Ground Floor: White Lion Treasures offers antiques, collectibles

Editor's Note: Each week, The Ground Floor profiles entrepreneurs starting new business ventures. From time to time, we check back with some of them to see how things are going.

When we last visited with Michelle Bell in May 2014, her Czech Village business had a different name, co-owner, and location.

Then called Rustic Treasures, the store featured furniture and home decor made from wood pallets and other recycled materials. Many of the items were handcrafted by Bell's former business partner.

But when he moved to Texas in January 2015, Bell found a need to refocus the business.

First up was a name change.

'The name 'Rustic Treasures' was creating a perception,' Bell said. 'But we were moving away from pallet furniture and the name no longer fit.'

After researching various options, Bell landed on 'White Lion Treasures' for the new store name.

'I chose the name to tie the store to the neighborhood,' Bell said, noting that the lion is a symbol associated with the Czech Republic.

Two months later, Bell had a new business partner.

A mutual acquaintance introduced Bell to Jules Stull, who had been dealing in antiques for many years. It turned out the two women already knew one another through their respective jobs at Rockwell Collins.

'Michelle used to be my program manager,' Stull said. 'But this never came up — she didn't have the store then.'

Initially, Stull was just going to rent space at White Lion Treasures to sell antiques and refurbished furniture. She became a partner in the business on April 1, 2015.

'We both have strengths that kind of complement each other at the end of the day,' she said. 'Michelle is crafty; I'm antiquey.'

In addition to Bell's handmade greeting cards and Stull's refurbished furniture, White Lion Treasures offers vintage collectibles and handcrafted goods from more than 50 vendors and craftspeople, who either rent space in the store or consign items for sale.

'We don't want to be a traditional antique shop,' Stull said.

'We want to be more of a gift shop,' Bell said. 'Our tagline is something for everyone.'

One significant change for the business came earlier this month when White Lion Treasures relocated from its original location to a larger space across the street.

'Our building was sold,' Bell said. 'We had an opportunity to stay at an increased rate, but my philosophy was we were buried in there next to other vintage stores and no one realized we were a separate business.'

The store moved into a stand-alone building owned by the Czech and Slovak Museum that previously housed the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

'Our traffic doubled and sales increased in just two weeks,' Bell said.

The business' growth has led to one other recent change: the addition of a full-time store manager.

'She provides great consistency,' Stull said of manager Carrieann Ingalls. 'It's a big deal to make someone a manager.'

White Lion Treasures will celebrate its move with a re-grand opening celebration July 9.

At a Glance

• Owners: Michelle Bell and Jules Stull
• Business: White Lion Treasures
• Address: 87 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids
• Phone: (319) 200-7878
• Facebook: 

  www.facebook.com/whiteliontreasures

Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor'? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com