Secret Treasures Antiques & Collectibles is a vintage shopper’s dream: pink feathered fedoras decorating a hat rack, a bust covered in collectible pins and intricate glassware stacked on the floor.
Located on Dempster Street, the store has been open for over 30 years. Offering antiques at reasonable prices, Secret Treasures aims to bring its customers joy through vintage finds.
Owner Dawn Okamoto said Secret Treasures grew from her passion for collecting antiques. As a child, Okamoto’s mom took her to barn auctions and garage sales.
“Part of what I loved was the thrill of the hunt and finding things for a bargain, so I wanted to pass that on as part of my business model to have people come and feel like they’re scoring a find,” Okamoto said.
The store got its first inventory from Okamoto’s personal collection. Now the store has “pickers” who comb through estate sales, according to Director of Operations Henry James. After approval, Secret Treasures pays contributors for pieces if they choose to accept the store’s pricing offer. The store has bought a variety of items; they once even had a stuffed bear head in-store.
Okamoto said the store’s inventory reflects the idea of having fun — a sentiment James said has kept him working there for over a decade.
“When you’re happy with what you do, it does show in your work,” James said. “It shows in the environment that you cultivate for your staff and for customers.”
Okamoto said she’s always amazed when customers from multiple generations walk through Secret Treasure’s doors.
Lead Sales and Staff Leader Melanie Chorba first visited the shop when she was 11 years old. Chorba said she has a lot of happy memories coming to the shop with her mother, who passed away five years ago.
Now, Chorba aims to contribute to Secret Treasure’s welcoming atmosphere.
“Remembering people’s names, being consistent with customers when they need items or something specific really does cultivate a family atmosphere in here because you feel remembered,” Chorba said. “You feel valued as a customer and as an employee.”
Secret Treasures has also overcome many challenges throughout its time in Evanston.
Okamoto said she felt that the city didn’t support small businesses nearly as much as before, citing limited communication and relations with government officials.
Okamoto added that previous beat cops knew the names of everyone working Secret Treasures, regularly checking in. She said she could also text previous council members, and they would text back. Now, Okamoto said she doesn’t know who their beat cop is, and overall, communication isn’t the same.
“If we have a problem here, it might take an hour before someone even responds to us,” Okamoto said.
There have also been increases in operating costs over the years, especially post-COVID-19 pandemic. However, the store always tries to keep prices reasonable, increasing customers’ accessibility to antiques, Okamoto said.
Despite these challenges, she said the business persists, bolstered by a team that works together to problem solve. For Okamoto, the joy she finds from running the store is a part of her salary.
“If you don’t put your heart and soul into that part of it, then the register isn’t gonna balance out,” Okamoto said.
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