Ubet You Can Turn Your Passion into a Business

Charlie and Victoria, owners of Ubetcha Antiques and Uniques in Tower, MN, both worked in law enforcement for most of their lives. On the weekends, the two would put on antique sales in the front lawn of their cabin in Wisconsin. When retirement came about, the two didn’t hesitate to buy a storefront where they could turn their weekend passion into an actual business. 

Ubetcha Antiques and Uniques became a reality in spring of 2014. Together, Charlie and Victoria sell vintage and collectibles, repurpose items, as well as feature local artists in their shop. From the second they put the word out about their new business, it grew exponentially. Today, the two have several dealers that rent space from them, have cosigners, and put on flea markets in their empty lot on the weekends. They even broke through the wall in their building to add their sister company, Uffdah Thrifts and Gifts, to the mix. 

Charlie and Victoria knew one of the Entrepreneur Fund’s business advisors personally, but never knew that they worked with such a wide range of business owners. Now, going into year two of working with their local business advisor, Victoria has described it as, “a real blessing to us.” 

The two have used almost every resource that the Entrepreneur Fund has to offer – advising, lending, TA services, Be Strategic, networking/grant programs, and more. As Victoria puts it, “It doesn't matter how long you've been in business, there's always ways to do things smarter and more efficient and to keep a mindset that you can always still learn.” 

By deciding to be lifelong learners and putting in extra work with their local business advisor, Ubetcha Antiques and Uniques doubled its profits and were able to hire their first employee, change their hours to save on overhead costs, make improvements to their building, update their business vehicle, and secure needed COVID-19 relief. 

Charlie and Victoria take pride in preserving history and rehoming items. Being able to witness a piece of history be loved by somebody new is what drives them to continue doing what they’ve been doing for years.