Marie Kohlmetz ZENKEL
277 Inwood Dr., Rochester, NY 14625

Biography

Please let me introduce myself. My name is Marie Kohlmetz Zenkel. I live at 277 Inwood Drive , off Penfield Road in the same neighborhood many of us grew up in. It is hard to believe it is 47 years since we graduated from high school.

I was married in 1962. Over the next 4 years we had 3 children, Donnie in 1963, Barbara in 1964, and Billie in 1966. (we figured out what had caused that and decided to stop at there). They have honored me with 7 wonderful grandchildren between the ages of 7and 20 and I do believe that is the end of that also. The first five years after the children where born I did not work outside the home. When the youngest was 5 and off to school I obtained my real estate license. Soon after that I became a broker. My father was a general contractor and real estate broker so it was a natural fit.

During the early years of my marriage I became involved with the kids activities such as scouting, sports, school committees and working on fundraisers for certain civic groups. I also was very active in the women's group of my church for several years. I was able to do this because the real estate business has very flexible hours and I was able to work from home much of the time. My major interest during those years was collecting antiques.

We started off collecting oriental rugs, then onto bronzes, art glass, silver and so on. I also refinished and upholstered furniture. I loved the reading and research that went along with collecting. I soon increased our inventory to the point that we decided we should start selling some of it. Soon we were selling at small local antiques shows. It helped support a very addicting habit. I also could buy more now. In 1981 we were in a very serious car accident. I was out of work for almost one year. During that time I decided to sell antiques full time. I set up at local and out of town shows and also sold at all of Rochester 's area shopping malls.

In 1987 my youngest son (Bill, 21yrs.old) broke his neck in a diving accident at Stony Brook State Park. He became a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down and remains that way today. My marriage was falling apart and by 1991 we were separated and eventually divorced. The antique shows that I did increased to 35-40 shows a year in 10 states. My son was living with me and I wanted to stay home more. In 1998, along with my partner, I bought a building on Empire Blvd. in the town of Penfield. Our goal was to own an antique and collectable co-op (mall).

We opened the shop in August of 1998 with the ability to rent to 50 antique dealers. Of course, I would have my own inventory there too. We had a good following and by the year 2000 doubled the size of our building. We now have the ability to rent to 150 dealers. We have 10,000 sq. ft. and a very diverse inventory. We conduct estate and household sales, do appraisals for estates, insurance purposes, moving companies, etc. We also do on the spot appraisals. We are the largest antique co-op in Monroe County. We have been on radio, TV and also voted "Best Antique Shop" in Rochester. I absolutely love what I do and see no chance of retiring in the near future. I was working 6 days a week but have since decided to cut down. My sister, Diane, who was a year behind us passed away this past November after a short illness. It was a real eye opener!!

Travel has become another obsession. In recent years I have visited approx. 40 countries and over 30 states including Hawaii and Alaska. I try to do two to three trips a year. We stay between 2-3 weeks and cover as much ground as possible. I especially love ancient cultures but I'm happy going almost anywhere. When I see a plane I want to be on it. One of my greatest thrills though is walking thru customs at JFK and seeing that large American Flag hanging in front of me. It is also great to be home.

I very much enjoyed our July 2006 get together and I am looking forward to future gatherings.