Uncommon Treasures is a browser’s paradise. Wander in the door and your world slows down a little. The walls are lined with recycled display cases, each one full of delightful objects.
Here is a porcelain vase. There is a pin and over there, a music box. Look a little farther and you see a print or a painting or a bronze helmet. Pretty soon you have found something that is just right for that special gift or for your own niche or tabletop. You’ll find sculpture, silk prints, earrings, cards and more.
Peter Diehl opened Uncommon Treasures in November 1989 in a small space upstairs in the oldest commercial building on Hawthorne. At various times the store sold antiques and used books. After eight years in that space, he moved the store downstairs to its current location, 3526 SE Hawthorne.
Now twenty years old, the store has evolved from antiques to its present inventory. Shoppers can find affordable, artisan-made objects from the Northwest, Eur
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| Peter Diehl |
ope and Asia and the shop offers many choices.
In rings, there are wedding rings, unity rings and alternative rings made of silver, gold, steel, titanium, tungsten, ceramic and even carbon fiber.
Diehl runs Uncommon Treasures with his customers in mind. He has nothing but praise for the Hawthorne neighborhood and the people who live and shop there.
“Basically, your customers own your business,” he said, referring to his attitude toward serving his customers by offering them a wide range of high- quality goods.
Diehl gave an example of the benefits of being located in a neighborhood where the residents support local business and where the busi
nesses cater to neighbors’ desires.
In 1990 and again in 2008, snowstorms shut down much of the city, but he stayed open and did business because local residents came to his shop and, as he put it, “saved the day.”
“This neighborhood is like a college town,” he said, because it has small, locally-owned shops and an educated, discriminating populace. He praised the continuity of the neighborhood and the Hawthorne business community. Since they all stick together, they form a critical mass that attracts customers.
In the very center of the shop sits a brass NCR cash register made in 1918. It seems to be right for a store dedicated to beautiful things well made.
Uncommon Treasures is open from 12 to 6 or later, Wednesday through Saturday and 12 to 5 or later on Sunday. Diehl welcomes appointments also. The phone number is 503.234.4813.
