JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers OPENING APRIL 1, NO FOOLING -Penny Pinchers store owner Kathy Ervin stands in front of her new location at 2355 Tapo St., Ste. 16. Ervin has operated the antiques store for nearly 40 years. Now antiques shoppers can rest easy. Penny Pinchers is scheduled to reopen Sat., April 1 at its new digs at 2355 Tapo St., Ste. 16 in Simi Valley.

For nearly 40 years, owner Kathy Ervin operated Penny Pinchers on Valley Fair Street. But in November, the building had a new owner with designs on moving his brokerage firm there. Ervin had until January to find a new building to house 17,200 square feet of vintage one-of-a-kind items.

Although the new place is onefourth the size of the old one, that hasn't dampened Ervin's excitement over reopening.

"I'm much happier," said Ervin. "I'm not ready to lie down and die."

Said her son, Jim, "It's her lifeblood."

Judy Caraccioli, who decades ago met and became good friends with Ervin after shopping at Penny Pinchers, said the store's closing devastated customers.

"People need this (place)," she said. "It's kind of a place to socialize."

Caraccioli said the store is important to the community because it's a unique and a fun place to shop, and the vintage items found here make it a kind of museum. Through them, the younger generation gets a glimpse of what life was like in their grandparents' and great-grandparents' day, she said.

Penny Pinchers store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (805) 527-0056.