By Courtney Willis

One weekend night 12 years ago, while sipping margaritas and testing ideas at La Paz in Biltmore, an unemployed Katie Skinner and her business partner came up with the idea for her future downtown store, Lost Objects Found Treasures.

“L.O.F.T. is an old attic of a place where you can discover long forgotten treasures, mingled with the contemporary esoteric,” owner Katie Skinner said. Displays of copper-made yard art twirling in the wind outside the store grabs people’s attention. The decorative pieces vary from large butterflies and ladybugs to dancers and abstract objects. Prices start at $19.99.

The store sells items for people of all ages. Kitchen supplies, such as plates and coffee mugs, sit on a table and are seen by customers when they first walk in.

Shelves are filled with different types of books. Children’s books, parenting books and animal books are sold at one end of the store, while books on sex and sexual games are sold at the other end.

“Book products have recently become really popular,” Skinner said. “We sell everything from just little gift books to funny books. People love anything kind of crude. That will always sell.”

Voodoo dolls and hippie dictionaries are sold around the corner where the Jesus action figures sit.

Lotions and soaps are displayed on a table beside Dr. Pepper BBQ sauces and Budweiser wing sauces, which are both $8.99.

“The most defining feature of this store is that it draws in from the outside all kinds of different people, but all these different kinds of people can find something for their own needs, whether it be birthday gifts or home décor,” said Kendall Cramer, L.O.F.T. employee.

Lamps at $36.99 and talking animal alarm clocks for $23.99 are near jewelry that varies in prices. Leather necklaces, $14.99, and bracelets, $11.99, are sold in addition to rings and earrings.

A customer can build his or her own rings as well. The basic ring starts at $3, and there are several different pieces that can be added. The pieces range from $3 to $36.

“Customers are amazed at how eclectic the store is and how our inventory is always changing,” Cramer said.

Skinner said she was always between jobs and always wanted to own a store. It first started with objects from her house.

“My vision of the store was completely different than what it is today,” Skinner said. “I wanted to sell a lot of more natural products.”

Although L.O.F.T. sells many mass-produced products, such as T-shirts, books, toys and miniature first aid kits, natural and used products are sold as well.

Old wood picture frames and frames made out of old tires are popular among customers, Skinner said.

There are many home décor items to choose from, such as posters, pictures, soap dispensers and antique furniture.

“It fits the town because it’s eclectic just like the people here. It’s got everything, crazy stuff you wouldn’t even think to put in your house,” customer Barbara Collette said.

Collette and her partner, Uta Brandstatter, visit the store five or six times a year and are shopping at the L.O.F.T. for accessories. The two just finished a room in their house and are decorating with items from L.O.F.T., according to Brandstatter.

“The style of the store is unique. Our house is such a mix, and this works,” Collette said.

Skinner loves to buy different antiques. Her favorite part about owning the store is shopping for it, Skinner said. She attends flea markets and has wonderful sales representatives, she said.

Skinner recently added a downstairs to her store because of the large selection of merchandise.

“People come in from much bigger cities like New York and San Francisco and say they have never seen a store like this wide variety that everyone can get something out of,” Cramer said.