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August 29, 2019
ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO
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Antique shop owner doesn’t let past get old Gail Lacinski enjoys lifelong pastime at her Elizabeth store, Prickly Pear BY GERALDINE SMITH SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
She approached the crowded barn beside the old farmhouse where clusters of hunters surrounded many of the items like predators surround their prey. Working her way through the crowds to the coveted prize on the back wall, her focus never wavered and victory was hers. The antique dresser would soon fill the vacant space she had reserved for it in her antique shop. Gail Lacinski, the owner of Prickly Pear Antiques in Elizabeth, has been in just that position more than once as an intrepid hunter of antiques. Lacinski says it feels as though she has been collecting antiques all of her life because her mother was adventurous and they would travel all over buying antiques. As her mother’s intrepid partner in these exploits taking them to flea markets and auctions, she rode in the bed of the truck at times holding down new finds. The question arises: What was holding down Gail? Antiques were in her blood and she continued to collect and collect even after she was married. In time, the accumulation prompted her husband to suggest a retail solution, and so began Gail’s 15-year career in retail. Prickly Pear Antiques, though not her first venture, is certainly her favorite because of her enthusiasm for Elizabeth and its residents. Gail has lived in Colorado since she was 4 years old, living most of that time in Golden and then Evergreen after she married. Evergreen’s cold and snow eventually took its toll, partly because she had horses but the weather precluded her spending quality time with them. When they inherited a home with room for
Gail Lacinski, the owner of Prickly Pear Antiques in Elizabeth, poses with the Kraft Promotional Cow from a cheese shop in Minnesota, the shop’s mascot. Gail’s vision for Prickly Pear Antiques was to blend the old rustic with the new rustic and create a store where she would want to shop. GERALDINE SMITH the horses, it was an easy decision to downsize and move because their children were now on their own. She clarifies, “We visited Elizabeth during a Christmas event and we fell in love with the city. Elizabeth was where I wanted my shop and I feel right at home because all of the other merchants and have been so welcoming and helpful.” All the support she received facilitated the realization of her vision to blend the old with the new and create a shop where she would want to
shop because she loves to decorate. “I like the farmhouse look and always have,” she acknowledges, “and I wanted to be different and have a mix of old and new. My inventory is more primitive than others in town.” While most of her rustic farmhouse stock comes from barns, old houses and estate sales in Missouri where she often travels with friends who share her passion, she is always on the hunt. Much to the dismay of her husband, at times she will insist on stopping at auctions or sales
anytime they travel. Her husband, Joe, will explain patiently, “We will never get there at this rate.” So, most of the time when they travel, he goes fishing and she haunts antique sales in small towns. She may actively pursue the old and rustic but she still strives to offer the new and rustic. Some of that new is made for Gail by family members including her son-in-law who creates unique jewelry from SEE ANTIQUE, P13
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
“I’ve heard people say ... are you too nice? But I think what they’re really asking is, ‘Are you tough enough for this? And I think I am tough enough for this.’ ” Sen. Michael Bennet on his presidential campaign | P9 INSIDE
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