Lord & Lady opens in downtown Manson

MANSON - One of the best kept secrets in Manson is a new business in our community and a new member of the Manson Chamber of Commerce. That will all change on Saturday, July 15 when the Manson Chamber will host a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m.  “Lord & Lady” is located in the Manson Center, 145 Wapato Way. “Lord & Lady” is one of the first tenants in the Manson Center owned by Marcus and Trie Smith. “We are in the last stages of an extensive remodel to this historic, hundred year old building. Beside “Lord & Lady” our tenants include Valley Barber, Cheval Cellars, additional spaces are available to rent,” Marcus said.
I asked owners, Geff Cerna and Elke Reiter to describe “Lord & Lady”. “We are an antique, vintage, collectibles and gift store; a shop of treasures to be found, loved and enjoyed by others. We are not just another retail store, we plan to have many opportunities for community involvement and growth through various ideas and plans including scholarships, internships and community service opportunities for Manson High School students. Much growth will be happening in this small corner of Manson.”
Geff and Elke are best friends and business partners. Through family connections, they have known each other for nearly 25 years. Their primary connection is the love of antiques. Both have collected and sold antiques for many years. The idea of opening a “store front” business, in addition to selling on the Internet began several years ago. With abundant storage spaces for their antiques, moving to a retail space made financial and good business sense.
Geff and Elke grew up on the west side of the mountains, near the Pacific Ocean. Geff graduated from Monsanto High School with Elke attending Aberdeen High School.  Both are lifelong learners, Geff just graduated, June 16, from Wenatchee Valley College with a with a degree Criminal Justice. Geff spent most of his working career in the lumber industry. Elke received a degree in Criminal Justice from the Wenatchee Valley College and has worked in the health care industry most of her life. Elke is blessed with eight children, all still living in Manson with three that graduated from Manson High School, and Geff boast of being “papa” to 14.
The reason both moved to Manson was a chance to start a new life. “We like the welcoming and beautiful environment, the lake isn’t that bad either,” Elke said. They kept busy just working, living daily lives, and preparing to open a storefront, Lord & Lady, which they did on May 10.
When asked how the name “Lord & Lady” came about, Elke replied, “We tossed around several ideas for names, nothing seemed to fit the aesthetic (aesthetic is used to talk about beauty or art, and people's appreciation of beautiful things). We had recently acquired notoriety land and titles in Scotland. Lord & Lady was perfect.”
Lord & Lady mainly acquires their stock via estate sales. Elke added, “Treasures are found everywhere; one must just see a piece to see its beauty.” When visiting Lord & Lady you will find many unique, one of a kind treasures. Most are for sale but a few are just on display. I asked Elke and Geff to share their favorite item in the store. Geff said, “Mine is a painting signed Chezar: artist Boris Chezar born 1913 died 2008. This is an oil and sand on canvas streetscape, and framed.” Elke’s is one of the not for sale items. “My favorite is a 1800's Ira Bradley Illustrated Family Holy Bible, containing pictures of original family with beautiful hand writings inside,” Elke said.
 Lord & Lady does take some items on consignment. Drop by the store during normal business hours to learn more.
Summer hours for Lord & Lady are, after the grand opening, Sunday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Thursday-Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m.