It seems appropriate that an antique shop would help breathe new life into an old building

Picket Fence Antiques and Flea market opened its new location on Hillcrest Drive last Friday in what used to be a dormitory for nurses at Hillcrest Infirmary.

“We love it,” said co-owner Faye O’Halloran, who purchased the property with her daughter Cindy Duke and move the shop there from River Falls Road. “Look at the

gorgeous woodwork and vintage wallpaper.”

The old building’s space was another highlight for O’Halloran, who said its two stories and 5,000-square feet is about five times the size of their old place.

“I love how there’s room to see everything,” said Andalusia resident and customer Dianne Chavers. “I really enjoyed browsing. I’ll be back.”

She said she plans to bring a friend from Prattville along in the near future.

O’Halloran said the extra space will allow her and her daughter to bring their other business, a garden shop, to that location in a couple of months.

“We loved it because it met all of our needs,” O’Halloran said of the building “It’s a good location.”

The space will also allow the shop to host up to 50 dealers at a time. Dealers will pay to rent rooms, or booths in the shop. O’Halloran said the shop already has dealers from as far away as Memphis, Tenn. and Destin, Fla.

Despite closing the original location in February, O’Halloran said business has been great, thanks in large part to a loyal customer base and the shop’s page on social networking site Facebook.

“Oh, I love it,” said customer Pat Knowles, of Gantt. “I came in right after she opened. There’s such a variety of things and it’s now so much easier to see what’s in the store.”

In addition to the antiques that fill the various rooms of the new shop, O’Halloran plans to spruce up the wide hallways with art frtom local artists. She calls it “Art in the Halls.”

The store is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.