​Lyddie still has her Etsy store online and a year or so ago she opened up shop in “Workshop Vintage Market,” a business in downtown Shelby filled with an eclectic assortment of dealers. Right now this works well for Lyddie as she works to build the business into a full-time career. But now in addition to running her shop, helping when she can at home, and other tasks a young entrepreneur is faced with…Lyddie is holding down three jobs while also enrolled at Western Carolina University. She’s a nanny to two families, manages the local Loft Outlet’s Instagram account (and occasionally works there on weekend as well)…all the while finding every chance she can to go pickin.’

Dad’s Collectibles in Saluda is filled top to bottom, corner to corner with history and it’s obvious that owner Mark Ray is not just a shopkeeper. He’s part historian and part storyteller and can tell you the background of each item crammed into his shop. When you leave, you will have been enlightened.
 
On first glance you might think Dad’s Collectibles is a toy store. Not at all, though of course any of the items could be played with. And there are certainly items that children would love to get their hands on. Mark has Hot Wheels and is even a Breyer distributor for their line of equine items.
 
But this is most certainly a treasure store for adults. Mark has always been an enthusiast of die cast models whether it’s planes, trains, or automobiles. If it rolls or flies there’s a good chance Mark has it. These items are incredibly detailed down to the last bolt and they are truly collectibles.

He lives and breathes this passion for keeping history alive. In fact, he set up shop in the Historic Saluda Depot so that he could help keep the museum portion of the depot open on a daily basis. And if you wish to dig a bit deeper, Mark was also one of the influential folks who helped convert the old depot building into the museum that more than 10,000 people a year visit. 
 
Mark has had a love affair with models since childhood. What’s nice, he says, is that “what one can’t afford in full scale they can afford as a model.” His parents were involved in various forms of transportation. His mom was a flight attendant (called stewardess back then) for a few years back in the mid to late fifties until she married his dad and was forced to give up her job. His dad worked with Ford Motor Company for many years and was also a regional sales rep for Winnebago. His granddad worked as paymaster and treasurer with Queen City Coach out of Charlotte. It would seem natural that his parents’ and granddad’s work experiences led Mark to this hobby, which led to this being his work. 

To most people, they just dream about turning a hobby into their profession! To Mark, it just seemed natural.

Mark would love to see kids put down their smartphones, iPads, and Bluetooth headphones and see them instead get dirt under their nails and sunshine on their faces. Collecting something like a classic car, plane, or train could start that new interest in something other than electronics. 
 
Mark reflects, “At the end of the day, Dad’s Collectibles is my way of remembering some of the past and some of those treasured times in my youth and this is one of the few stores that puts you back in that era. You can’t move forward into the future if you don’t know your past.”
 

The shop is owned and operated by business partners Jeaneen Cobourn and Debbie Denton. Jeaneen is there all the time and Debbie comes in on most Saturdays. The two ladies started the store in 1995 and do it all. They always have. Jeaneen’s husband comes by to cut the grass and take care of other chores from time to time, but it’s Jeaneen and Debbie’s pride and joy and they make up the entire staff. 

The store overflows into three buildings within just a few feet of each other. Each of these buildings is crammed full of interesting treasures. In addition to antiques (and there are a lot of them), The Country Peddler also sells other items one might expect from a “general store.” So next to antiques you’ll find salves, liniments, Fuller Brush items, candy, toys, corn meal, and grits. Jeaneen says she has regulars who drop by just to pick up some salve, or oilcloth, or a bag of meal. The Country Peddler is so much more than just another antiques store.

​If you’re not from this part of the foothills, you might not know that the area has become an antique-lovers paradise. It’s a destination for antique seekers from Greenville, Spartanburg, Asheville and places in-between and farther afield. It takes a bit of knowledge to find this one because it’s just a bit off the beaten path and that’s what drew Jeaneen to this location. She and Debbie had batted around the idea of starting some kind of business together and this was their choice. Jeaneen said, the “location spoke to me. It’s quiet and rural and I didn’t want to be in the middle of a city somewhere. This location was perfect.”

You will find the Country Peddler at 305 Depot Street in Campobello, South Carolina. It’s open 10 to 5, Tuesday through Saturday. There is a website (www.countrypeddlersc.com) and basic info can be found there. But if you really want to know what they have, you’re going to need to get yourself there. Phone: 864/ 468-5200.