Since returning from Europe a few years ago, Indianapolis artist Rhet Lickliter has been thinking a lot about value - and how we practice it in our lives. How we value our time. How we value our work and the money we earn and spend from it. How we value our relationships. How we value the environment and our community. How we value what we choose to care about.

In September, 2012, Lickliter opened Little Super at 5208 N. College Avenue as an extension of these thoughts and considerations regarding value. Little Super is a small, but well curated, second-hand store offering quality clothing, accessories and wares at very affordable prices.

"It isn't so much about retail as it is about wanting to be a part of this community, building relationships and offering something the neighbors can appreciate, enjoy and find worthwhile," he explained.

About a year ago, with no real plan or expectations, Lickliter started buying and building his inventory. He went to flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores. He scoured Craigslist. He traveled to outlying towns and cities: Muncie, Kokomo, Anderson, Mooresville and New Castle. He recently made a trip to the east coast, but when he started buying, he wasn't sure if or when he would even open a store.

"It's the way I tend to work and function best - organically. But last spring, with my studio full of second hand goods, I realized a retail spot might work. I realized I needed to take the next logical step. So I began to look for an available storefront in the SOBRO (South Broad Ripple) area," Lickliter said.

He feels very fortunate to have landed at the corner of 52nd and College. "I don't think I could have wound up in a better location. I'm hunkered down between LUNA, National Moto and The Aristocrat. It's perfect. And it's where I grew up. I feel at home here."

While the store is new, it feels and looks as if it's been here a long time. Lickliter worked on the interior for almost three months before opening - and he's still working on it. The original wooden floors have been exposed. The clothes racks are built from raw 2x4s and dowel rods; there is a sitting area with a couch and a coffee table. A small kitchen has been exposed and serves as the checkout area. Many of the housewares are what might be called 'vintage' - but Lickliter doesn't like that descriptor applied to his merchandise.

"I've always been attracted to things of quality and things that seem to speak of their history. It just so happens things used to be made better - made to last and work for a long time. So I've wound up with a lot of items from some years past, but they all work. I'm into sturdy, well-designed, functional items when it comes to what I surround myself with," he described.

While Little Super is primarily a second-hand clothing store, it does offer some great rescued household items: toasters, blenders, irons, movie projectors, cameras, vintage paperbacks, ghetto blasters and lots of dishes, cups and glassware.

Little Super's hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday and closed on Monday. Pictures of store items are at www.little-super.com and inquiries can be answered at 374-5358.

The store's moniker has a special story behind it. "The name Little Super comes from a country store my cousin Coy, who is like my brother, and I used to walk to when I was visiting him when we were boys. We bought candy and soda to eat and drink as we walked back to his house. It was called Mr. Ed's Little Super. It was in an old clapboard house at a crossroads out in the country near Mooresville. It holds great memories for me," he recalled.

Little Super also stocks a small inventory of military-issue goods such as wool blankets, gloves, duffel bags, satchels and even canteens.

"I was really sorry to see Brooks Army Navy leave the corner at 54th and College. I went there a lot - mostly for the wool blankets. So I decided to try and at least partially fill the void at Little Super. I hope to increase my military inventory over time. The quality is great," Lickliter emphasized.

Aside from the few years he spent living and traveling in Europe, Lickliter has been a lifelong resident of the Indianapolis and the Broad Ripple area. He fondly remembers playing basketball at the Optimist Club, riding his bike to Lobraico's Rexall Drug Store for an ice cream and buying his girlfriend perfume at Moorman's on the canal. In high school and college he worked at Hardwicke's Pipe and Tobacco.

"I had my first legal beer at The Red Key. I grew up and went to school with the Settles (owners of the Red Key) - so it only made sense. I used to buy my records at Second Time Around. It was our original used record store," he mentioned.

Music seems to be an important component of Little Super. Lickliter plays a lot of jazz over his stereo in the store. It mixes well and adds to the relaxed atmosphere he's created.

"My grandparents were jazz musicians. My Grandmother played piano in a lot of clubs and remembered well the scene on Indiana Avenue. Her husband was from Chicago and was an accomplished trumpet and vibe player. There is a lot of musical talent in my family that was passed down. I didn't get any, but I certainly developed an appreciation. I didn't really have a choice. My mother played and sang along to artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra most days while she worked in our home when I was growing up. I'm still listening to the greats: Bill Evans, Miles, Coltrane. I really enjoy current artists, like Portishead, as well. I guess it's the one drawback from being 15 steps from the best record store in the Midwest. I spend a lot of money on music."

While Lickliter may not have inherited any musical talent, he did develop his artistic skills as a visual artist. He has, and continues, to exhibit and sell his paintings and collages. He has work in private collections throughout the U.S. and Europe. A few of his pieces hang in Little Super and several of his works are currently on display in SOBRO Café.

"Since the economy took a hit in 2008, a lot of the local, contemporary galleries shut down. I hope to eventually use Little Super as a venue for art-related exhibits and experiences. I would like to offer the walls to local artists, have open mic nights; perhaps show locally produced films and performances. I hope to stage arguments as well."

Currently, Little Super is displaying collages by David Mattingly and a large encaustic painting by Jon Black.

Lickliter reflected, "It will be great if the second hand goods can cover the overhead so the art can be displayed and sold with no pressure. That would be the icing on the second hand cake."