When Joseph Murphy purchased an old variety store, he and his family dreamed of establishing Blue Island as an antique destination. Thirty years later, he and his family are reflecting on how they created a community space for vintage and antique lovers across all generations.
Three Sisters Antique Mall, 13042 S. Western Ave., opened in July 1996 and was named after Murphy’s three daughters: Jackie, Julie and Cara. The building occupies former F.W. Woolworth five-and-dime, a variety store built in 1918 that closed in 1993.
“I put my heart and soul into this place,” Murphy said. “We’ve been really committed to making sure it has lasted, and I think we’ve gotten through the worst of times.”
The 14,000-square-foot space hosts more than 90 different vendors selling hundreds of antiques and collectibles. It has two levels open to the public, with the third level belonging to Murphy and his wife.
Since opening, the store has undergone a complete transformation. Much of the original structures have been torn down to create large spaces for vendors to set up booths and cases. For example, the old basement has shingles for dealers to hang signs and a cobblestone lane inspired by the streets of Salzburg, Austria.
Tina Carso, who has been a vendor since day one, has two booths and two cases. She collects items from estate sales such costume jewelry, perfume and vinyl records.
Carso said it has been amazing watching the mall become a community space.
“I think the community really appreciates and loves us. We have a lot of loyal customers who have come in over and over again,” Carso said.
Having been a part of the mall’s journey for so long, she said she has seen customers who have been coming for decades but more recently spoken with many newcomers.
Carso said social media is one attributing factor to the mall’s rising popularity.
Back in July, a social media influencer named Kaylee Jo Flores visited the mall and posted for all 234,000 of her Instagram followers to see. She showed off a blue vintage dress, mid-century modern furniture and glassware.
“I literally spent over 2.5 hours here and already planning my next trip,” Flores said in the caption of her Instagram post.
Murphy said after she visited, lines were out the door.
Andrew Soukup, a vendor and front end manager, said the store’s sales are the best they have ever been. He said he also noticed a trend of more young people that reflects both new fashion trends and the power of social media.
“I see all ages and especially over the past five years we’ve seen an influx of not just young people coming in and getting into vintage culture, but also the vendors that come and sell here,” Soukup said.
Soukup said one thing that helped the mall attracted a wide audience is having a variety of items.
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Soukup said he once watched someone call his girlfriend five times because he did not know what to buy and did not want to buy anything for himself. He said that is one of the reasons why he has a mixture of items, some geared more toward men, and others geared more toward women.
His space includes items such as coffee mugs and antique toy Cadillacs.
Other vendors have found success establishing a specific niche.
Candy Fitzgibbon, who has had her space for a few months, specializes in oddities such as taxidermized animals and things she finds out in nature like bones. Some of her favorite items include two duckling heads she stitched together onto one body, and a bat she hung upside down in a black cage.
Fitzgibbon said she was initiallly unsure how many people would be interested in her items, but has watched people of all ages and genders shop at her space.
“At first, it was like I’m never going to be able to sell bones, and now I’ve sold whole tables of bones,” Fitzgibbon said.
Co-owner Jackie Murphy said they hope to keep strengthening the mall as an inclusive community space. They are collaborating with other vintage stores by creating a Facebook support group to share ideas.
Through continuous collaboration and appealing to a diverse range of customers, Joseph Murphy said he hopes Three Sisters will remain a community staple for years.
“We’re on the map,” Joseph Murphy said.