Even while the economy has caused people to pull back on spending the local Wilmington resale store, the Shop of Seagate, continues to entice people to shop.

The array of benches, shutters and furniture that can be seen on the drive past the shop at 5209 Oleander Drive, along with the chalkboard sign that says, “You’ll never know unless you stop!” invites people to go in and look around. The variety of items outside is only a hint of what can be found inside.

The shop sells used, vintage and antique home furnishings. Most items run in the $20-40 range while big-ticket items like large dressers and hutches will run a bit more, but there is usually nothing in the shop over $500.

The store is frequented by many, from parents and students of UNCW wanting to furnish and decorate dorm rooms and apartments to brides and consultants looking for eclectic items to add something special to the wedding décor.

Throughout the four-room shop are various inspirational setups. The store is organized and designed to make it easy for customers to see how a certain lamp or frame would look in their house.

Curious first-timers and regular customers flock in on Saturdays – one of the busiest days of the week for the store. Some come with a mission to find the perfect addition to the room they are redecorating. Others just come in to be inspired by the diverse collection of art, vintage tables and chairs, and interesting knick-knacks that are not found anywhere else.

“We love one-of-a-kind – things that are real functional but you don’t see everywhere,” said Jayne Keels, co-owner of the Shop at Seagate.

Keels, Sharon Lewis and Kathy Raines are the partners who run the Shop at Seagate. Keels and Lewis were a part of the original foursome that opened the store in Nov., 2007.

The store features a coastal style with many shabby chic options. The general color palette in the store consists of whites, blues and corals. People cannot seem to get enough of this unique motif.

“I’m from Arizona and I love the coastal chic-ness of this store,” said Stephanie Crane, a visitor in Wilmington.

Each partner also brings her own aesthetic to the store.

Raines defines her style as French Country and she is drawn to old colorful bottles and blue-tinted mason jars. She also makes mobiles with little birds perching on branches, which are popular for nurseries.

Lewis finds herself attracted to the Retro designs of the 1940s to 60s in colors of orange and aqua. She attributes this to a sense of nostalgia. That style was popular in her youth, and it is coming back around in the trends.

Keels loves vintage items. She looks for items that have nice designs and furniture that has distinctive legs. When searching for items, she thinks of different ways to use the pieces. Not what it was meant to be, but what it could be, she says.

The creativity of reusing items in different ways is how the Shop at Seagate contributes to the environment. Selling used items is how they keep things out of the landfill.

Ladder-back chairs that have a broken seat can be used in other ways. The shop sells the detached ladder-back as a rack for hand towels or magazines. This is one of the ways that the shop keeps it Green.

Above all, the shop centers on customer service. Employees greet every person who walks through the door and ask them about what they need to find. Some walk through the door with their eyes widening as they enter a room stocked full of decorating treasures.

Customers are the priority at Shop of Seagate. When a man came in, made a beeline for Raines and asked about cast iron frying pans, which the store did not have, she quickly gave him numerous ideas of where he could find them. She suggested estate sales or other shops.

They partners at the Shop of Seagate know that good customer service is what brings people back even if they did not find what they were looking for the first time.

The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but even that seems negotiable.

“We do appointments on Sunday. If you just call us and let us know what time you’ll be here, we’ll open up,” Raines told a customer.

The Shop of Seagate tries to have things in the store that people are looking for. This requires knowing what is on trend and what classic pieces will always be wanted.

They have implemented a service called “The Wish Book.” Customers can write down specific items they are looking for in the book, and when Lewis, Raines, or Keels are out searching for items they keep an eye out for something in the Wish Book.

If they find an item, they call up the customer, who can come in to see if it is what they were envisioning.

One day Lewis brought in a big mantle she  found and liked. Keels saw it and instantly said, look in the Wish Book – someone wanted a mantle. They called the customer and that day the mantle was sold.

“I think our business has increased since Pinterest,” says Lewis.

Pinterest.com is a new Internet sensation that allows people to get inspiration from “pins.” Many of the pins are pictures of home designs and ideas for decoration. People come into the Shop of Seagate to find ways to reproduce what they have seen on Pinterest.

Another service is “Approvals.” Customers who buy items have 48 hours to take it home and see if it fits. If it is not what they had in mind, they can bring the item back for a refund.

Other services include monogramming, interior design, reupholstering, window treatments, and gift wrapping.

The Shop of Seagate will also be running a booth at the upcoming Wilmington Flea Market at the Brooklyn Arts Center March 23-24.