An anticipated spring opening finally came late last month in Lexington County.

The 69-plus-vendor mall Ivy House opened its doors to the public at 4211 Augusta Rd. in the Oak Grove area, located between West Columbia and Lexington, expanding from its original spot in Elgin into the second location.

Despite delays in the construction process on the building, owner Ruth Rauch is excited for people to shop at the mall, which houses a variety of vendors, including people from the military, young ladies, widows and couples who left the corporate world to start a small business. 

Rauch highlighted a vendor from Europe who has 99 % of her items shipped from the continent, including trench art — trenches from the world wars turned into art.

“It’s wildly exceeded my expectations,” she said of the new space.

Items in the mall, housed in a building that formerly belonged to Sherwood Furniture Warehouse, include refurbished or antique furniture, clothing, jewelry and household items.

Rauch and her husband, Pete, acquired the new space last December. They also own the Elgin location on Two Notch Road, which they acquired in 2015 just before that October’s “thousand year flood” inundated their building.

But they persisted, and by 2020, when another unprecedented event, the COVID-19 pandemic, was disrupting the world, they were seeking a suitable spot for a second location. And while the state of the world wasn’t helping things, they managed once again.

“Our broker helped us find [the Lexington location]. Every time something hit the market he told us about it. [This one] wasn’t ideal but it had lots of potential,” Ruth said. “We said, ‘Let’s go for it, and we’ll make it want we want it to be.’”

Pete said this was his wife’s vision, and he just helped out. But Ruth gives much credit to her husband, especially when it comes to actual work and maintenance necessary to bring Ivy House to life.

The Lexington County location has two buildings, one of which is still under construction. Ruth said there is a lot to be done, but she hopes for it to be completed by the end of the year.

The second building will also hold 69 vendors, and Ruth said she has a waitlist of vendors looking to open shop. 

“Our thing is, we like to promote small businesses. Our mission is to give them a platform,” she offered. “We also like to invest in our community by giving to other organizations.”

Vendors come from all over the state to fill the mall, and they check in on their booths every week or two to replenish or change inventory.

“Just because someone has been to the Two Notch location, this will be completely different yet familiar. It’s worth the drive to support both as it’s never the same store twice,” Ruth said.

The new Ivy House is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-6 p.m. on Sunday.