Jacksonville Transfer Co. expands with Gillham House showroom, antique mall

Jacksonville Transfer Co. is expanding at one of downtown Jacksonville’s most visible addresses, adding a Gillham House showroom and antique mall at 326 West State Street next to the Morgan County Courthouse. The move gives the custom furniture and salvage business a more retail-facing presence in the heart of the city, where shoppers can browse antiques, salvaged pieces and custom items in one stop.

For downtown Jacksonville, the significance is less about a single storefront than about what it may do to the block around it. A showroom and antique mall depends on people lingering, comparing pieces and coming back with friends or family, which could help convert passing traffic into longer visits and more spending in the square. That matters in a part of town where the city already promotes locally owned boutiques, vintage finds and a shopping experience centered on antiques.

The Gillham House property itself has become a familiar part of that downtown story. In 2022, Colleen Flinn, owner of Nothing Fancy Supply, was linked to plans to acquire the former Gilliam Buchanan Funeral Home building and rename it Gillham House, with the idea of using it for more than one business. Later, Ross Blakeman and Nathan Peak were connected to another redevelopment concept for the same building, showing how often 326 West State Street has been viewed as a flexible site for mixed commercial use rather than a single-purpose storefront.

That history makes Jacksonville Transfer Co.’s expansion feel like the next step in a broader reinvestment pattern rather than a one-off change. The building’s position beside the Morgan County Courthouse and within walking distance of the Jacksonville city square gives it a built-in advantage for drawing courthouse visitors, downtown workers and shoppers already moving through the core. If the new showroom and antique mall catch on, the payoff could extend beyond one business, reinforcing the kind of browsing-oriented downtown identity Jacksonville’s tourism materials have long tried to market.

The company’s bet also fits the city’s broader appeal to visitors looking for older buildings, vintage merchandise and locally run shops. For residents, that could mean one more reason to stay downtown longer, and one more place where Jacksonville’s past and present are sold under the same roof.