Thanksgiving Business Spotlight: The Copper Penny
[December 13, 2025] On
Lincoln’s downtown square, 612 Broadway to be exact, is The Copper
Penny. For almost ten years, Theresa and Gary Schieffer have kept their
antique shop open, not just for their own love of vintage items, but for
the community they believe in.
“When customers support local businesses, the businesses can support the
community,” Theresa said—a philosophy that guides their work.
The couple opened
the antique shop in July 2016, turning a lifelong passion into their
post-retirement business after settling in Lincoln more than three
decades ago.
“We moved here 34 years ago because I was working full time in Peoria
and Gary was working full time in Springfield,” Theresa said. “This was
sort of an in-between location for our commutes… we just stayed after
that.”
Their shared love for antiques stretches back much further. Theresa grew
up surrounded by old items passed down through her family and said the
interest “just evolved from there,” eventually leading the couple toward
opening their own store.
While The Copper Penny has remained consistent since 2016, the downtown
around them has not. Several antique and specialty shops have closed in
recent years, creating longer stretches of empty storefronts.
“There was an antique mall that had flooding in the basement that
collapsed the upstairs and never reopened,” Gary said. “And then Mystic
Rose opened for a couple years, and then they closed… stores closing
just hurts.”
Theresa added that nearby businesses coming and going has a direct
impact on customer traffic. “The more businesses you have, the more
likely people are going to come through and check out everything,” she
said.
They’ve also watched Lincoln change in ways that affect local shopping.
The closure of Lincoln College took away a steady flow of younger
shoppers, while the pandemic reduced Route 66 tourism and pushed many
consumers toward online purchasing.
“So many people have turned to online shopping, and I think the pandemic
contributed to that,” Theresa said.
Gary added, “We
have fewer people coming through than we had at the beginning… most of
our business comes from out of town people coming to Lincoln.”
Despite that decline, the shop continues to attract a mix of customers.
Some are retirees spending the afternoon browsing; others are young
families furnishing older homes or children discovering older technology
for the first time.
Theresa still remembers a 12-year-old girl who came in wanting a manual
typewriter. “You would think kids at that age might not even know what a
manual typewriter is, but she wanted one,” she said.
All inventory in
the store is hand-selected by the couple. “People come in and ask, ‘Is
this all your stuff?’ And it is,” Gary said.
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They source items
from auctions, estate sales, and sometimes directly from community
members who have inherited items they don’t know how to sort. “We
appreciate the opportunity to buy locally,” Theresa added.
Popular items change week to week, but some patterns remain. “People
have always liked vintage Pyrex,” Theresa said. “Crocs, old jewelry,
purses… people like to repurpose items and turn them into something
they’ve seen on Pinterest.” The couple travels often and keeps an eye
out for interesting finds for the shop during their trips.
A major part of the joy, they said, comes from community and connection.
Regulars often stop by just to talk. Some friendships formed in the
store have lasted for years. “People come in and tell us about their
collections… that’s what I like—the commonality,” Theresa said.
But The Copper Penny isn’t only connected to the community through
conversation—it is connected through service. In a follow-up
conversation, Theresa emphasized the “mutually beneficial relationship”
between local businesses and the customers who support them.
“When customers support local businesses, the businesses can, in turn,
continue to support various projects and activities that benefit the
community,” she said.
She noted that 22
Lincoln businesses—including The Copper Penny—help sponsor the downtown
Christmas carriage rides and donate gift certificates for holiday prize
drawings. “I don’t know if people even realize that those carriage rides
are sponsored by 22 local businesses,” she said.
The shop also donates regularly to local causes. “We have people stop in
quite often saying they’re doing a benefit for somebody facing a medical
crisis, and they’re having an auction,” Theresa said. “So we donate
something for that.”
The Copper Penny also supports the library’s summer reading program,
fundraiser auctions, and numerous charitable events. “It’s good to have
those businesses open that the community can go to when they need help
with something,” she said. “Lots of local businesses are very
supportive.”
Still, the work comes with challenges. Weather, shifting trends,
economic uncertainty, and unpredictable traffic patterns keep retail
life unstable.
“Retail is so unpredictable,” Theresa said. “It used to be we could
always predict that Friday or Saturday would be our best days, and now
it might be a Tuesday.” The pandemic years were especially difficult.
“We struggled big time,” Gary added.
“We had to close for a while… who knew antiques aren’t an essential
business?” Theresa joked.
Even so, after nearly a decade, the Copper Penny still stands, although
not everyone is aware of it.
“We still have local people come in and say, ‘When did you open? I
didn’t know you were here,’” Theresa said. “Lincoln is not that big…
it’d be nice if people would just get out and check out what there is
locally.”
Shopping local, she added, helps ensure Lincoln continues to have a
vibrant town square. “It really benefits everybody if local businesses
can stay open.”
The Copper Penny is open Tues – Sat. from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. You can visit
there website here or
their Facebook.
[Sophia Larimore] |
