Tin & Cotton consignment shop in Cape also offers selection of new boutique items

Looking for a vintage lamp or a piece of antique jewelry? What about unique wall decor or a perfect side table for that spot next to your favorite reading chair?

You'll find those sorts of items, and many others, at the Tin & Cotton Trading Company, a new consignment store on South Kinghighway in Cape Girardeau.

"We do upscale home consignment, so we sell for other people, pieces that are maybe too nice to just give away," explained Katina Wahlers, who manages Tin & Cotton along with her husband, Jon. "We offer an avenue for people to market things that they don't have the opportunity or time to do themselves."

The Wahlers opened Tin & Cotton about two months ago at 610 S. Kingshighway behind StevMark home decorating center.

While most of the merchandise at Tin & Cotton is on consignment, the store also sells new and custom-made items.

The Tin & Cotton Trading Company, 610 S. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, features a wide array of home furnishings and decor.Jay Wolz

"We are a hybrid shop. That's what I tell people," Wahlers said. "In addition to home consignment, we also bring in new boutique items and gifts, as well as local artisans who make things for the shop, so we have a mix of old and new and vintage merchandise."

Originally from the Bootheel, Katina Wahlers studied interior design at Southeast Missouri State University and worked as an interior designer in St. Louis before moving to Perryville, Missouri, and opening a boutique retail store called Carriage Hill in 2004.

"We had gifts, home decor and custom picture framing," she said. "We did that for a few years until I had my first child and decided to stay home, so we closed that store in 2007."

Five years later, in 2012, the Wahlers opened another store in Perryville, naming it Tin & Cotton.

As for where the name came from, Katina Wahlers said she "wanted something that could include a lot of different types of procured items and I liked the homey, country sound of it. Also, I'm a Bootheel gal and we grow a lot of cotton down there, so we had a lot of cotton farmers coming in just because of the name."

Katina Wahlers stocks shelves at the Tin & Cotton Trading Company with some of the purses and handbags available at the store at 610 S. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.Jay Wolz ~ jwolz@semissourian.com

The Wahlers' first Tin & Cotton lasted about a year before Jon, who is involved in the residential construction industry, was offered a job in Naples, Florida.

"We moved there, but I didn't lose the desire to continue the store," Katina Wahlers said. "Every place we'd go, I always looked around for a good place for a shop."

The Wahlers eventually returned to Perryville and by last year they learned of potential retail space in the StevMark building on South Kingshighway, which had been acquired by Mike and Carol Harvell. The Wahlers were already friends with the Harvells, which made it easy for them to decide to open the new Tin & Cotton at that location.

Although she and her husband still live in Perryville, Katina Wahlers said Cape Girardeau is a better option for their store because it's a larger market.

Merchandise inventory at the store is always changing and includes some unusual items.

The entrance to the Tin & Cotton Trading Company showroom is seen at 610 S. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.Jay Wolz ~ jwolz@semissourian.com

"Right now, I have everything from some antique replica Excalibur swords to vintage trophies from the 1940s," she said. "Apparently, there are people who collect trophies and they've become a trendy collectible."

In addition to a mixture of consigned and new merchandise, the Wahlers also offer some custom furniture design as well as upholstery and furniture repair services.

"We're also hoping this year to add some DIY classes, bringing in local artists who will teach people how to make jewelry, lotions and other items," Katina Wahlers said.

Tin & Cotton Trading Company is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturdays through the winter months. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

More information about the Tin & Cotton Trading Company can be found on the store's Facebook page, by emailing tinandcotton@gmail.com or by calling (573) 803-1042.

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