“It was the House Tour weekend,” said Mrs. Willis

“It was the House Tour weekend,” said Mrs. Willis said.

Since then, the door has been opened by a steady stream of customers.

And, while many of the first visitors were weekend guests or customers from Northern Virginia, Mrs. Willis wants the local residents to remember her shop for “wedding gifts or just for a special thought for someone."

Rare Finds has flexible hours—it’s usually open during business hours several days a week though by appointment, if necessary. Mrs. Willis or one of her employees, Cheryl Petot, will oblige.

The shop is three rooms—filled with variety, era and style.

Decorated in a style somewhere between Georgian and Williamsburg, the walls in their deep shades of red and blue accent the potpourri of items inside.

There is new china and old, museum quality and kitchen quality. There are Oriental rugs ranging in price from $30 to thousands of dollars. There are lamps and children’s items and candle holders and European and American antiques and jewelery and jams and preserves and baskets and walking sticks and wall hangings and many more items, arranged with style and taste.

“It’s been so fun,” Mrs. Willis said, adjusting an item on display, “like open house without the cooking.”

“I’ve never given it a second thought,” she said with pride, glancing around the shop.

“This is so fun and so much more fun than driving,” she laughed.

“This has been learning on the job,” she said of her shop, adding that she hopes to add what people request and things she finds along the way.

A future addition would be a grandmother’s corner and other unique items, though Mrs. Willis said it will be at least one year before the fabric and wallpaper samples arrive.

“I want to dedicate all my energies to this, first,” she said, adding if design assistance is needed the shop is available.

“Our customers are our best teachers,” she said with a smile, adding through them, she hopes to learn.