WRITER | CANDIE CONAT
PHOTO |  MRS. O’S CRAP SHACK

Just outside Traverse City, you’ll find a little-known shop called Mrs. O’s Crap Shack. The Shack, as it is lovingly known among its admirers, is a consignment store in Interlochen specializing in the adage that “one person’s junk (crap) is another person’s treasure.”

Mrs. O’s Crap Shack is the brainchild of Robin O’Malley, otherwise known as The Queen of Crap. As if The Crap Shack isn’t enough, she has a companion group on Facebook called Crap You Gotta Have. It is a private group with online auctions held weekly. The group has very specific rules to keep it drama-free and is monitored to ensure everyone sticks to those rules. The store offers a high-energy, fun atmosphere when you visit.

It all started in 2014 when O’Malley decided to start clearing out her own crap. She had a lot to get rid of but hated the various online resale pages and all of the drama that accompanied them. So, she did what any enterprising woman might do and came up with her own online auction group. Soon O’Malley ran out of her own things to sell, so she started hustling crap from friends. Word spread, and it wasn’t long before she was taking in crap at an alarming rate. She launched weekend open houses to try to draw in more shoppers at one time, but the crap had taken over her home, and it seemed her marriage depended on her finding a new place to house, and sell, her merchandise. Enter Mrs. O’s Crap Shack.

O’Malley likes to say, “Shopping at the shack is an experience, not a chore!” Every customer is greeted with a smile and a little bit of Mrs. O’s special magic. O’Malley and her team use creative vignettes to display their inventory. Virtually everything in the store that is not nailed down is for sale (heck, they will probably sell you the front door, if you want it).

From eclectic antique lamps, end tables, dinnerware, and unique wall art to amazing jewelry, accessories, and women’s clothes, the inventory at Mrs. O’s Crap Shack changes weekly. The team spends a lot of time getting to know their visitors, and they know what people like and what they are looking for. It’s as if they are mind readers. But if you see something you love, you’d better grab it up, for it will likely be gone by the following week!

Even husbands sometimes enjoy a trip to Mrs. O’s. A hearty greeting that includes a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa, maybe with a little magic mixed in, the humor ― it’s special, and, as Mrs. O puts it, it’ll “warm the cockles of your heart.” Often the simplest topic will take the conversation down a wormhole, and before you know it, everyone is belly-laughing. Of course, there IS an ulterior motive…husbands don’t even realize their better halves have purchased a big ol’ pile of crap.

Be sure to check out Mrs. O’s Crap Shack and Crap You Gotta Have on Facebook for current Shack hours. Then head on out and experience this enjoyable shop for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

Mrs. O’s Crap Shack
2480 M137
Interlochen, MI 49643
(231) 276-3195 l MRS. O’S CRAP SHACK