FORT PIERCE — The owners of a new antique mall expect to open Hidden Treasures of the Treasure Coast in a few weeks on U.S. 1.

Manny and Barbie Martinez, who said they have been in antiques for 15 years, plan to have their 20,000-square-foot building at 3128 N. U.S. 1 ready for business on Nov. 16. They began moving in as soon as they could Sunday.

“We’re very excited,” said Manny Martinez. “This is our livelihood.”

He plans first to open half of the store, which would hold 60 antique vendors, and then to open the other half near the end of November, which would hold 50 more.

As of Monday, Martinez said 24 vendors had quested spaces for rent.

He signed a 10-year lease for Hidden Treasures, formally known as Red Rooster of the Treasure Coast, but not associated with Red Rooster Attic.

Martinez said the landlord is required to fix the building’s roof and electrical system within the next three months. He already had ripped out the old carpet and painted the inside, and he plans to paint the outside and put up new signs and lettering next week.

“We were looking to open up a place,” he said. “We’ve had businesses all our lives.”

Martinez said they owned an antique mall in Miami for seven years until Hurricane Andrew damaged it. They then opened a store in Pompano Beach for four years until the building’s owner sold it.

He moved to Stuart in 2000 for a job while his wife continued in antiques with several booths in other stores.

But after being laid off in 2003, Martinez joined his wife as a partner. They have been looking for a building to use for an antique mall since the beginning of the year.

“It’s going to be a really nice place,” he said.
Laurie K. Blandford, TCPalm.com

Tags: antiques, business, mall, vendors

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