LONDONDERRY — Among the antique furniture pieces, china sets and rare leather-bound books, one can find a touch of whimsy in the items Denise Monroe has on sale in her consignment shop ReRuns.
There's an 8 x 10 framed black and white photo of "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno, for instance, taken sometime in the early 1980s.
"He was a year behind me at Andover High," Monroe said.
"But, he's been here too long. I'm putting him on sale."
So Leno is marked down from $30 to $24.
There are also collectibles in the shop like bone china state bird and flower thimbles, Sandwich (Mass.) glass and a Heisey crystal punch bowl with cups.
Monroe opened her shop in the former Delahunty's building on Nashua Road in September with her own collection of antiques and some from Meredith Allen, former owner of the Gray Goose, who now works at ReRuns.
"I now have over 150 people who have consigned with me," Monroe said.
Monroe, who worked in the corporate world for 35 years, became interested in collecting antique pieces when she was furnishing a townhouse while living in Windham.
"I'd go to auctions and consignment shops," she said. "I remember being in a shop in Amherst and saying to myself, 'I think I could do this.'"
Monoe's last position was as an executive assistant for the chairman of the Stride Rite Corporation in Waltham, Mass.
"I had another place I rented in Concord, and when the chairman retired last June, I moved back to New Hampshire," she said. Monroe currently lives in Londonderry.
She's had a variety of positions over the years including advertising manager for a McDonald's franchisee Donald's and working for Monitor, a strategic marketing consulting firm in Cambridge, Mass.
While at Monitor, Monroe was a executive assistant to director of the Country Competitiveness Group that hosted dignitaries from Bermuda, Uganda, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic among others.
Monroe educated herself by reading books on antiques and collectables and learning about jewelry from a vintage jewelry dealer. She said ReRuns is her pre-retirement job.
"You'd be surprised at what people collect," Monroe said.
"One woman collected anything Marilyn Monroe."
She keeps a wish list for ReRuns clientele and was able to call the woman when she came across some Marilyn Monroe photos.
"I tell my customers to look around the shop three times," Monroe said. "I tell them to look ahead, look up and look down."
Sure enough, there are lots of treasures to be found in every available nook and cranny of ReRuns.
"Lately, I've been getting a lot of items with international flair," Monroe said.
Currently she has pieces of Middle Eastern and Asian Art, an alabaster tea pot from the Middle East and a stunning necklace from India with matching earrings.
"Salters and Sandwich glass are popular right now," Monroe said.
There are some things that aren't selling well, like Hummel figurines, milk glass and designer plates.
Monroe said the most unusual item that she's tried to sell was a tabletop Kenmore washing machine from the 1950s.
"After 90 days, I still couldn't sell it," she said. "So I returned it to the owner."
For items less than $25, Monroe splits the sales 50/50 with the owner. For items over $25, the owner gets 65 percent, and ReRuns gets $35.
"I do refuse things like broken glass, appliances and electronics," she said.
Monroe said the typical consignment client is middle-age and is either downsizing or inherited parents households.
"People have actually called my shop a 'museum'," she said. "We play oldies music and Big Band music to give the place a special feeling."
ReRuns is hosting a special event on Saturday, May 10, in honor of Mother's Day with Trudie Young, a certified Simple Abundance leader who trained with the book's author, Sarah Ban Breathnach. Young is also a leader of Adult Recess workshops in Derry. There will also be representatives from AntiquiTeas, Delahunty, Ms. Iris Jewelry Design, Eventide Counseling, Catherine's Creations and massage and relaxation therapist Kathi Minahan.
An event in honor of Mother's Day
What: In Celebration of Simple Abundance — A Journey of Comfort and Joy
When: Saturday, May 10, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Where: ReRuns, 150 Nashua Road (Route 102), Londonderry
434-7067
More: Trudie Young will be speaking about Simple Abundance from 2 to 3 p.m.
Refreshments will be offered. Free to the public.
