Maria Jones could be the protagonist in a cozy novel about a brainy, world-traveling, Anglophile antique dealer and innkeeper whose store in a suburban Ohio town becomes a hub for collectors, bibliophiles, yoga enthusiasts, world travelers, political activists, and neighboring townspeople.
But it’s not necessary for anyone to invent such a character. The woman herself is alive and well and doing business in Perrysburg at Jones & Jones, the antique store she and her late husband, Jim, founded 41 years ago.
She won’t be there for long, however.
Mrs. Jones has decided to retire from the antiques and Airbnb businesses. Her storefront property on West Indiana Avenue is up for sale, and the merchandise inside is priced to sell.
“I feel like I’m part of the history of this town,” she said, “but I think there’s a time for one to leave. I don’t want to be carried out of here. And I have enough other things to do to keep me busy.”
Formerly an elementary school art teacher in Detroit, upstate New York, and Toledo, Mrs. Jones hit upon the idea of opening an antique store when she and her husband took a trip to England in 1983.
“It was our first trip abroad,” she said. “We fell in love with the culture there. We didn’t know that that trip would prompt me to change careers.”
That journey also fueled a passion for travel that has taken her to Asia, Poland, Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Australia. She visited Ukraine with U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who was working to develop liaisons with female-run businesses there.
One of Mrs. Jones’ intimates, Sharona Muir, a writer and professor of creative writing, believes that her friend’s secret sauce is her curiosity about people and her ability to draw them out.
“Every time someone comes into the shop, she makes conversation,” Ms. Muir said. “That’s not so common these days. And she doesn’t just make small talk — there’s real human human warmth there. She really wants to know about people. She loves to hear people’s stories — anyone’s story, whether it’s someone who’s lived here all their life or someone staying at her Airbnb from overseas.”
Ms. Muir also recalls that Mrs. Jones once taught her a valuable life lesson.
“In all my life, I never knew how to tie a scarf properly until Maria showed me. She has a corner in the store where she has scarves on display. I found a beauty, but didn’t know how to tie it. I was like a monkey with a nut he didn’t know how to open until she showed me.”
Mrs. Jones is an Airbnb Superhost, a designation given by the company to an innkeeper “who goes above and beyond to provide excellent hospitality.” Hundreds of travelers have stayed with her in her 14 years of innkeeping, including a father and son from Ethiopia who recently came for a visit. The three Airbnb bedrooms she rents to travelers are located above the antique shop.
In addition to selling antiques and operating an Airbnb, Mrs. Jones used to have a yoga studio at her shop.
“Maria feels very strongly about people’s health,” Ms. Muir said. “She really believed in the yoga studio. And I really needed it at a time when I didn’t even know I needed it and just had to de-stress.”
Mrs. Jones has also been a member of several book clubs, something she plans to continue after her retirement. Twenty-five years ago, she bonded over books with Lynn Taylor, a literacy specialist with the Toledo Public Schools — and the two have been friends ever since.
“I found her shop and discovered that she stocked old children’s books on the top floor,“ Ms. Taylor remembered. “She’s very well-read, has an arts background, and is just a very good person.”
When not indulging her passions for literature, antiques, travel, and yoga, Mrs. Jones is very much a political animal and has run a discussion group at her store.
“I think the store is a real community setting,” Ms. Taylor said. “It attracts people of different ages and backgrounds. People would come in and soon they’re all in a conversation. You just start talking. That community feeling was so present there and it didn’t matter what your age or status was.”
The store heavily features antiques from Great Britain. Mrs. Jones’ daughter and son-in-law live there. She has visited the U.K. many times and brought back numerous items to sell. But more recently, she has sensed that antiques are not the “in” thing they were years ago.
“I now tell people that this is a recycling business,” she said wryly. “People are more into functional things than collecting items that have particular patterns.”
Mrs. Jones’ rambling, well-kept store now sports a large for-sale sign out front. The property is listed by Dan DiSalle of DiSalle Real Estate. The asking price is $724,900.
“We’ve been promoting the property on social media and recently did an email blast,” Mr. DiSalle said. “There’s a good bit of drive-by and foot traffic there, so retail would probably be best use for it. We’ve had three or four showings so far.”
Perrysburg Mayor Tom Mackin summed up his thoughts about the impending closure of the store in a tribute to Mrs. Jones’ years of involvement with the town and its people.
“Jones & Jones Antiques has been part of the fabric of our downtown community for decades,” he said. “Maria’s passion for antiques and commitment to this city have brought character, history, and charm to our downtown. While we are sad to see her business close, we are grateful for the lasting impact Maria and her shop have had on Perrysburg."
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