A weathered segment of a windmill and a framed piece of artwork with a Revolutionary War theme. Those are the only two things not for sale inside Uptown Pickers & House of Flowers in McLeansboro. Everything else is up for grabs, albeit at the right price.

“Uptown Pickers & House of Flowers is your local hometown shop. We have antiques, collectibles and primitives. We also have a full-fledged flower shop with your custom designed floral arrangements and fresh flowers and silk arrangements,” explained Sheila Thompson, the shop’s owner and creative force.

Sheila says her passion for “pickers stuff” was ignited at an early age.

“It comes from my grandparents who used to go to auctions all the time. My mom and dad always liked to buy stuff,” said Sheila. “I enjoy getting out and meeting people and looking at things that are unique.”

From budgets to bouquets

Sheila’s professional background is a far stretch from the world of vintage treasures and floral design. She had a long career in the world of numbers and accounting at a large manufacturing plant in the area.

“I had 14 years of extensive knowledge and working experience with budgets, so accounting, and working with money is something that I have always back in my background, not traditional retail,” noted Sheila. “This was the first time I’d ever worked retail.”

The transformation from a personal passion to a brick-and-mortar career was driven as much by accumulation than anything else when the treasures she collected over time threatened to overtake her home. Sheila recognized an opportunity and opened her store in 2021.

“I decided that I wanted to make my picker’s passion into a brick-and-mortar store. I had collected too many individual items. My house was expanding with items that I had to put in storage I couldn’t display,” recalled Sheila.

Sheila said she had long enjoyed a certain thrill of the hunt when it came to picking.

“The most appealing thing about pickers is finding ‘that find.’ Getting the best bargain you can get,” Sheila recalled. “I have sisters, and we’d go out and we would compete to see who could find the most expensive thing for the cheapest price. It’s a game. It’s a passion. It’s very intriguing. Sometimes, the things that you least expect worth a high dollar amount are those individual items that you find.”

That competitive edge, which Sheila honed at estate sales and auctions, translated directly into a rotating inventory at Uptown Pickers, where each shelf might hide an unexpected gem waiting to be discovered.

“I had several people in the community wanting gift bowls to take to funerals, and they were wanting also some silk arrangements. So, I added the floral shop to my business,” explained Sheila. “I decided that I would go where my customers wanted me to go to meet their needs.”

Sheila had no formal floral experience when she decided to expand her store. She approached her education with the same resourcefulness that served her at auctions.

“The way I learned the flower business is my great grandmother loved flowers. Mom has always done flowers outside, but the inside flower arranging was a little bit unique and new to me,” Sheila said. “I knew a florist that had been doing flowers for about 40 years, and she showed me a lot of the tricks of the trade. She was a very good florist, so I learned a lot by watching and observing. I just picked it up and had an eye for it.”

The business of belonging

Walk past Uptown Pickers & House of Flowers on any given day and the storefront itself does great job of marketing from its spot on Market Street just off of the main square of McLeansboro.

“As people drive by you see my big flower cart and a lot of times we put stuff out on the corner,” Sheila said with a smile. “When people see stuff outside, they stop. If they have to drive three times around the square, they’re looking for a parking spot to come into my store.”

The customer base is as varied as the inventory itself.

“Most of my customers are looking for anything. They don’t have that one unique item that they’re looking for,” shared Sheila. “I have a lot of customers that come in that also have booths in other antique malls, so they’re looking for an individual item that they might resell.”

Thompson has expanded her reach beyond McLeansboro, opening a second location about 20 miles east, on Country Road 14 in Carmi. Sheila concedes that growth comes with its own challenges, because “I can’t be two places at one time,” Sheila acknowledged with a laugh.

“Working in retail in a small town sometimes is very difficult, because you don’t know when somebody is going to need something. So, it’s you. You’re everything to a business,” Sheila remarked. “You’re the sales, the marketing, and the maintenance man if need be. You’re the purchaser. So, you are everything in a small business.

“On the flip side of business in small town retail, you can take off when you want to,” Sheila continued. “You can close the door and walk if you have a personal need. People understand, and they don’t question your ethics of why you closed your door.”

Drawing customers from beyond Hamilton County is a deliberate strategy rooted in community connection.

