The Vintage Station

Chamber of Commerce business in Staunton, takes its name from railroad travel of days gone by.  Sara Caldieraro started in the resale business in 2005 at the Benld Coliseum. In 2006, Sara became a vendor at The Pink Elephant in Livingston until she was ready to open her own business in 2014.  A running joke between Sara and her father-in-law, Emil Caldieraro, an ITS rail worker, was that they would someday get a caboose and open a flower shop.

At first glance the store may look small, but it is packed with numerous items Sara has accumulated.  She follows advice she received years ago from Fran Ruffini, telling her, "Now Sara don't be afraid to buy because you can't sell from an empty basket". She also taught her that "the shop will take its own root," meaning you will learn what items sell and which ones don't.

Today Sara has jewelry, girly things, clothes, home décor and floral designs of which many of the signs and all of the floral items are made at her shop. She also makes custom orders for wedding gifts, anniversaries and special occasions. Her business comes mostly from the surrounding area, but she also has international clients who purchase items to be sent elsewhere as gifts. A lot of her shoppers are groups of women who hear about her store through "The Buzz" and make a day of shopping looking for specific items. Sara also has clients that will shop by phone and she delivers to them on a regular basis.

Candles, food items, vintage jewelry and wine are some of her more popular items. Sara's most prized sale items are a couple of her travel suitcases and old music instrument cases. These pieces follow the theme of her business. She hopes to someday find a baggage cart that the conductors would use to load luggage onto the train. Another prize sale item is a 1915 cash register that works.

Sara is well connected in the business. Some of her pieces come from people who are downsizing or have inherited assets they don't need. Sara then gets the first chance to hand pick items she wants for resale.

Sara hopes to someday have a market on her property where vendors can sell their produce and food trucks set up regularly on the parking lot. She loves to see others prosper. There are tables and chairs available inside and out for shoppers to stay and enjoy her wine and beer on the premises. If a group wants to come and hangout inside or out, Sara will stay open for them. Groups can also call and schedule an evening on the patio area. Pre-covid she would have evening jewelry parties for groups and would love to get that started again.  Sara likes to stock her store with items you can't find locally. The Scotch Oatmeal cookies and Ted Drewes ice cream are a couple of our favorites.  We didn't make it out of the parking lot before 2 cookies were missing from our bag.

Lynn and Nancy Neuhaus