New store at Fifth Street treasures county artisans.

Byline: Retail Notebook by Edward Russo The Register-Guard

CORRECTION (ran 3/21/03): An article on Page B1 on Thursday misspelled the last name of Courtney Divens.

Courtney Divens has enjoyed being a Saturday Market vendor, but she longed for longer hours. This coming Saturday, she will get her wish when she opens Everyone's Treasures in the Fifth Street Public Market in Eugene.

The store will sell pottery, jewelry, quilts, candles, art and other products made by Lane County artisans.

Divens hit on the idea of the store after selling handmade children's clothing at Saturday Market for the past three years. Divens and her sister, Dana Hart, also sold rock art at Saturday Market.

But Saturday Market "only operates one day a week for five months out of the year, and I wanted a place where my art could sell every day of the year," she said.

Givens has recruited about 35 artisans to display and sell their creations in the 1,000-square foot store on the second floor of the shopping complex. The artisans pay Givens a fee based on the size of their display areas, and she gets a seven percent sales commission. Givens hopes to make enough to pay rent to Fifth Street and make a profit for herself.

Givens, 21, spent about $6,000 to open the store. Her husband, Brian, and friends installed interior walls and painted.

Givens, who will be helped by her sister, says she is looking for about 15 more artisans to fill the inside of the store.

Michael Vaughn, manager of the market, said Givens may be young but her store could succeed.

"I think she has the energy and the know-how to make this happen," he said. "I think she will do fine."

Givens' store is one of several changes at the Fifth Street Public Market that have taken place since the start of the year.

Paper Traders, the first-floor card shop, was acquired by Kyle and Renee Flynn, who remodeled the store, changed its product mix and reopened in February.

Sara Hikmat moved Meena Imports from the first floor to a bigger space on the second floor. The shop, which sells North African and Middle Eastern gifts, art, jewelry and home decor, reopened earlier this month.

Norma McKenzie, who recently bought The Cotton Mill, has completed a major expansion by moving into the next door space formerly occupied by Juna's Alibi. With the extra room, McKenzie was able to expand the sales floor and double her inventory, Vaughn said. The extra room also gives McKenzie a place to keep inventory for sales that may come from the store's recently launched Web site.

Retail Notebook runs Thursdays.