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Jim Gilgen, with a unique-looking stein  in hand, is closing Gilgen's Consignment Furnishings after more than three decades in business. 

CEDAR FALLS – Nestled in a residential neighborhood on a brick street is a beloved consignment store that’s stood the test of time for a little more than 37 years.

However, Gilgen’s Consignment Furnishings, at 115 W. 16th St., won’t make it to 40. The owner has decided his last day in business will be Thursday.

“It’s just time. I’m getting older, and it’s the right thing to do,” said Jim Gilgen, 66, of Cedar Falls.

Gilgen's Consignment Furnishings is located inside the historic building at 115 W. 16th St. once home to a well-known grocery store.

Back in the summer of 1985, Gilgen, with the help of his parents, opened inside the historic building that once housed longtime grocery store Hart’s Food Center.

Gilgen grew up in Akron, Ohio, but said his father, Albert, moved his family from Beloit, Wisconsin, to Cedar Falls in 1975 after accepting a job at the University of Northern Iowa, where Albert would go on to to serve as the head of the psychology department.

The West 16th Street building is well past the century mark in age, having been constructed sometime in the early 1900s. It has been a place Gilgen literally calls home, as his living quarters are right upstairs.

He does not plan to sell it after closing up shop.

Between noon and 11 p.m. July 4 and noon to 10 p.m. July 3 and 5 is when fireworks will be allowed on private property – not in public areas like parks or sidewalks.

Asked what’s changed over the years, Gilgen said antiques do not get the same attention they did decades ago.

An antique oak glass cabinet that sold 25 years ago for a whopping $1,000 — one of his largest sales ever — would bring Gilgen about $300 today, he said.

Rather, the “hot” commodities have been retro items.

The store has everything on its main floor and inside its basement, from pictures and furniture to jewelry, toys, flower pots, T-shirts, mugs, lamps and much more.

Jim Gilgen is closing Gilgen's Consignment Furnishings at 115 W. 16th St.

One constant has been the many regular customers and reliable consignors.

“A lot of people enjoyed coming here to get away from everyday life,” Gilgen said. “And it was just relaxing.”

He recalled older folks picking up an item, being overcome with nostalgia and saying, “I remember having that when I was a kid.”

And Gilgen personally enjoyed finding merchandise “you won’t see every day.”

Since deciding that his last day will be Thursday, Gilgen has marked down items and has made a noticeable dent in his inventory.

What’s not sold by the end of Thursday will return to the consignors.

Jim Gilgen, 66, of Cedar Falls, works at his desk Friday. 

The store has been open six days a week for decades. Its current hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but at one time, Gilgen said, he stayed open until 7 p.m.

Gilgen said he will miss the routine of running his own store, but is looking forward to getting some much-needed rest.

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Cedar Falls, Waverly City Government Reporter

I've covered city government for The Courier since August 2021. I'm a Chatham, NJ native who graduated from Gettysburg College in 2018 and previously worked for publications in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

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Jim Gilgen is closing Gilgen's Consignment Furnishings at 115 W. 16th St.

Gilgen's Consignment Furnishings is located inside the historic building at 115 W. 16th St. once home to a well-known grocery store.

Jim Gilgen, with a unique-looking stein  in hand, is closing Gilgen's Consignment Furnishings after more than three decades in business. 

Jim Gilgen, 66, of Cedar Falls, works at his desk Friday. 

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