Matt and Chelsea Mize were in the process of downsizing when opportunity didn’t just knock but rather pushed them through a number of doors that have led to the life they feel fortunate to now have.
“I love what I do. I feel very, truly blessed,” said Chelsea Mize, owner of the Cranberry Merchant, 417 W. Will Rogers Blvd. “We don’t know for how long or what reason, but we’re here.”
Intrigued by the building at 417 W. Will Rogers Blvd. on a drive one day, the Mizes stopped by the antique store and visited to the owners, Ken and Peggy Combs, and asked if they’d ever be willing to sell it. The Combs decline.
“They called us a week later and said they’d changed their mind,” Chelsea recalls.
From there, everything just began to fall into place. Each step of the way, the couple gave themselves an out but never needed to cash it in.
“Every expectation, every bar we set for ourselves, there was just an open door,” she said. “God was good and opened every door in front us.”
The Cranberry Merchant will celebrate its third birthday on New Year’s Day. Building from four dealers, the Mizes now house a total of 83 different vendors, bringing variety of great antique finds to the store.
Antiquing runs in Chelsea’s blood. Her grandmother owned an antique booth in downtown Claremore, which Chelsea took over when her grandmother passed away 10 years ago.
Not only was her grandmother an inspiration for the business, but also for the store’s name. When Chelsea was growing up, her grandmother used to say she was “busier than a cranberry merchant.” It was another thing that just fell right into place.