The Sweet Life… and Antiques
In the market for vintage vinyl, an antique rocking horse, or pre-Prohibition barware? You just might find it at Two LiRu. Lisa Mack’s eclectic antiques and decor shop is one of the true gems of Main Street: a place where you can find something special for your home, hunt for the perfect keepsake gift, or wander around admiring 10,000 square feet of expertly curated treasures. The shop is Lisa’s labor of love and dream come true: after dreaming of having her own antiques shop for most of her life, she moved Two LiRu from Roswell to Acworth four years ago. Lisa ended up loving the town so much, she decided to move here. “It’s honestly just the sweetest little life here,” she says. “I don’t have a lot, but I’ve never been happier.”
How did you come to own an antiques shop, Lisa?
I have a corporate background, but I’ve always been an antique dealer. It literally has been my dream my whole life to have my own shop, in a small town. And honestly, I’m living my dream. It’s the craziest thing. If someone had told me I’d retire and end up where I am, doing what I’m doing, I would absolutely tell them they were lying, honest to goodness.
And how did Two LiRu land on Main Street?
I had looked and looked and looked for the right place, and this building sold itself to me immediately. It spoke to me. It just felt right. It’s been a great experience. I lived in East Cobb for the past 20 years, and I opened my shop here in Acworth a little over 4 years ago, and I have since moved here. I live across the street from the shop. I walk to work across the railroad tracks. I’ve never been happier.
Tell us a little about Two LiRu. What makes it special?
It’s hard to work in antiques, but I always will. It’s just what I do, and it’s what I do well. People walk in the store and I hear, every single day, how this really is an antique shop. A lot of places that call themselves antique shops have gotten largely decorative. And you see a lot of the same stuff. My store is almost 10,000 square feet. It’s very eclectic. I seek out unusual things. Your senses are barraged when you walk in. I have an extraordinary variety of things. Antique collectibles, vintage toys, porcelain steins, old paintings, a man cave with a pinball machine.
Do you have any favorite eras?
I love more traditional pieces, but it’s honestly just a bona fide variety. Mid-century modern is very popular right now…and you know, I do have to eat. But an antique is something that’s at least 100 years old, and I have a lot of that.
Clearly you love remembering the past. Is that part of why Acworth appealed to you?
100%. Yes, yes, and yes. It’s the quaintness, honestly. This sounds hokey, but I’d been looking for over a year and a half, and I looked everywhere. And it spoke to me so loudly here. I walked in that building, and I just knew. Now I’ve come to know the city even more. I moved here, and it’s 100% because of the sense of community. The house I live in was built in 1910. Obviously that’s going to appeal to me, but beyond that, it’s the other business owners, the town. There’s a community here like none other that I’ve ever experienced.
Where do you take your out-of-town friends when you want to show off the town?
I stick close to where my shop is. I think all the little restaurants and shops along Main Street would be the first thing we’d do. You can’t get a finer meal, honestly — you go to Henry’s, you go to Fusco’s, and now the new Picnic Basket market, all of that is absolutely a must-do. Really, the Acworth beach area, and the whole historic area — I always drive people around the really cool, quaint Acworth beach area behind me. I would take them from the Allatoona Grill all the way down Main Street and then around all the sweet little homes, I always drive them through historic Acworth. It’s so cute. I’m very proud of that.
Why should out-of-towners should come pay Acworth a visit?
I think it’s a cool little secret. It’s kind of trendy in ways that people don’t always expect, with things you’d see in Atlanta that people don’t realize are here. It’s a little hidden secret. When I lived in Atlanta, I used to think of Acworth as the other side of the world, but the fact of the matter is, it’s a very short journey up 75. Right off the interstate is this whole little beautiful corner of the world with award-winning restaurants, and shopping, and a wonderful openness about the people here. Anybody I’ve met here is very open and warm. It’s just a real community. I’ve lived in Midtown and Buckhead, and I can say that this is a cool place to be. All kinds of little things are popping up now, so I’d tell people to get in while you can.