Nina Skic and her niece Missy Cayley have opened The Crooked Queen, a venue filled with unique home decor with a vintage twist from past to present. The business is located at N1764 High Ridge Rd., east of Merrill off Hwy. 64.
Rather than have regular business hours, this seasonal shop offers a fall and Christmas market.
Nina had formerly operated Just Country Craft Shop with her sister. After that shop closed, Nina and Missy came up with a new plan for The Crooked Queen.
“This is something we’ve been dreaming about forever,” Nina said.
The country setting is ideal for their business, she added. “We have the perfect venue for what we’re doing.”
The Crooked Queen specializes in unique decor – reinventing salvaged goods into one-of-a-kind pieces. This family inspired team collects unique items and adds a vintage touch. In fact, they had to open up a second building to display everything.
“We had such a big collection we wanted to display, so we opened a second shed,” Nina said.
About half of their merchandise is repurposed items and the other half is new. The new merchandise is carefully selected to complement the unique salvaged goods, Nina said.
The Crooked Queen’s first open house in September drew hundreds to the rural shop for a weekend.
“I can’t believe the support we’ve had,” Nina said. “It was awesome.”
The second fall market will be this weekend, Oct. 4 & 5, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. both days. The Christmas market is set for Nov. 14-16 from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. each day.
During the markets, The Crooked Queen offers snacks and refreshments such as hot apple cider and muffins.