Cindy Van Belkom is transforming her 2½-year-old Anew Tea Emporium, Antiques and Gourmet into simply Anew Emporium.
Van Belkom said the change reflects the united multi-sensory experience in the shop at the heart of downtown Shawano.
Van Belkom, who once owned two women’s boutiques, came out of retirement to start the Tea Emporium in a onetime dance studio at 103 S. Main St. and rapidly expanded, adding a design center with vignettes of “shabby chic” consigned antiques and home décor within four weeks.
Ten months after opening, she brought in Northeast Wisconsin’s largest selection of Ultra Premium extra virgin olive oils and fine aged balsamic vinegars, wine/spirits, cheeses and other gourmet foods.
“It is multiple specialty stores under one roof,” Van Belkom said. “Customers say, ‘This place is like nowhere I’ve ever been! Is this a franchise? We would love this store in our community!’”
Van Belkom has phased out the antiques side and brought in locally crafted furniture, from rustic to finer pieces, and more home décor, including K&K Interiors and its new jewelry line.
“I’ve completed my three-part business plan, and the name doesn’t fit,” she said.
For Van Belkom, the name “Emporium” evokes the ancient trading markets that gathered eclectic, exotic goods from around the world into a single convenient location. “Anew” reflects the frequency of customers’ return to the store to find fresh treasures.
Van Belkom noted visitors come from miles away to browse in the 2,000-square-foot shop where they can explore the furnishings, sip tea samples from small pots, sample oils and vinegars, enjoy a fresh caprese with a silver spoon featuring Anew Emporium’s Tuscan herb EVOO and 18-year fine aged balsamic, enjoy fresh strawberries with dark chocolate balsamic, granola with blood orange EVOO and raw honey, and gouda cheeses with properly paired wines.
“It’s all-encompassing,” Van Belkom said. “We truly are a lifestyle store, and I wanted the name to reflect that experience.”
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