“I am from this community. A lifelong member and resident here. I have a lot of friends and family, but I also have a lot of friends along the way that come from outside. I’m part of the Illinois Antique Association, so this shop is listed,” noted Sheila with pride. “Anybody that would potentially want to go on a day trip can look at their leaflet, and they can go from town to town and my store’s listed.”

In fact, Sheila explained to us she has loyal customers who visit Uptown Pickers from as far away as from Tennessee, Indiana, Florida and Kentucky, who enjoy the interesting antiques and unique treasures sold at her store.

“I have a broad knowledge of antiques, whether it be pottery, antique glassware, moon and stars or bittersweet swing vases. I have a lot of broad knowledge and not a lot of in-depth knowledge. I just can identify individual items,” Sheila said earnestly.

When Sheila realizes that her own knowledge can only take her so far, she said she turns to trusted friends.

“There’s a whole community of individuals that shop for picker stuff. I have my connections. If I don’t know about an item, I may call someone. And they’ll come in and look at it and tell me the value of it,” said Sheila looking around her shop. “Is it worth something? Is it really valuable? Is it junk?”

Sheila says she believes her business model reflects the collaborative spirit and trust that is at the heart of small-town commerce.

“Retail in a small town means your word is your bond,” noted Sheila. “People expect what you say, you’re going to do.”

That humanity extends to how Thompson approaches every transaction, especially those that are the most sensitive.

“If someone comes in and doesn’t have the money to spend and can’t pay for something, it’s going to happen. They’re not going to bury their loved one without the flowers or what they need. I will design (a floral arrangement) and will accommodate to their needs. I don’t have a set price. We can arrange something that meets their needs,” said Sheila. “My philosophy in business is it’s not all about the money. It’s about helping people. At the end of the day, if you’ve shared with someone and you’ve helped them, then you’ve been successful.”

It is a philosophy that reaffirms the very purpose of picking, according to Sheila.

“Being a picker is not about buying unique stuff and keeping it,” noted Sheila. “It’s about sharing with other individuals what they like to do, what they like to keep, and learning so much from the people that come through the door that have a lot more knowledge than I have.

“What makes my business a success is that I can bring myself to anybody’s level. I can talk about a lot of things and I can smile with people and not feel like I’m better than them. We’re here in a community, we’re small town. We’re here to help each other and lift each other up,” stated Sheila. “I think my business works best because it is in a small town. When people are picking, they look for small town shops. That’s where they find their prized pieces and very unique items.”

The story of Uptown Pickers & House of Flowers would not be complete without acknowledging a quiet partnership at its core. Every day, Sheila’s 86-year-old mother, Yvonne, is working at the store up to 6 days a week.

“Working with my mom is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. She’s here every day. She’s my biggest supporter. When I look to my back, I know who’s got it,” Sheila said with a loving smile. “My whole life is because of what I’ve been brought up to learn and I’ve had the pleasure of being brought up in a family that had work ethics, trust, and honesty. That means everything. That’s what it means to work in a small community.

“When I’m out of the store, I don’t have to worry about the McLeansboro store. My mom would never take anything. She would never be rude. She would never be dishonest to anybody. She’s going to put my customers first and foremost,” explained Sheila. “When someone walks through that door, we take excellent care of their needs. It may just be they need to talk to somebody and that’s what’s going to happen.

Five years into transforming a lifelong passion into a thriving small town destination, Sheila offers counsel to those who might follow a similar path.

“If you’re considering a career in retail and you’re in a small town, my advice is to remember that everybody is watching everything you say and do,” advised Sheila. “Be respectful, be ethical, and try to be mindful of others thoughts. We’re all here to serve one another in retail. That is our purpose. We are here to help others find what they’re looking for and to serve them.

“The most rewarding part about owning a retail business is the people that I have met along the way, not just in our town, but from miles away, said Sheila with a smile. “They come and I can talk about what they like, what I like, and we can share our vision together.

“My business matters to people in this community. When they walk through the door, they’re going to meet somebody that’s honest and can help them in their time of sorrow or their time of need, commented Sheila. “I have a big variety of things. Whether it be fun, we can have a laugh together or if it be sad, we can cry together.”