‘A lifetime of experiences.’ Bellefonte antique shop owner retiring after more than 30 years

After a more than 30-year career, a local antique shop owner is preparing to retire and close the store he’s had in Bellefonte for almost two decades.

Mitch Bradley, owner of Victorian House Antiques at 121 S. Allegheny St., announced his retirement last month after being in the antique collecting, hunting and selling business for 31 years.

He’s spent 19 of those years in downtown Bellefonte, and Bradley is planning on moving his antique selling business completely online after his store closes in the coming months. He has mixed emotions about the end of what’s been a long chapter in his life.

“While I am pretty excited about retirement, I have to say, a lot of these feelings that are coming to me right now are pretty bittersweet,” Bradley said in his shop Thursday, surrounded by hundreds of antiques. “I’ve met some wonderful people in this business and have made a lifetime of experiences doing what I do, but I think the time to call it quits has come.”

Bradley, who’s a Bellefonte native and Penn State graduate, opened his first antique shop in Chester, N.J., but his love of history and historic items started long before his first antique-related business venture in the Garden State.

Growing up, he developed a fascination with local history and started collecting historic post cards from the area — a hobby that would lead him to write two books on the borough he called home.

After graduating college, Bradley got his first job in New Jersey and opened his first antique shop soon after in 1994. He spent 12 years in the adjacent state before moving his business back to Bellefonte.

“I always knew that Bellefonte was home for me, so making the decision to move back here really didn’t take much thought,” Bradley said. “The people here are wonderful, the history of the town is rich and the architecture seen on the buildings here is awesome too. It’s a great place to be at.”

Bradley has spent the last 19 years making a name for himself in the Victorian town, buying and selling high-end antiques, jewelry and other gold and silver products.

Those looking to visit his store will find a wide collection of goods that, Bradley said, “will hopefully appeal to anyone’s interests.”

Upon entering the shop, visitors are greeted by several rows of antiques, with each one ranging in size, age and color. Antique furniture as tall as any customer can be found around all corners, with other, smaller collector’s items being shown on top of them — and in the many other display cases around the store.

Paintings and decorative pieces line the walls, and in addition to the lights hanging from the ceiling, the shop is adorned with a variety of antique and decorative lamps, with no two being quite the same.

Over the years, as both his store and personal collection of antiques grew, Bradley’s wife, Lynne Mitchell, began to take up the role of a filter for what pieces could stay at home, and what should be sold in the store.

Lynne said there have been “way too many” items over the years that haven’t passed her at-home eye test, but regardless of that — and her husband’s endless appetite for new antique discoveries — she’s happy to have been a part of her husband’s career.

“We’ve hardly got the room back at our house for some of the stuff (Bradley) brings home, but despite that he does still bring things back to me to see if I like them,” Lynne said. “It’s been an neat experience though, and I’m happy to see him retire doing what he loves.”

In the months leading up to his last day — which has yet to be decided upon but he expects to be after spring — Bradley is planning on selling as much of the merchandise in his store as he possibly can, with a sale in place from now until the store’s closure.

Many of the store’s antiques will be also sold at three auctions, ran by Ron Gilligan’s Auctioneering.

The first will take place at the Baileyville Grange Hall in Pennsylvania Furnace on March 29. The remaining two auctions will both be held at Victorian House Antiques on April 27 and June 22, with the times for the auctions yet to be determined.

Following the completion of the final auction, Bradley is hoping that he’ll have his business fully prepared for online selling, but said he’ll look back on his time in Bellefonte fondly.

“I just hope that the shop has been looked at as a business of quality in all of the years we’ve been here,” Bradley said. “Bellefonte is a great town and deserves businesses that people can walk into, explore and see things they might not have known they wanted. ... Hopefully whatever business comes into this space after us will be something that people can enjoy.”

After retiring, Bradley is hoping that he’ll get to spend more time with his family and friends, while also making some time for travel.

Any goods that Bradley sells after he retires and closes his shop will be done through eBay, under the seller name “vhouseantiques.”

Victorian House Antiques’ hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. More updates on Bradley’s retirement, shop closure and upcoming auctions can be found at the shop’s Facebook page.