Nestled in the vibrant mid-section of Cherokee Street, Impossible Mart & Variety Store breathes new life into a previously vacant historic commercial building. After living in the neighborhood for the past 20 years, the store’s owner, Katy McKay, is ready to undertake the challenge of revitalizing the space through curated antiques, novelty thrift finds, and local vendors specializing in a variety of hand-crafted and resale products.
Vendors include Terminal Classic, which sells screenprinted T-shirts; The Whiskey Ring, which plans to sell the bar’s merchandise; Starburst Vintage; Sifted Thrift; and Urban Myth Boutique. Ashley Johnson, the owner of Urban Myth Boutique, says she is excited for the opportunity to sell her handcrafted soaps, candles, home goods, and refurbished furniture in the new space. “This gives me the opportunity to just put my things in front of people in a less intimidating process,” she says.
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As for the store’s punchy name, McKay says that she decided to stick with the word “impossible” after the building’s previous occupant Impossible Sensing, an optical sensing technology lab that conducted deep-sea and outer space research. “Mart,” then, harkens back to both the old-timey antiques sold in the store and the handful of surrounding businesses that share the label, like the Grand Furniture Mart just a few blocks down.
After a low-key soft opening on Sept. 1, the store has enjoyed light but consistent interest from passing pedestrians, local thrift shoppers, and antique aficionados alike. McKay, a self-described introvert who would rather spend her time hunting for valuable finds than networking and advertising, says that the understated opening was intentional. “I’m not, like, standing outside yelling about this, [I’m] keeping it kind of quiet, so I like that people are curious about it. That’s what I want,” McKay says.
In fact, getting to root through auctions and wholesale stores for new inventory is one of the aspects of the job she’s most excited about after a previous career in administrative work.
“I’ve been doing accounting work my whole life and I’m bored, and I’m not interested in [that] anymore. It’s easy. And I can make a lot of money doing it, but I have a passion for antique malls,” McKay says.
In many ways, McKay is the perfect person to open Impossible Mart. From frequenting the antique shops on Cherokee Street as a child with her mother to now living in a house replete with vintage curios, McKay has always had a passion for the unique and eccentric. “That’s really where my heart lies, is all that dirty, rusty, old, abandoned stuff. That inventory is not as accessible, but it’s my favorite type of inventory,” she says.
Because of her fascination with antiques and her commitment to hard work, McKay reports receiving an outpouring of support from people who’ve told her, in her words, “I want to be a part of this in some way, shape, or form.” She hopes that this support will lead to further success through foot traffic and word of mouth.
Ultimately, McKay hopes to cultivate a sense of engagement and wonder as shoppers roam through Impossible Mart’s handful of capacious, ornate rooms. She says, “I just want people to be curious and wonder, ‘What’s going on here?’” as they explore each new corner.
