The Villager, a gallery of American craft, is moving locations after 39 years from Glenn Avenue to downtown College Street. The store is planning on opening the weekend of Sept. 18 in their new location next to Auburn Art. They are hoping this new location will bring in more customers, especially during the football season.






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As a 40-year-old family business, The Villager began as a custom framing shop. Now the store has an assortment of handmade gifts, jewelry, candles and art. Their collection of merchandise changes weekly as they receive diverse items from various artists.

“Sometimes in our old location on East Glenn, we can be tucked away, and this is going to give us the exposure that we’re looking for. Also, we will be right next door to our sister store, Auburn Art. Hopefully customers are going to love to shop both stores at the same time,” said Jessie King, director of marketing for The Villager.

King and other employees created an advisory board of their top customers. The group held meetings this summer. The individuals on this advisory board gave their opinions on what they love about the gallery and also things they believe the store should improve on.

“We’ve been taking their suggestions and then communicating those to the other customers of The Villager so we hope to not only meet the needs of our old customers, but also gain so many new customers,” said Jessie King, director of marketing.

Gail Brown, a frequent shopper of The Villager, said that she's excited that The Villager is moving downtown. “I am excited that The Villager is moving downtown to a more central location," Brown said. "I love the merchandise they have in the store, but I usually shop on College Street so I forget to stop by The Villager on Glenn."

Not only is The Villager looking forward to the local traffic of College Street, but also the football fans. Out of town guests love to shop up and down College Street on game days, and The Villager anticipates the exposure they will receive for their store and also their website, www.ShopVillager.com.