In Western Loudoun County, a familiar storefront is getting a new life — this time in the hands of the next generation. Suzanne Eblen’s son Wyatt, and his wife, Ashley, are preparing to open the Young Lucketts Vintage Store at 12810 James Monroe Highway, a fresh, modern take on the beloved Lucketts shopping experience that shaped Wyatt from childhood.
Suzanne is co-owner of the Lucketts Store (formerly known as The Old Lucketts Store) and creator of its famed spring and fall market and Holiday House. She laid the foundation Wyatt is now building on — quite literally — just up the road.
In His DNA
For Wyatt, the project is more than a business venture — it’s a homecoming.
“My childhood was getting dragged around to a million auctions and antique shops,” he says. “I was five when my mom opened her store. My brothers and I were tiny kids wreaking havoc in the aisles. Now here we are doing the same thing, just on the other side of it.”
The building they’re reopening is steeped in family history. It once housed Suzanne’s first shop, called My Wits End, from 1994 until 1996.
“The fun part of the story,” Suzanne says, “is that my eldest son Wyatt will be reopening my first store north on Route 15 toward the Point of Rocks bridge. I started there before I moved up to Lucketts.”
She can’t help but get a kick out of the timing.
“I was 36 and having my third child when I restored and started Lucketts Store,” she says. “Wyatt is 36 and having his first child as he prepares to launch what he is calling ‘Young Lucketts’ — to follow in my footsteps with a younger, cooler vibe. Should be a fun journey.”
After sitting unused for several years and still owned by Suzanne, the building offered Wyatt and Ashley the perfect chance to create something of their own — especially with their baby boy due in April.
“It’s come full circle,” Ashley says. “We’re starting our family in the same place where his mom started hers.”
A Younger, Funkier Lucketts
Young Lucketts will feature curated vendors, vintage finds, bold decor and colorful, funky pieces aimed at a younger crowd. Ashley is adding her own touch by bringing in local artisans — potters, jewelers, herbalists, and makers — to spotlight the area’s creative and agricultural community.
“I really want it to feel like a community space,” she says. “Eventually we’d love to host farmers markets or events where people can shop, mingle, maybe sip some local wine.”
With a February 1 grand opening planned, the couple has been deep in renovations — updating plumbing, adding insulation, and preparing to repaint the exterior once it’s warm enough. The building was painted black by a previous tenant; the Eblens plan to revive it with fresh energy and vibrant color.
The father-to-be recently stepped back from managing the Lucketts online store to focus fully on the new venture. But his lifetime of frontline retail experience has prepared him well for the new endeavor. “I’ve been moving furniture there since I was big enough to lift it,” he says. “It feels like it’s in my DNA.”
Feature image courtesy Wyatt Eblen
