Old Town New Market Central opens at Edison Mall

Old Town New Market Central has opened at Edison Mall in Fort Myers as a mall within the mall. “Where vintage charm meets modern flair,” the store’s tagline says. 

The vintage-themed shop, located in the former The Disney Store space, features 30 vendors offering a variety of merchandise. Vintage clothing, jewelry, art supplies, woodwork, artwork, furniture and fudge are among the items available. 

“I’m a clothing reseller,” said Kim Lee-Smith, co-owner of the shop. “I’m very particular about what I choose — a lot of things that are flowy, elbowy, groovy and cool. I like to find vintage clothing in the wild and then offer it to people.” 

Lee-Smith and co-owner Kathy Quick met about a year ago while selling merchandise at Paradise Vintage Market, an antique store in North Fort Myers off U.S. 41. 

The two first crossed paths after Lee-Smith rented a booth Quick had planned to claim. 

“I slept on it,” Quick said of the kiosk with prime visibility. “I came back all excited the next day — and it was gone.” 

Quick later learned Lee-Smith had rented the space. 

“Oh,” Quick recalled telling her. “You’re the girl who got my space.” 

Instead of becoming rivals, the two became friends and eventually business partners. 

They each left or completed full-time jobs to focus on Old Town New Market, a concept they hope to expand to other Southwest Florida malls. They added “Central” to the name at the Edison Mall location because they hope it will become the first of several locations. 

Quick spent years in the corporate world, including six years with Costco when the wholesale club expanded into Florida in Tampa in the 1980s. 

Lee-Smith, a Fort Myers native and graduate of Riverdale High School, was working for a nonprofit that helped provide dental care to people in need. 

Both believed strongly enough in the concept to make it their full-time jobs rather than a side business. 

“It’s been a journey,” Lee-Smith said. “It’s something where God put it in my heart, and I had to trust him.” 

After signing a lease at Edison Mall, Quick and Lee-Smith invited vendors to join the marketplace. Vendors pay for their square footage, while the owners receive a small percentage of sales. The pair said they launched the business on a shoestring budget without taking out loans. 

The owners said the existing space already included built-in shelving, reducing renovation costs. They mainly repainted walls white to brighten the store. 

“All the woodworking was here,” Lee-Smith said. “We look at this as our flagship.” 

Near the entrance, a display case features a life-size mannequin of Alice from Alice in Wonderland, a nod to the space’s former tenant, The Disney Store. 

The themed front display will rotate seasonally four times a year, with featured merchandise available for purchase. The next display change is planned for June 10 and will feature a patriotic “Happy Birthday America” theme tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. 

Old Town New Market opened May 1 and already has attracted a celebrity visitor. 

Lee-Smith noticed a man with long hair browsing merchandise and approached him. 

“Are you Alice Cooper?” she said to the rock singer Alice Cooper. 

“No, I’m Brad Pitt,” Cooper replied. 

Lee-Smith happened to have vintage Alice Cooper concert T-shirts on display, and Cooper autographed three of them before leaving to prepare for his May 5 performance in Fort Myers. 

Cooper performed “Welcome to My Nightmare” that night at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, but Lee-Smith and Quick said opening the business has been anything but a nightmare. 

“It was a dream come true,” Lee-Smith said. “I’m still pinching myself every day. I can’t believe that I’m here.”