Surry Business

Carol Hiatt has opened Shopper’s Paradise at 317 S. Franklin Road, a 4,000-square-foot former mill and warehouse across the road from Calvary Baptist Church of Mount Airy.

Shopper’s Paradise’s merchandise includes “thousands of furniture, decorative and household antiques that make up Carol’s vast collection,” according to an article by Brooke R. Corwin in the Dec. 11 edition of Surry Messenger. “It’s an eclectic mix, including everything from glassware and kitchen items to old trunks and chairs to handcrafted pencil sharpeners — all plucked from the shelves of auctions, flea markets and the old houses the Hiatts have restored.”

Carol and her husband, Steve Hiatt, purchased the building three months ago, originally planning to remodel it into a home. The Hiatts said they may remodel an upstairs space into an apartment for themselves in the future.

“I’ve realized this is where I’m supposed to be. It’s what I was meant to do,” Carol Hiatt told Corwin. “Before this I couldn’t find my niche in life. It took me a long time to realize what I’m most happy doing.”