Elizabeth Brown's quest for antiques and artwork are a rare find at Reclamation. She owns the north side shop at 5335 North Winthrop Avenue featuring vintage items.

"My parents took me to antique stores a lot when I was little. I studied interior design at Ball State University and the history of architecture that led me to antiques. I worked for Midland, an antique mall east of downtown Indianapolis. [Reclamation] is about a quarter to a third of the size of that place," she explained.

Her recent move south of the Broad Ripple area has breathed new life into an existing property. "I think this is a really neat, up and coming, artsy area. This is something that this neighborhood didn't have and it's a really cool, old building that was a factory in the 1930s," Ms. Brown noted.

"I opened Reclamation at 49th Street and College Avenue in April of 2011. [The 49th Street store had] about 1,000 square feet there on consignment. I started collecting vendors there. We have 54 dealers in this location that opened in October. There are vendors upstairs and downstairs. I told my husband that I was collecting people instead of furniture. There are a lot of different styles and local artists represented here. Generally, my rule is that everything is at least 25 years or older here or hand-made because much of it is artwork. There are a lot of vintage artwork and antiques here. I think people are surprised when they come in from outside because this isn't what they would expect to see," Ms. Brown mentioned.

The vendors she met at her College Avenue location provide an eclectic range of antiques and artwork among 5,000 square feet on two floors in their new home.

Due to the number of Ms. Brown's vendors, they couldn't all be listed, but their individual displays are well worth seeing. There will also be a vintage clothing boutique opening in Reclamation's lower level sometime in early fall.

"We have a lady downstairs that makes scarves and vests out of doilies and old lace. She just moved in last week (early August) and I think she's going to be really popular. There are a lot of repurposed items. As far as antiques, we have some 1920s theatre lights. The guy that I got them from had them in a barn for 40 years. He believes they originated from a downtown Indianapolis theatre," she surmised.

One vendor carves various objects from wood while another restores Schwinn bicycles. A refurbished boy's bike that is not for sale provides an example of his work to customers. At the time this article was written, there was a pink girl's bike available.

"We have 54 people that do different things, like pickers that may go to estate sales or garage sales. A lot of them go out of state and some of them are fairly well known. People call them and ask them to look through their barns or houses. I love it when I get invited to someone's place to search through their items," she said.

A black rotary dial phone at Reclamation was recently used until a newer model replaced it, but another model is currently for sale in the shop's lower level.

Ms. Brown's sleuthing for antiques is one of her many skills. "I also do wood restoration and upholstery as a hobby. When I started buying antiques, I figured that I should learn how to fix them. I took sewing and clothing construction classes at Ball State and transferred these skills to upholstery," she added. Examples of her work can be found in the shop.

Describing the rewarding aspects of antique hunting, she said, "I think it's really neat to see things that might have ended up in the dumpster get a new life and a new story. I know where these things originated. Its really fun to share the antique's historical information with the customer."

Ms. Brown mentioned certain materials that are currently in demand: "Barn wood is very popular right now as many people are making items out of it. A lot of people are repurposing old furniture. One of our vendors takes apart old furniture and uses it to build new furniture."

Reclamation's hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Inquiries can be answered by calling 602-8672. Their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pages/Reclamation/128376620574439 has pictures of some available items. Ms. Brown can also be contacted at elizabeth@reclamationindy.com

Elizabeth Brown and her diverse collection of vendors have reclaimed an abandoned property, furnishing it with historic items for sale not found elsewhere. Reclamation is where you can find that unique artwork or antique to call your very own.