POULSBO — An antique diving helmet.

A piece of 1930s Belleek china.

Black and white photographs of people long gone.

To Poulsbo resident Janet Caswell, they all play a part.

“I love beautiful, old things and I love to find things people are looking for,” Caswell commented on the varied inventory at her new store Great Finds. “It has to be useful or really cool — something you can’t find anywhere else.”

Caswell opened the doors to Great Finds on the southeast side of the wharf building about one month ago, but the Poulsbo resident has been an antique dealer at heart for much longer. Before opening shop, she’d had stalls at larger antique malls and had also sold pottery through eBay during the winter months.

“It’s something I’ve always loved doing. It’s sort of a second nature type thing,” Caswell said of dealing in antiques.

Once Caswell decided she wanted to go into the antiquities business for herself, she looked at every open space in town before deciding on the wharf building space. She said the storefront, located beneath the Bayside Broiler, appealed to her because it was small enough for a one-person operation and yet close enough to downtown Poulsbo and her home.

“And the view when you’re coming down Hostmark, you can’t miss it,” she commented.

Great Finds specializes in items of a cottage or primitive theme. Caswell also stocks a few nautical items because of Poulsbo’s location near the water and Naval bases. She also joked that the marine pieces, like diving helmets and old navigation pieces, even help get some of the husbands to come in and shop with their wives.

And besides having pieces for sale, Caswell also buys items and sometimes accepts them on commission. She primarily tries to do this kind of business on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but will make appointments for other times of the week to view pieces for sale.

“Since I’ve opened, many townspeople have come in with their collections they want to sell. I’ve seen some beautiful things,” Caswell said.

Caswell said her main concern when looking for a piece for her shop is that it be in excellent shape. While her stock is not brand new in the box, Caswell said she tries to find pieces that would even make nice gifts. Since her emphasis is finding pieces that have stood the test of time, she said many people searching for a gift for that hard-to-shop-for person may find what they’re looking for at Great Finds.

“I appreciate a piece that has character and is unique or if it has some whimsy to it, it’s funny or it strikes a chord,” Caswell explained.

Besides antiques, Caswell does stock a few items from local craftspeople that fit in with her cottage and primitive theme. Some of her favorite “non-antique” items are handmade cedar tables of all shapes and sizes and hammered-copper fish wall hangings.

And the next big thing to come for Great Finds will definitely be the holidays, Caswell said. The proprietor is already putting aside affordable and unique holiday items she hopes will be on, or under, Christmas trees across North Kitsap and beyond this year.

And with nearly one month of business under her belt, Caswell said she feels Great Finds has been successful. She said she’s encouraged to see many of her former customers have followed her to Poulsbo, but she also said that locals have embraced the store.

“It’s gone great. It’s better than I expected,” she said.