Putting the “Mink” in Minkology
Putting the “Mink” in Minkology
By Sarah Hurley
Meet Wendi Mink, owner of a unique furniture, clothing, and gift boutique in Downtown Asheboro, North Carolina.
“Why not me?” was Wendi Mink’s knee-jerk reaction when the owner of Vintage Cottage, the shop in residence at 150 Sunset Avenue from 2013 to 2021, asked if she knew anyone who might be interested in purchasing the business. Wendi first got involved with Vintage Cottage as a vendor in 2014, when she began selling handmade chain mail jewelry in the shop. Located in the historic Cox Lewis building in downtown Asheboro, Vintage Cottage was a forty-minute drive from her home in Kernersville. From the beginning, Wendi always enjoyed spending time at the shop, both as a vendor and a customer: “It was a comforting, inviting environment that in my mind was attributed to the building as much as anything.”
In June of 2020, the owner of Vintage Cottage invited Wendi to catch up over coffee, and at the end of their meeting, she expressed an interest in selling the business in order to spend more time with her grandchildren and expanding family. Almost immediately, Wendi knew the perfect buyer: herself. Although Wendi had never before envisioned owning a shop like Vintage Cottage, she knew it was the right decision.
Wendi and her husband Ross officially bought the business on January 23, 2021, amid the lingering Covid-19 pandemic. When it came to rebranding, Wendi and Ross tossed around several new name ideas, including one that incorporated the name of Asheboro’s first local newspaper, before finally settling on “Minkology.” The suffix “-ology,” derived from the Greek word “logos,” denotes the study or science of a particular subject. Taking creative liberties with the term, the Minks wanted to present themselves not as a study of but as suppliers of anything their customers might be looking for, from furniture to clothing to home goods.
The shop’s “Minkologists” are in-store experts on products ranging from Annie Sloan Chalk Paint© to Tyler Candle Company goods. Minkology aims to provide a unique and refreshing local retail experience allowing Asheboro natives to shop small, rather than commuting to a larger nearby city for one-of-a-kind gifts and other items. Our inventory is vast and varied; furniture, women’s items, children’s items, clothing and accessories, bath and body items, and home goods are just some of the products we offer.
Four years after purchasing the business, Wendi is still happy to be working in Asheboro. She believes Minkology is “the full package” with a fantastic team of Minkologists, local vendors whose high-quality work beautifully complements the store, great products, and amazing customers. Wendi loves the shop’s central location in North Carolina because it draws regular visitors from locations as far-ranging as Southern Pines, Lexington, Raleigh, and Charlotte, as well as the coastal and mountain regions of the state.
Above all, Wendi wants everyone who walks through the doors of Minkology to leave with a smile on their face, regardless of whether or not they make a purchase—and this Minkologist is happy to report that they almost always do!