Mike and Christine Breutzmann opened MC Creations, a vintage furniture store, in downtown Antigo last week. In addition to simply selling vintage furniture, they will help customers design and create their own unique vintage pieces.
Mike and Christine Breutzmann cut the ribbon and celebrate the opening of their vintage furniture store, MC Creations, on Feb. 14. The store is at 907 Fifth Ave. in downtown Antigo. Their intent is twofold — keep quality products out of the landfill and offer vintage furniture that meets the creative specifications of the buyer.
Mike and Christine Breutzmann opened MC Creations, a vintage furniture store, in downtown Antigo last week. In addition to simply selling vintage furniture, they will help customers design and create their own unique vintage pieces.
Mike and Christine Breutzmann cut the ribbon and celebrate the opening of their vintage furniture store, MC Creations, on Feb. 14. The store is at 907 Fifth Ave. in downtown Antigo. Their intent is twofold — keep quality products out of the landfill and offer vintage furniture that meets the creative specifications of the buyer.
Mike and Christine Breutzmann decided to do away with a soft opening and simply throw open the doors to their new business, MC Creations.
The vintage furniture store is located at 907 Fifth Ave. in downtown Antigo. Their intent is twofold — keep quality products out of the landfill and offer vintage furniture that meets the creative specifications of the buyer.
“Our difference here in our store is we have a combination, for the furniture, of finished pieces and unfinished pieces,” Christine Breutzmann said. “You can come in as a customer and you want a set of end tables. You can either pick a finished piece, or you can pick from our inventory, and we will design it around what you want, for paint finishes, stains, a design experience for you so that you’re not just having to take what’s available. You get to help us create for you.”
Both have a passion to preserve history by keeping pieces out of the landfills and burn piles. Pieces are repaired and refinished, sometimes back to their original beauty and sometimes with a complete makeover using a variety of painting and decorating techniques. Even old scrap wood gets turned into creative projects like serving trays and oven boards.
“Christine has always loved vintage furniture,” Mike Breutzmann said. “She started redoing it as a hobby. After we retired, we thought, ‘We have the time. Why not?’”
Mike Breutzmann is originally from Antigo, while Christine Breutzmann is from South Carolina.
They met while serving in the U.S. Army at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. They returned to Antigo in 1995 to raise their two children, Alexandria and Andrew. They were drawn back by the charm of small town America and close family ties.
Mike and Christine Breutzmann both continued to serve in and retire from the Wisconsin National Guard, while working other jobs and raising their family. He retired as a staff sergeant after 24 years, and she retired as a sergeant after 20 years.
Both enjoy a lifelong interest in creating art, history and collecting.
“Besides the love of vintage and antiques, I love the history, and I love the detail in the craftsmanship in the old pieces. I’m a rescuer. I want to keep these pieces for generations to come,” Christine Breutzmann said. “I don’t want them to end up in the landfills and the burn piles. I think it’s really important to preserve the history of these pieces for future generations or they won’t know the quality of the workmanship.”
Vintage furniture is classified as items more than 50 years old, while antiques are 100 years or older.
Most items in the store are vintage, but there are some antique pieces as well. And there are some that are old but not yet vintage age.
In addition to the couches, chairs, tables, bed headboard and footboards, dressers, desks and shelves, MC Creations also features paintings, quilts, doilies, jewelry, kitchen items, albums and more.
“We have partnered up with local artists,” Christine Breutzmann said. “Those items, like the jewelry or the paintings, are either vintage or handcrafted.”
The Breutzmanns are excited to be part of the revitalization of downtown Antigo. They also have a desire to give back to the community. As both served in the Army, all military veterans get a 10% discount every day.
Each month a percentage of the store’s profits will be donated to a charity or organization. February’s recipient is AVAIL, the domestic violence shelter in Antigo.
“We feel so very blessed to be able to do this, to have this opportunity,” Christine Breutzmann said. “We just want to take a portion of that blessing and give it back.”
Store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays. Appointments can also be made by calling 715-216-6471.
