Life can take some interesting twists and turns and that certainly seems to be the case for Kevin and Mary Beth Cooney of Loudon.
When the couple moved to East Tennessee last year to build a new home, they discovered Sweetwater Valley Antiques was a great place to outfit their home.

"We contributed greatly to the economy of Sweetwater," Mrs. Cooney said with a chuckle.
A little more than a year later, the Cooneys have purchased the Main Street store from Ron and Janice Johnson.
Mrs. Cooney grew up in East Tennessee and is a University of Tennessee graduate.
Mr. Cooney grew up in the Northeast, but the Cooneys spent the last two decades in Florida where Mr. Cooney was the coach of the Florida Atlantic baseball team.

When he retired, the family, including daughter, Maggie, 11, and son, Luke, 10, decided to move back to Mary Beth's roots.
Though they had become customers of Sweetwater Valley Antiques, they had never dreamed of owning the store until a recent trip to Sweetwater with the children for some inexpensive fun.
That trip wound up costing a lot, Mr. Cooney jokes.

They found out the store was for sale.
The Cooneys checked with some other business owners in town to see how the stores were doing business wise.
During a family meal at Miss Maudy's nearby, Kevin Cooney sprang an idea about Sweetwater Valley Antiques on his wife.
"We should buy the place," he told her.
"She nearly choked on her sandwich," Mr. Cooney recalls.

But Mrs. Cooney soon went along with the idea and the sale proceeded quickly.
The Cooneys are looking for vendors to help fill vacant space at the store.
The Johnsons will remain on as vendors, which suits the new owners just fine.
The Cooneys say they plan to learn a lot about the business from its previous owners.
In time if business goes well, Kevin Cooney said they might uncover some of the historic building's previous décor now covered up with tile.

Ron and Janice Johnson have been very instrumental in helping establish a downtown antique district in Sweetwater.
The new owners say they plan to keep that same commitment to community involvement.
The Johnsons said they could have sold the store half a dozen times, if city regulations had allowed the new owners to use the upstairs for loft apartments.
The Sweetwater Regional Planning Commission is working on new ordinance language that would allow for loft apartments upstairs over downtown buildings.
A couple of prospective buyers had considered the store for office space, but the Cooneys believe their plans to keep it a store fits in best with Sweetwater.

The new owners may eventually offer some gift-type items in the store.
For more information, call the store at 351-9480.

tommy.millsaps@advocateanddemocrat.com | 337-7101