CALUMET – Almost five years ago, the Vertin Gallery in Calumet closed due to financial concerns. But in July, it began a new life, which manager Mary Sue Hyslop hopes will act as a unifying force in the community.

Hyslop said after the gallery closed in November 2012, most of the art work and vintage items for sale were cleared out. However, some of those items stayed in the building while it was unused, and they were there when it reopened.

Eight people cleaned up the building in order to get it ready to open on the day of the Great Deer Chase bicycle race, Hyslop said.

The decision to reopen the gallery and consignment store came after a chance meeting between herself and building owner Tim Lyons during a sports camp their sons attended at Michigan State University, Hyslop said. The two had known each other for years, and they spent most of their time at the camp talking about getting the building going again.

She’s owned businesses in the past, Hyslop said. She wanted to get into business again, and the Vertin building seemed like a good place to do that.

“This really felt right,” she said. “When you walk into this building, there’s a lot of good energy.”

The building at the corner of Sixth and Oak streets was constructed in 1885 by brothers John and Joseph Vertin for Vertin’s Department Store, which closed in 1985. In 2004, there were studios on the second floor for some artists, who eventually formed a cooperative and began exhibiting their work on the ground floor. In 2007, the cooperative reformed into a consignment gallery.

Many of the items in the store are antiques or vintage items, and Hyslop said her experience with such things goes back many years.

“I’ve been doing this since I was 12,” she said of her involvement with antiques.

Hyslop said the items, including the art, will once again be sold on consignment. There are various “vignettes” in the store, where items are placed to look like a room in a house.

“People can see and get a feel of home,” she said. “We incorporate the art into the vignettes.”

The inventory of art will increase over time, Hyslop said.

“We’re bringing in artists slow and steady,” she said.

Available in the building are household items, sporting goods, books and furniture, among other things.

Eventually, Hyslop said there will be vendor spaces on the second floor for antiques.

As way to promote community in Calumet and the surrounding area, Hyslop said there will be live music with recording artist Penny Shute Menze in the first floor from 6-9 p.m. on Friday. There will also be presentations by local people talking about the area called Copper Country Conversations.

From Nov. 9 through Dec. 19, the building will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, except for the First Friday village gallery openings, when it will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., including after Dec. 19.

Appointments to come into the gallery can be made at 934-2655.

There are several art galleries in Calumet, but Hyslop said they work together to promote art and artists.

“The only way we can succeed is if we work together,” she said.