FURNITURE, COLLECTIBLES STORE OPENS DOWNTOWN

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Shell's Furniture and Collectibles has opened in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Jack Shell is manager of the new operation, located at 221A Independence Street.

"We are emphasizing furniture," he said. "What we have dates from the turn of the century through the 1930s and 1940s. We have living room, dining room and bedroom furniture."

The shop also handles glassware and other collectibles.

The store is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. He said the site was chosen due to its proximity to similar shops.

"I have been involved in buying and selling furniture and antiques at auctions since I was a kid," Shell said. "My grandfather, John Shell, bought and sold furniture back in Ohio. I went with him and learned about it from him." Shell developed the practice into a sideline in recent years.

He is also pastor at the Bible Missionary Church on Hopper Road. Shell and his wife and three children live in Cape Girardeau.