Royal School Full Of Treasures

It was in the middle of April during Bargain Buyways in Royal that an abandoned school house spoke to Cheryl Holliday, asking for help.

By Memorial Day, she had a new flea market business booming calling it Royal Schoolhouse Treasures.

The unique town school house was built in 1912 where many in the small rural community attended school. In time enrollment dropped, and the building held its last school year in 2000. It became home to the Unified District for a short time and then became abandoned until Holliday used her savings to purchase the building, not knowing what to do with it.

Now, the building provides a home to many unique antiques, vintage crafts and flea market items. With 17 different vendors, many items can be mixed and matched making great decor for homes and yards.

“Something spoke to me that day that it just needed help. I had no plans of doing this, but we have a little bit of everything,” Holliday said.

What makes Royal Schoolhouse Treasures even more unique are the stories that come with the building. The bricks that make up the structure have a unique black signature marking on them of which some say is the mark of a long ago Neligh brick mill. The original blackboards and tin ceiling tiles still remain as part of the decor in the building, too.

Holliday has many stories of people coming in to reminisce old memories of their school days.

“Younger guys will come in and tell me their stories of them in the school house,” said Holliday. “They say, ‘I used to watch that clock on the wall and sit in a desk right here or play in a sandbox in the corner.’”

Holliday explained that hearing those stories is what makes the hard work worth it. While she continues to cater to what people like, Holliday also shared that her biggest challenge was sharing her time with her other woodworking business.

While Royal Schoolhouse Treasures is open during the warm season on Friday and Sunday afternoons and all day Saturdays, it could expand to an online business venture. Holliday said that while it is something she is thinking about, meeting people is also what she enjoys most of the entrepreneurship world.

“Because of the location, I didn’t expect a lot of traffic and I’m impressed because I have gotten a lot more than expected,” Holliday said with a smile. “Green Gables really promotes me and July 29 I had about 100 people come in.”

But Holliday wasn’t only impressed with the customers, she also shared how everyone in the area has been very supportive. especially in the Royal community.

“My favorite part was how happy the people were that I bought it. The neighbors help out with a lot like running errands, mowing my yard and keeping watch,” said Holliday.

The schoolhouse doesn’t hold only history in its walls, Royal Schoolhouse Treasures also provides a great way for the town to remain active and draws people to Royal who wouldn’t otherwise stop in. The guest book is a slate chalk board, but is already full of names from all over Nebraska and the United States.

“I think we have the best of both worlds in a rural area,” exclaimed Holliday. “You have cheaper costs, have neighbors who help you out and still have a business you can send stuff all over the world too.”

Royal Schoolhouse Treasures not only provides a fun, innovative way to shop for decor, but the three story building also proves to provide enough space for just about any business venture.

And that day in April when the tin was tapping on the overhang crying for help, Holliday will never forget how it spoke to her.

​“If you can use it, don’t throw it away,” she said with a laugh.