Someting old, something new at Relics

“An eclectic blend of items.”

That’s how Mackenzie O’Hair described her new store Relics, which is located at 130 S. Fillmore St., on the southwest corner of the square in Osceola.

Relics will have refinished and repurposed items, a mix of antiques and new items and other home decor. O’Hair said the store also wanted to focus on Iowa-made goods.

The opening day was Nov. 4, the first Wednesday in November.

O’Hair said when it comes to antiques, they are hoping to have found them in Iowa or made by an Iowan with local talents.

“With this kind of stuff, it’s ever-changing,” O’Hair said. “So, there’s always going to be something different.”

Relics is owned by Mackenzie, Jodi and Sara O’Hair. They are partnering with CROSS Ministries, as well.

CROSS Ministries

CROSS Ministries will help staff Relics four days a week, which means the business will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

“For them (CROSS), it’s a way to reach people in the square that couldn’t maybe get out there, too,” O’Hair said.

The CROSS Ministries building is located on Highway 69 on the north side of Osceola.

A partnership with O’Hair and officials from CROSS Ministries makes sense since CROSS Ministries has worked with repurposed items in the past.

These types of items are also a passion for O’Hair, especially since her favorite pastimes include going to auctions or estate sales.

“My husband calls it ‘junking’ now,” O’Hair said with a smile. “Because now there’s junk crawls and junk jubilees and it seems like every weekend you can find something. Not that I have time to go every weekend, but it’s kind of turned into a hobby.”

Items could be ranged in price from $1 to $500 at Relics.

“Our focus is kind of something for every budget,” O’Hair said.

New venture

O’Hair is excited to be partnering with her family members in the new business venture.

“My husband’s family ... they are truly blessed with the entrepreneurial spirit,” she said. “So, of course, right away, they were like,’ This is a passion. This should be a business. You have too much fun not to make a business out of this.’”

There’s also one more personal reason O’Hair is excited about the business. The building itself has a special significance for O’Hair.

Her husband’s grandmother recently passed away and O’Hair said she was one of the biggest antique dealers in southern Iowa back in the day.

O’Hair recently found out the grandmother worked in the building where Relics now is located.

“It was just one of those cool things that I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s really come full circle,’” she said. “Everything fell into place just like it needed to. I’m excited now.”