“I started dabbling in antiques and it did well, and my wife and I aren’t big on movies. I sold the video business and went all antiques,” owner Ray Soderberg said. His wife, Diane, is not involved in the antique business.

After a few years, he bought the building next door and opened the wall to expand the shop. He then bought the railroad building on the other side about 10 to 15 years ago, after they moved the railroad workers to Quinnesec.

“It took me a while because I had to go through two railroads, the federal government, the state government and the local government before I could buy it,” he said.

It’s a good thing he bought it because when they redid the road in front of the shop, they no longer allowed parking on the street.

The Niagara Emporium, 1049 Main St. in Niagara, Wis., is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Wednesdays. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

“If I didn’t buy that building I wouldn’t have any parking at all,” he said.

He loves owning a business in antiques, especially items that appeal to men — hunting, fishing, trapping, hand tools, cast iron cookware, etc.

“It’s kind of funny — that’s why I like men’s stuff, men have been consistent since the beginning of time in what they like,” he said.

One of the oldest items in the shop is a handmade Black Forest carving of a deer’s head from the mid-1880s.

He’s seen styles change from shabby chic to steam punk and mid-century modern.

“Collectible glasswear, you used to have to look for it; now you can find it online. I don’t mind the internet. I make sure my prices are well below internet prices. I’m in Niagara, Wis., not New York,” Soderberg said.

He no longer goes to auctions, he said, explaining “I’ve got enough to last me a lifetime. Everything, before it comes out to the shop, I clean, research and find out when it was made.”

The railroad building next door is full. “That’s my to-do building,” Soderberg said.

He doesn’t do much restoration work, but he does some repairs once in a while, and will restore a tool if it’s really bad.

A number of years ago when the economy turned bad, Soderberg had to take a full-time job at Kingsford Broach & Tool Inc. to save his business.

“It got really tough. That’s when everything closed. I took full time work and kept it going until I retired from there,” he said. “Now it’s more of a hobby.”

He joked that if he closed, “a bunch of people who come here for coffee would have nowhere to go anymore.”

The business at 1049 Main St. is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Wednesdays. He can be reached at 715-251-4190.

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Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.