Here in the Bluegrass State, southeast of Bowling Green, sits the town of Scottsville. Although the town is small in population, it is large in wonderful places to shop for treasures! The shop we are focusing on is The Village Keep, located at the crossroads of Cemetery Road and Smiths Grove Road.
Before we talk about this unique shop, let’s talk about the people of The Village Keep, starting with the founder, Leeza Mills Glisson. Leeza met her husband, Tony Glisson, in college and they married in June 1980. Upon graduation from Mississippi State University, Leeza began her first career as The Teacher.
As a kindergarten teacher of 17 years, Leeza used science as a means for teaching all subjects to her students. This progressive method of teaching gained Leeza the respect of both other teachers and administration. Throughout her teaching career, Leeza earned many awards including the Presidential Award of Excellence, one of the highest awards in teaching.
In 1999, God called Leeza to take her love for children and become a Children’s Minister in her second career, The Preacher. She worked with parents and volunteers to ensure the spiritual growth of children birth through sixth grade in three churches in Bowling Green. After 18 years, Leeza felt ready to pass the minister’s torch to someone else and she retired from the formal role of pastor in 2018.
At that time, Leeza was already painting furniture as a hobby and loved the excitement that came with reviving an old piece of dated furniture with a facelift of paint and new pulls. The hobby quickly became a passion that provided enjoyment as well as extra income. At times, however, it became overwhelming and she realized she needed help. Not just anyone, but someone who had the same passions and work ethic. And someone with whom she enjoyed spending time. What a blessing when Penny Malone arrived on the scene to purchase some furniture! The two immediately hit it off and started painting together every day.
Penny and her family had just moved to the Scottsville area from upstate New York. Penny is originally from Wisconsin and has lived all over the United States. In many of those locations, she restored historical homes and filled them with period furnishings. She also spent many years doing equine rescue, while raising, training and boarding horses. With such a wide variety of experience, Penny fit right in with the furniture restoration business.
Meanwhile, Marcy and Sergio Martinez, who also have a home in Scottsville and a love for antiques and restoring furniture, met and developed a friendship and partnership with the Glissons. The Martinez’s own the building that is now the home of The Village Keep. The building, at the time, was vacant so the decision was made to open the store, and to create a combination of old and new merchandise, with items coming both from the area and from the Martinez’s hometown of Miami. The store is very eclectic, containing a wide variety of painted furniture, antiques, glassware, gifts, art, candles, fresh eggs and many other unique treasures. And at this point, Leeza became The Village Keep-er.
Leeza uses her teaching skills in the store by offering classes to the public, showing them how to paint and refinish pieces for themselves. She and Penny are eager and willing to help anyone choose décor and colors or find special pieces. Customers can also request custom paint finishes for their own furniture.
The shop itself has a great aesthetic. Accessories are displayed so authentically they create a seamless look with period pieces. Vases, figurines, lamps, novelties and household items are arranged with a keen eye. Beds, dressers, cabinets, chairs, tables and unique hidden gems are readily available. Leeza and Penny are constantly looking for exceptional treasures to grow The Village Keep both in-store and online.
Leeza is passing her love for antiques to her grandson, Hudson. He is a very serious eight-year-old that works hard at The Village Keep to make his corner of the store the best. He sells small antiques and, with the money earned, he buys more for his personal collection.
As you can see, The Teacher is still teaching, The Preacher is still caring for people and the journey for The Village Keep-er is just beginning. This one-of-a-kind store is located at 5875 Smiths Grove Road in Scottsville, Kentucky. Come in and visit Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm.
-submitted by The Village Keep
