Vault, Smoky Row, and Mabel’s Market, you can make a whole day of antiquing in Lemont.
JR: That’s what we love to hear!
KG: How did you get into antiques?
JR: I’ve run an e-commerce business on Amazon and eBay for about fifteen years, and I always wanted to get into antiques. The problem is shipping. So many antiques are fragile, and things get bumped around in the mail. Right out of COVID, I got involved with an antique mall in Indiana, and I could finally sell those fragile pieces in a real store. Over the last year or so, my wife and I started talking: why don’t we get our own shop instead of driving to Indiana? And here we are!
KG: It sounds like a family affair, too.
LR: Antiques are really Johnny’s niche. I handle the tech side and built our website. Our son is a freshman at Indiana University, and he’s another tech person for us. Before he went away to school, he helped with the website too.
KG: What else do you have planned?
LR: For Christmas, we’re thinking about pictures with the Grinch! A friend of mine has a son with special needs, so we’d also love to host something for families with special needs, maybe shopping or crafts. We might bring in other characters, like superheroes, too, and really get families in the door.
KG: That sounds so fun. When can people stop by?
LR: We’ll have our grand opening on Saturday, October 31. We’ll typically be open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
KG: We can’t wait to come shop!
The Vault Antiques & Decor is opening at 408 Main Street, right next to Village Hall. Celebrate with Johnny and Liz at their grand opening on Saturday, October 31. Find them online at their WEBSITE to shop, learn more, and see what’s new on the shelves.
