It’s not often that stores are filled with items that are not just unusual but unique, and Catherine Wimmer, owner of the Ruby Slipper in the White Bear Mall, thinks that’s a shame.
“I want it all to look vintage,” she says of the inventory in her shop. “It is from years of accumulation.” And there certainly is a lot to look at: the 650-square-foot store is jam-packed with repurposed and vintage items ranging from buttons to small furniture pieces. Wimmer has collected these pieces for years and held occasional sales on her property in Little Canada several times each summer before opening The Ruby Slipper last April.
“It tends to feel very homey,” Wimmer explains of her shop, filled with items that embody a shabby chic vibe. She particularly likes her collections of antique dolls and books, but tries not to play favorites with such a varied inventory.
“You can find almost anything there,” she laughs. “People say it’s like a treasure hunt.”
The Ruby Slipper, 2186 Third St. N., Suite 103, White Bear Lake; 651.226.5950. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.
