The Regal Find

Meet Your Good Neighbor Front Porch Series: The Regal Find

In downtown Middleton, you’ll find a former 1800s hardware store that has big, beautiful windows and old wooden floors that creak. It’s where everything came together for Jessica Regele.

“I found this great space in downtown Middleton and it all melded,” said Regele, who opened her shop in 2013, The Regal Find, in this historic space.

The shop offers a curated collection of eclectic handmade items and gifts.

“I always loved retail and I loved art and handcrafted items,” Regele said. “(The store) was sort of a marriage of these things.”

Regele expanded her shop into an adjacent space in 2019 and now anchors the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Parmenter Street. The store allows Regele to do what she loves most: help people solve problems and find what they need.

“A lot of customers have something specific that they are seeking,” she said. “For example, they might be looking for a gift for someone who is battling cancer and they want something special.”

Regele is happy to help, and her store has a lot to offer.

The shop sells unique and beautiful items created by 150 special artisans, including many from the local area — the shop features 90 artists from Wisconsin and 68 artists from Dane County.

Regele has developed relationships with many of these artists and said she’s honored to showcase their creations.

“(For an artist), it’s like passing your babies to someone else to take care of,” she said.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has posed challenges, The Regal Find is open with careful safety protocols.

“We really want to make people happy and we hope (the store) offers a break from the everyday,” she said.

People who are not comfortable shopping in person may contact the store directly by phone, schedule a Facetime appointment for personal service or visit The Regal Find’s new online store.

The store offers curbside service, free gift wrapping, and special curated gift baskets — for example, a kit for dog lovers includes special dry dog shampoo, whimsical cards, a pocket mirror magnet and candle to “fix” certain dog odors.

Regele said she’s really happy when she sees customers remove themselves from the difficulties of the day and lose themselves in the whimsical world of her store.

“It feels very good to be offering that to people,” she said.

It’s been a challenging year for small businesses. Recently, she was working on her store’s holiday window displays when she momentarily questioned the effort.

“I hope this is all worth it,” she thought, as she surveyed her work.

Just then, a longtime customer happened by and commented on the beauty of the displays.

“OK, I can do this,” Regele said to herself.

About The Regal Find
1834 Parmenter St., Middleton, WI 53562
(608) 833-1633
theregalfind.com
Hours: Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.; Saturday, noon-4 p.m.