A pair of benches fashioned from old truck beds greets passers-by, giving a glance of what lies inside Elephants Trunk, downtown’s newest and possibly quirkiest shop.
The owner, Allen Parker, doesn’t like to describe his shop, which officially opened on Jan. 4 for First Friday, as an antique store. He said it is unique and offers more than just antiques.
“I try to keep a variety of things,” Parker said. “I tell people who go looking for me, ‘If it’s funny, bright or ugly … buy it!’”
Customer Jenna Keith said, “The name is true to the store,” meaning the originality of the name is as eclectic as the combination of goods for sale, such as old beer cans, antique dishware and local art.
Located at 5th and Garfield streets, 47-year-old Parker hopes his shop encourages “a more street-walking neighborhood,” similar to Main Street in his hometown in South Carolina, on which people can go from one store to another and shop.
He continued to say that it should be a collaborative effort of the shops in the neighborhood.
“If we can all get together, we can create a great shopping experience for people that come here,” Parker said.
He wants everyone to be able to buy something, selling items at prices that range from $5 to $2,000. He added that he is offering a 15 percent discount to any ASU student who shows a school ID.
The business is family-oriented. Parker’s son, Austyn Farr, helps to manage the store and thinks it will have a positive effect on the neighborhood.
“(The community) benefits a lot, because there aren’t any stores like this,” Farr said. “There is nothing that has everything wrapped in one.”
Nineteen-year-old Farr plans to hang his photography in the store and said that they are currently looking for pieces to showcase from local artists.
“I hope that we can get people to bring their art and sell their art through us,” Farr said.
The shop’s name is derived from a previous store Parker owned in South Carolina. He opened it 26 years ago and named it to honor his mother who had recently died and had owned a shop also named Elephants Trunk.
“One of my best friends said, ‘Name it something that means something to you,’” Parker said. “I wanted something that meant something, so I went back to the same name.”
Elephants Trunk will be open every Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., except for First Friday when hours will be extended until 11 p.m.
Parker has a few ideas for the future like renovating the carriage house in the backyard of the property into a sort of eatery, like a “pizza, beer and wine kind of place.” They also plan to rent out lawn space to artists for First Fridays.
Phoenix-native Jenna Keith didn’t purchase anything in the store that day, saying, “It wasn’t really my style, but it was still cute and fun to look at.”
It was her first time visiting the shop and she acknowledged that they didn’t have everything completely set up, but complimented it for its originality.
“It was definitely different than all the other stores down here,” Keith said.
Contact the reporter at bsporte2@asu.edu
