My Biz: Cedar Rapids flea market shop keeps merchandise moving

Roger Edwards's work life has been as eclectic as the merchandise that lines the shelves in his store, the Cellar Door Flea Market.

Through the years, he's worked as a traveling magician, was involved in theater in Hollywood, painted water towers, was an iron worker, and became a landlord before turning purveyor of the rare and unusual in his current shop.

Edwards and his late wife opened their consignment shop in their historic building in 1984.

“This building was originally a grocery store” that was built in the 1920s, Edwards explained.

“Initially I wanted to do something different from consignment when we moved here,” he said, so he started by renting out the six apartments inside the building at the time.

“But we had hard times with the people getting their rent paid, so we had to do something different,” he recalled. “I began opening up the apartments, one by one, and that's when we started this consignment business.”

With his wife's death in 2003, Edwards runs the business by himself, with one other employee on occasion.

New merchandise comes in every week and items are reasonably priced to keep inventory flowing.

“Treasure hunting,” is how Edwards defines the range of contents in the well-stocked rooms. “It's fun. I never know what is coming through my door.”

Merchandise ranges from large framed puzzles to life-sized standups of Hollywood stars and NASCAR drivers to antique vases and old maps for the casual browser. Even an alligator bag, with head and tail intact.

But no guns - “I never did figure out how to handle guns if we did get any,” he said.

• Name: Roger Edwards

• Title: Owner
• Company: Cellar Door Flea Market
• Address: 2900 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids
• Phone: (319) 366-1638
• Online: www.thecellardoor.net

Know a manger or company in business for more than a year that would be ideal for “My Biz”? Contact business editor Michael Chevy Castranova at michael.castranova@sourcemedia.net.