Correspondent photos /John Patrick Gatta Melanie Reda and Brian Lizzie stand inside their antique store, Retro Ohio in Boardman, which opened Dec. 1. They used to sell items out of their home in Youngstown, but their collection outgrew their home.

BOARDMAN — Some see items from the past and treat them as trash, while others view decades-old objects as sentimental artifacts that retain their nostalgic worth.

You can firmly place Brian Lizzie and Melanie Reda in the latter category. Over decades, the two have collected vintage jewelry, furniture, glassware, toys, games, knickknacks, clothing, musical instruments and more. With an overflowing amount stored in their Youngstown home, they opened Retro Ohio, 4170 Market St., Boardman, to house and sell many of their treasured goods.

“I began collecting unknowingly as a very young child,” Reda said. “I was taught to take care of and appreciate anything I had. Though I didn’t have much, it started me displaying what I had and cherished.”

Shortly after graduating from Boardman High School, she started a cleaning service. Meeting people from different cultures and traditions allowed Reda to accumulate more goods that would have been thrown away.

“I would bring these items home and give them out to those in need,” she said. “Sometimes, that was me and my family. Seeing the joy of one person’s garbage be so appreciated and go on to be used and loved for years is a feeling I came to cherish.”

Retro Ohio allows her to share that attitude with others of a similar mindset.

“Our store is a collection of my, and Brian’s, past handed down through family and other items that have been found, rescued and saved throughout our lives. Some of my favorites are antique and retro wood items, art, pottery, brass, cast iron, crystal, music and childhood loves like Raggedy Ann, Holly Hobbie and the Smurfs.”

Lizzie said that Reda believes he has a “shopping/collecting problem.”

Starting in his mid-20s, he amassed a large collection — over 1,000 pieces of Tobacciana collectibles, ashtrays, lighters, advertisements, packages, jars, tins and classic guitars — that were lost through theft in the summer of 2022.

“This didn’t stop the collecting bug,” he said. “This refocused me on preserving the items we all love and miss for myself and others.”

Lizzie grew up in Western Pennsylvania, then lived in multiple states throughout his life before settling down in Youngstown.

Working a variety of jobs in the entertainment industry that ranged from stagehand and electrician to production manager and director of entertainment for a national company, he toured extensively around the country.

The love of travel and discovering vintage objects united Reda and Lizzie.

“Melz and I took an extensive road trip all over the country during the pandemic. And, of course, buying along the way,” he said.

“Now that I am older, children are grown, traveling and appreciating all the joys life has to offer us is a priority,” Reda said. “During Brian and my travels, we have met many very interesting people and seen some amazing items. Some of these items we have been lucky enough to acquire for ourselves.”

She added, “One thing many people don’t realize is how much the South and West admire and collect what we may take for granted that was made here such as the many quality pottery factories in our area like Fiesta (Tableware Company), Hall and Tiffin Glass.”

Many of the items that fill Retro Ohio were handed down through the generations, personal collections or purchased at auctions, estate sales, flea markets, thrift shops and yard sales.

“I am attracted to the things I remember from my childhood,” Lizzie said. “I also like anything out of the ordinary. I prefer vintage tools and kitchenware over the new stuff. If it makes me smile, smirk or say, “Hmmmm…,’ I like it.”

“Often, I’m asked if I am looking for any particular item,” Reda said, “and I regularly respond with, ‘I’ll know it when I see it.’ I love the emotion I feel inside when I see an item that strikes my memory, like items I had or wanted growing up or piqued my curiosity, like our mystery cabinet in our store.”

Winning it over other dealers at an auction, the large wooden mystery cabinet is believed to be ceremonial in nature and features numerous carvings.

“Multiple antique experts have looked at it in an attempt to identify its origins with no luck, so far,” Lizzie said.

Reda added, “We encourage and look forward to people coming in and checking it out and giving us their opinion in hopes of one day being able to give it the description and kudos it deserves.”

While the artifacts continued to give them joy, all that they collected over the years became overwhelming. Coincidentally, Lizzie was considering life changes. And the concept of Retro Ohio was born.

“I needed something less stressful than my career of over 40 years,” he said. “I needed to concentrate on my relationship and build back bonds that had been neglected. I still needed to make an income, so selling vintage items just made sense. Now, as a team, Melz and I split our time between the search and sale of more items that need saving.”

“Our passion and love for vintage and retro items made for great souvenirs and memories of our lives past, present and our future together,” Reda said. “Our home became a collection of our lives, and we have been blessed in so many ways.”

She added, “What started as we are going to sell online but, quickly, we realized we had a small problem. We were running out of room. We ventured out in search of a storefront. I can’t bring everything I love home. However, I can take it to our store and love it until we find it a new home.”

Besides adding living space, opening Retro Ohio provided Reda and Lizzie the opportunity to interact with others who appreciate the relics of the past.

“We have met wonderful people with all types of interests,” said Reda. “We find the younger generation curious about the past. We love the appreciation of the older generation seeing us respect and understand the quality of the items of their day.

Last but not least, our generation, Generation X, consists of many individuals enthusiastic about retro and vintage items as we are. With the world and technology changing so quickly these days, many find comfort in items of the past.”

Lizzie found that “there is a community of similar collectors. They all seem to become dealers of some type. Whether flea marketers, shop owners or online sellers, we all have a passion for the things we collect and sell. We all carry a passion for making sure the things from the past don’t disappear.”

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