Almost 50 years ago, the Courtney family moved from Findlay, Ohio to Florida and already had the idea of ​​opening a secondhand store.

Now Barry Courtney, the only family member still carrying on the dream, hopes to close this chapter of his family history. Under his leadership, Vintage 21 has continued the founding principle of authenticity through its interest in buying and reselling antiques that are hard to find elsewhere.

“We ended up in Atlantic Beach because we had family there,” Courtney said, speaking to the Tallahassee Democrat one recent afternoon amid customers at his store. “My brother went to school here (in Tallahassee). We came to visit him and that was it. We never looked back.”