Weiser store reopens after owner recovers from car accident

A longtime store owner in downtown Weiser is back behind the counter after six months of recovery following a car accident last November.
 The doors of Anita’s G.R.A.B. (gifts, recycled, articles, books) Store on West Idaho Street have been locked since owner Anita Ward was injured in an accident on I-84 on Nov. 15, a day she remembers all too well.
 Ward was driving to Nampa when a driver pulled in front of her near the Karcher exit and slowed. She tried to swerve to the shoulder of the highway to avoid a collision, but still hit the vehicle at 55 miles per hour. The impact totaled her vehicle, but did surprisingly little damage to the other vehicle.
 The other driver was not injured, but Ward suffered two shattered ankles in the accident, along with miscellaneous bumps and bruises.
 After surgery at a Boise hospital to repair the damage, which included the insertion of pins and screws, she began a long recovery.
 She was in one rehabilitation facility from early December until March and then transferred to another as she began to heal. It wasn’t until February that she could even put her feet on the floor. She was finally able to go home on April 7 after the lengthy recuperation.
 “Everyone at rehab knew that I couldn’t wait to get home and open the store,” she said.
 Ward has been a familiar face in downtown Weiser for the past 24 years and will mark 25 years in July. Her first store was called Anita’s Tradeables and Collectibles. She’s rented retail space in a couple of downtown buildings over the years, including the old J.C. Penney’s building and the mall on State Street.
 A Weiser native with deep, local roots, Ward grew up on a farm near Monroe Creek just north of Weiser. The Monroe Creek campground is located on land that used to be part of her family’s property.  
 She graduated from Weiser High School in the 1950s, when it was still located at the Institute. She married Harold and they lived all over, including Germany, during the 22 years he was on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. The couple has been married for more than 60 years.
 They had two sons and a daughter. Sadly, one of her children died of cancer. Her son RanDell and daughter Peggy June live in Boise. Both helped her out during her long rehabilitation, and her daughter opened the store for a few days.
 Ward was finally able to open her store on May 9 after nearly six months. She is happy to be back on her feet and is working five days a week, her former schedule. She bought another car to replace the one that was wrecked.
 She enjoys the interaction with people who stop by the resale and second-hand shop looking for something unique or a bargain. The inventory, which she describes as eclectic, is always changing and includes collectibles, jewelry, home décor, glassware, books and much more.
 “I’m not getting rich like Sam Walton, but I am having fun,” she said.
 The store is open Tuesday through Saturday. The address is 24 W. Idaho St. in downtown Weiser.