MOUNT VERNON — Jackie Dimitriou was in the middle of a muddle three months ago.
On Thursday, she was all smiles as the Knox County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Jackie K’s Vintage & Venue at 120 S. Main St.
Dimitriou opened Jackie K’s in The Ressing Building at 10 E. Vine St. about five years ago.
She went on a month-to-month lease when the Knox County Land Bank bought the building in June 2025. Early this year, the land bank notified Dimitriou that she would have to move.
“That was Jan. 15. I had until April 15 [to move],” Dimitriou said. “Feb. 3, my mom passed away, so I’m like rushing and scrambling.
“Then I saw that this came open, and so I went ahead and rented this building.”
A little bit of everything
Dimitriou started moving items into 120 S. Main St. at the end of February.
“I’ve purchased everything that’s in this shop throughout the past five years, and it’s been a lot,” she said.
“I do some estate sales. I do some auctions, and then I ended up having all this stuff. My husband was bringing in the furniture, and I’m like ‘Where did this all come from?’ He said, ‘The barn.’”
Dimitriou said Jackie K’s is a collectible curio shop with new stuff, vintage stuff and antique stuff. In fact, she said it has everything.
“If somebody can come in here when they’re looking for something, a gift or whatnot, and they don’t find something, then they didn’t look hard enough,” she said with a smile.
On the off chance a customer does not find what they are searching for, there’s no need to panic.
“If they don’t find what they’re looking for, they can put their name and phone number and what items they’re looking for, and I’ll see if I can find that,” Dimitriou said.
The Venue: Gathering in the heart of downtown
In addition to reopening her vintage shop on the ground floor, Dimitriou added an event center on the upper level. Her business is now known as Jackie K’s Vintage & Venue.
Using various seating arrangements, The Venue can seat up to 50 people.
Dimitriou supplies plates, bowls, cups, linens, and everything needed to host photography sessions, bridal and baby showers, or any special occasion.
She also supplies an Air Fryer and coffee, Karaoke, and Pac-Man arcade machines.
Jackie K’s Vintage is open Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shop number is 740-830-6026.
The Venue is available to rent for whatever hours are needed. Visit jackieksvintageandvenue.com for pricing. Anyone who needs to reach Dimitriou immediately can text her at 740-504-4858.
Jackie K’s Vintage & Venue is not Dimitriou’s first foray into business ownership. She also owns a cleaning business, Agape Cleaning.
Dimitriou grew up in Newark and raised her children in the Utica-Martinsburg area. About 20 years ago, she moved to Mount Vernon but had to relocate to take care of her aging parents.
She continues to care for her dad after her mom passed away. She acknowledges she has a full plate, but said it is worth it.
“The Lord didn’t shut that door for no reason,” she said about losing her spot on East Vine Street. “When God closes one, He opens another.”
