Rich Man Poor Man in Morro Bay.

Morro Bay store showcases antiques and vintage

—Rich Man Poor Man is an antique lover’s paradise. With 8,000 square feet and 35 antique dealers, it’s hard to imagine walking out without finding a treasure. With the original store already a long-time Cambria tradition, the second location opening in Morro Bay in April is the culmination of owner JoAnna Crebs’ collecting and curating efforts.

“I’ve spent my time working on attracting the best talent, and this store has been the fruition of that,” aaid Joanna. She has taken her time finding the best antique dealers for the store. Like her and her husband Myles, many of the dealers are enjoying this as a second career. They’re professionals who take pride in what they find and sell. She adds, “These folks are not junkin’ around. They work on getting a really good product. At this store, we only allow antiques and vintage. You’re allowed to have just a little bit of new for décor. This is a true antique store.”

So, what’s the difference between the thrift stores that have been popping up everywhere and an antique store like Rich Man Poor Man? Antiques are over 100 years old. Vintage is 20 years old or older. Thrift stores tend to offer contemporary items that others have given away, with sprinklings of vintage, and an occasional antique treasure. The majority of things in Rich Man Poor Man are antique or vintage. They’re also beautiful items because JoAnna Crebs likes pretty things.

She fell in love with antiques at 18 years old when a co-worker invited her to an auction. “I said, oh okay, I don’t know what that is, but I’ll go. And I bought things. I bought a lot of things, and I was hooked.” She then explained that this was during the 1970s, “nothing was really pretty then.” She fell in love with the beauty of the vintage and antique pieces. She stopped buying new things and started collecting older more interesting items.

She and her husband were corporate accountants, a far cry from antique dealers, but they always preferred the old to the new. Their accounting jobs took them to Stone Mountain, Georgia, and while there, they opened an antique store. They worked as accountants during the week and ran the store on weekends. Sourcing antiques in Georgia was fun said Joanna because Southerners were like, “Oh this old thing.” Of course, she and Myles appreciated the antique treasures that people were trying to sell or declutter.

Rich Man Poor Man started in 1976 in Visalia. Joanna was an antique dealer in the Visalia store before the store opened in Cayucos in the mid-1980s. For many years the couple juggled both accounting and antiquing. JoAnna states, “So we’re workaholics. We love what we do, and this is completely different than what we did as our careers. Myles retired and we decided to do it full-time. We bought Rich Man Poor Man in Cayucos in 1999. We reinvented ourselves and had a second career. We’ve been open for nearly 25 years.”

They eventually moved from Cayucos to Cambria and have been in the same location in the Redwood Center since 2012. She explained that the Cambria store is full. This new store in Morro Bay allows her to showcase items such as: fine China, sterling silver, pottery, estate jewelry, Native American jewelry, furniture, fine art, a boutique with vintage clothing, coins, and more. JoAnna states, “If it exists, we likely have it.”

If they don’t have it, they’ll have a great time finding it. This second career is both fun and fulfilling. They get to know the locals and visitors, and they happily source things for people who are looking for something specific and special. When asked to describe her second career she said, “We’re having the time of our life. We so enjoy meeting people!”

Rich Man Poor Man is located at 2200 Main St, Morro Bay, and 2110 Main Street, Cambria. Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. except Christmas. For more information visit richmanpoormanantiques.com or call (805) 225-1400 or (805) 203-5350.

—Karen Lycan