NORTH BEND — In her 25 years in business, Renee Majeski has filled every inch — top to bottom — of the 7,000-square-foot main floor of her business with trinkets, jewelry and furniture of just about every kind imaginable.

“I like to say, you can buy anything from a 10 cent marble to an $800 piano,” Majeski said.

Seems imposing that Majeski, owner of Beauty & the Beast Antiques in North Bend, is headed toward retirement. The 53-year-old North Bend resident is taking it with a smile, and she’ll get to take something with her — her memories.

“I had a fellow propose to his wife here, because this is his favorite place,” Majeski said. “He bought the ring here.”

She started with four or five small showcases, now she has more than 50.

“Twenty five years of buying estates. I mean, I’ve bought whole estates, including the houses,” she said.

Majeski said she’s gotten lots of nice letters from her customers, from all over the world, over the years.

“I love my customers,” Majeski said. “I appreciate their business.”

Also the owner of the 21,000-square-foot building in which Beauty & the Beast is located, Majeski feels thankful to have stayed in business so long. In an antique and gift shop guide she and other shop owners had printed about a decade ago, only her store and two other shops are still in business. Sixteen others aren’t.

“We used to be full of antiques in town,” Majeski said. “Five of them, or six or seven up and down the street. The biggest thing, I’m the most proud of, is I’ve made a living as a single woman in Coos County.”

Joanie Johnson, owner of Sincerely Yours! Antique Mall in Coos Bay, said Beauty & the Beast will be sorely missed.

“The more shops an area has, the more they become a destination for people to travel to,” Johnson said.

Johnson hands out an up-to-date map to her customers. It lists other places they can shop for antiques in town. Stores within Coos Bay that sell antiques are the Paris Flea Market on Anderson Avenue, Leaf’s Treehouse on Third Street and Mossy Rose on Central Avenue. In North Bend, there’s Fat Cat Antiques and Epiphany & Co. Charleytown in Charleston also carries antiques, she said.

“We really do have a lot to offer,” Johnson said.

Before going into the antique business in North Bend, Majeski was a letter carrier here and in Reedsport. She was promoted to postmaster in Langlois, and worked for the post office for 15 years. In the early 1980s, she opened her first shop in Bunker Hill, the Lion’s Den.

“I started on a shoe string, literally,” Majeski said.

She fell in love with the historic First National Bank building, that is turning 100 this year, and a couple years later bought it and moved her business there. The building still has its original bank vault, coiled heat registers (they still work) and outside there are Seattle Underground-style sidewalks with amber-colored glass panes allowing sunlight to illuminate the basement. Horse hitching rings still adorn the curb near two decorative lampposts that Majeski installed.

Majeski originally ran a nightclub next door —the Anchor Inn — and managed Beauty & the Beast during the day.

Majeski said she is retiring due to health issues, and because, after a quarter of a century of dealing with antiques, plus the headaches of property ownership, she’s ready.

“I’m just one person. I’m tired,” she said.

She has no specific plan of action. She is selling off her inventory, including her showcases, little by little. She is only open for limited hours now — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, or by appointment. She plans to sell the entire building, with 28 offices that are mostly rented and a bar owner leasing the space next door, including a parking lot and warehouse across the street. Or she will sell just her business, or possibly hire a manager if she was to find just the right person.

“If someone has a lot of energy, they could really do something with this,” she said.

She’s planning to take it easy for awhile, perhaps write a book about ... antiques. She wants her book to help people avoid getting ripped off when they sell antiques and collectibles.

“I’m looking forward to getting out in the country,” Majeski said. “I’ll be gardening, raising berries.”

Beauty & the Beast Antiques is located at 615 Virginia Ave., North Bend. For more information, call 756-3570.