Sugar Maples Antiques & Gifts
“It’s like walking into a different world.”
Shop owner Glenda Bir said her husband once made this statement about Sugar Maples Antiques & Gifts in downtown Jeffersonville: “People just get lost in it.”
Sugar Maples Antiques & Gifts is a unique blend of old, new and in between. The shop offers antiques, primitive items, collectibles and new gifts.
The shop’s memorable name comes from the fact that Maple Street was lined with sugar maple trees about 80 years ago. There are still some remaining on the 600 block of Maple.
The shop’s memorable name comes from the fact that Maple Street was lined with sugar maple trees about 80 years ago. There are still some remaining on the 600 block of Maple.
The shop’s journey began in April 2006, when a group of friends had a vision to open a shop unlike any in the area. “Not knowing if we would make it but hoping we would, we gave it our all, and here we are 19 years later,” Bir said.
Shop partner Diana Kircher, Bir’s cousin, said many people told them it wouldn’t be open a year. “It’s not a big profit, but it’s what we love to do,” Kircher said.
Bir’s and Kircher’s love of collecting their own antiques led them and other friends to pursue opening the shop. Bir said she collected so many things she didn’t have room for in her own home and had had booths in other antique shops before.
“We’re both retired, and I’m not one to sit and watch TV all day, so it gives me something to get out and do,” she said.
Their other shop partner, Sandra Phillips, retired at the end of March. While Bir and Kircher have had many partners over the years, they are the only remaining two from the original group of owners.
They also have a friend who prefers to be referred to as “Shopcat.” She helps them out in the store whenever help is needed.
Making so many friends and meeting new customers is one of the many reasons Kircher and Bir love working in the shop.
Another is their love of downtown Jeffersonville.
“All of downtown Jeff has been good to us. The mayor is always there; anything we need, our Main Street merchants, Jeff Main Street, [Jeffersonville Main Street Inc.’s Executive Director] Jay Ellis … they help us with things and have all kinds of events downtown we participate in.”
– Glenda Bir
“All of downtown Jeff has been good to us,” Bir said. “The mayor is always there; anything we need, our Main Street merchants, Jeff Main Street, [Jeffersonville Main Street Inc.’s Executive Director] Jay Ellis … they help us with things and have all kinds of events downtown we participate in.”
Events downtown include wine walks, a chocolate stroll, a turkey stroll and a holiday open house.
“The whole downtown participates. It brings in so many people,” Bir said.
Dr. Fleming, whom they rent the building from, has been a huge blessing to them, according to Kircher. “She’s just really taken care of us.”
They credit all of the above with bringing downtown Jeffersonville alive in recent years, especially with events and the building of the walking bridge.
“All kinds of restaurants have popped up and a lot of little boutiques … it’s a fun place to be. I’m happy to be in this area,” Bir said.
She said many of their customers stop by during their lunch breaks downtown, which she herself used to do when she worked elsewhere.
Their personal love of antiques and the hunt for unique finds are what truly drive their motivation. They host 13 dealers who rent spaces and are charged a commission. Most of their dealers have been with them the entire 19 years they have been open. Items are found in a variety of ways, including estate sales, auctions and word of mouth.
Their personal love of antiques and the hunt for unique finds are what truly drive their motivation. They host 13 dealers who rent spaces and are charged a commission. Most of their dealers have been with them the entire 19 years they have been open. Items are found in a variety of ways, including estate sales, auctions and word of mouth.
All of the dealers have their own tastes, which Kircher said contributes to the variety of goods that can be found in the shop — something for everyone.
In the future, they plan to feature their dealers on the Sugar Maples Facebook page so customers can get to know the Sugar Maples family.
“Each one has a unique flair that makes our shop what it is. The treasures they hunt down become your great next find,” Bir said. “Truly a labor of love.”
Kircher said it’s always interesting to see what inspires the customers to choose certain items.
“I hope they have as much fun getting it, buying it, looking at it, as I did getting it and distributing it. It’s really just a community.”
– Diana Kircher
“I hope they have as much fun getting it, buying it, looking at it, as I did getting it and distributing it,” she said. “It’s really just a community.”
Bir and Kircher both said their love of the hunt inspires their love of the shop. “Wherever I go, I’m always looking for something. If I can’t use it, then it comes to the shop if I think it’d be something good to sell,” Kircher said.
“I don’t know what else we would do,” Bir said.
Kircher added, “Some people play golf or bridge; we hunt for antiques.” •
Former Courier-Journal columnist Bob Hill enjoys gardening, good fun, good friends and the life he and his wife, Janet have built.
Story and Photo by Bob Hill
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