It all began as Dan was driving through a historic district in Wisconsin and came across a store called Penny Lane Antiques. He thought to himself that the store should have been named Memory Lane Antiques, as antiques allow you to reminisce on pleasant times.
Thus, Memory Lane Antiques was born. For almost 30 years, Wisconsin natives Dan and Theresa Stauss have owned and operated their business at 426 Main Street in downtown Windsor.
Dan first began working with antiques in 1982 while studying industrial arts at the University of Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo). He discovered his passion for restoration while helping his professor restore antique pieces after class. During summer vacation, Dan sold the antiques he restored at flea markets across the Midwest.
After graduating from college, Dan and Theresa moved to Northern Colorado to begin their careers as public school teachers. Dan worked at Windsor Middle School as the industrial arts teacher from 1985 to 1992, and Theresa became a language arts teacher at Heath Junior High School in Greeley. Theresa retired from teaching in 2016. During Dan’s time as a teacher, he continued to work on antiques after school and on weekends.
In 1992, Dan and Theresa decided to turn Dan’s passion for restoring antiques into a full-time business and opened Memory Lane. Six months after opening the store, they added gifts and home décor items to their inventory. Since Memory Lane’s opening almost three decades ago, Dan and Theresa have worked hard to bring unique pieces of furniture and a variety of gift items to their customers. They travel around the country hand-selecting the rarest Victorian and Golden Oak furniture from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Each antique is professionally refinished to its original pristine quality using the finest craftsmanship and skill.