SLO County antique store’s building was sold. See inside its new home
Just a couple of months ago, Grover Beach business owner Shalee Robinson wasn’t sure if her dream of running a store packed with antiques and oddities was going to last.
Around 18 months after opening Odd Fellows Antique Emporium in Grover Beach, Robinson got the news: Her building was being sold.
Odd Fellows’ old home, the building at 983 W Grand Ave. on the corner of 10th Street, was once the home of Grover City Feed, originally constructed in 1947, making it the one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city.
Robinson said the new owner plans to demolish and replace the building within the next few years, so she ended her lease early, seeking a new home for her business’ ever-expanding collection of antiques.
Thankfully, not long after the building was sold, she found a rare opening on Grand Avenue in the corner space of El Camino Plaza next door to Amsterdam Cafe & Gallery, “blessing” her business with a second lease on life, she said.
Now, after around 40 days in the new space, Robinson said her business is finally starting to settle into its new location.
“My goal is not about making money, it’s about creating an environment for the community,” Robinson said. “I just wanted to create this old experience called retail.”
Antique store’s new location includes themed rooms, Zoltar machine
When her business was forced to relocate, Robinson said she viewed it as an opportunity to put a little more organization into her collection, which is already overflowing in the new space.
Formerly an office space, Odd Fellows’ new home in the plaza has allowed the business to spread out, grouping antiques by theme in their own rooms, Robinson said.
One room is Americana-themed, packed with pop culture references, another is full of dark gothic items, and its neighbor contains princess-related antiques.
Sprinkled throughout the store, customers can find various minerals and crystals in a variety of carved and uncarved shapes, including statues, necklaces and more.
Not everything at Odd Fellows is for sale.
A prop of a pirate swinging from a rope that once served as decor at Fin’s Bar & Grill in Grover Beach can be found dangling from the ceiling at Odd Fellows.
Elsewhere, a massive king-sized bed that Robinson estimated to be around 500 to 600 years old occupies much of another room, now serving as a display for spiritual items. In that same room, furniture once used in Disneyland’s Adventureland holds even more antiques.
Out front, Robinson installed a “Zoltar” fortune-telling machine, which takes coins, cash and credit cards.
Robinson, who said she was born an unexpected twin on a Friday the 13th, said a love of everything gothic is in her nature.
“I have been this Friday the 13th girl since I can never remember,” Robinson said. “They took me to an antique shop, and I would find the weirdest thing and ask for it, and they would think, ‘Wow, she’s so strange.’”
Odd Fellows hopes to serve as community space
With the business settled into its new home, Robinson said she wants to get back to what she likes doing most: building a community around her interests.
She said local artists and creatives are welcome to display their work for sale in the shop’s front for free, and hopes to offer more opportunities for local artists and creatives to sell through her store going forward.
Robinson said she’s confident her business can be successful in its new home.
“I did miss the tourist season, but my regulars are coming in,” Robinson said. “There’s no rhyme or reason, but I feel like every weekend it gets a little stronger, and it’s at least starting to make sense.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
