GALESBURG, Ill. — Kelli Kistler has always had a knack for salvaging and renewing — first small auction finds, and now an entire building.

From one room to downtown

She owns The Junk Drawer, 74 N. Chambers St., a vintage shop she has steadily grown over the past decade. What began as a one-room space on Losey Street expanded to a storefront on South Cherry Street, and now has a permanent home in a 1,500-square-foot brick building downtown.

Taking a chance on Chambers Street

Kistler bought the Chambers Street property at auction in 2022 for $15,000, rescuing it from years of vacancy and decline. Built as the home of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and later used for bars such as Benny’s Tap, the structure was in rough shape. She has since invested more than $35,000 in repairs, including a new roof, electrical and plumbing systems, heating, tuckpointing, resurfacing the parking lot and new signage.

Balancing nursing and renovations

The renovations were piled on top of her full-time job as a nurse at Knox County Nursing Home, where she often works nights. Clearing out the building alone required dumpsters of debris and the cleanup of damage left by vandals. Friends and family pitched in to help, and her husband, Sean, built the wooden “homes” for each vendor. The building’s original bar still stands as a reminder of its past.

Nostalgia in every corner

Today, The Junk Drawer is filled with items from 35 vendors. Visitors often pause to reminisce — “My grandma had that,” or “I’ve never seen one of those.”

Tie-dyed shirts remain popular thanks to longtime vendor LeeAnn Boone, who died in 2025. A framed photo of Boone hangs near the register in tribute to her friendship and hard work.

Still room to grow

The Chambers Street location officially opened on Dec. 7, 2024. For now, vendors occupy only the first floor, while renovations continue upstairs — a sign that Kistler’s business is still growing.

The Junk Drawer is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The business can be reached at 309-371-6568 and on Facebook at facebook.com/profile.php?id=100047635943995.

Photos by Talbot Fisher/Galesburg Community News