Church pews, radios from the 1930s, a sugar cube picker-upper and a lamp made from a Seagrams 7 Crown Whiskey bottle are just a few of the fun, unusual items at Lazy Dog Antiques at 1903 W. Belmont Ave.

Lisa Piemonte, who grew up in Glenview and lives with husband Rudy in Little Italy, owns and manages the antique shop. Piemonte, who used to be a full-time accountant for a family business, opened the shop because she likes discovering and hunting for treasures. "I like everything old, rare and unique," she says.

She still does accounting work because "antiques don't really pay the bills, but it's a lot more fun."

She says that besides having family silverware, china and a lot of furniture, her mom "loved to hunt for pieces." As Piemonte grew older, she also became more interested in antique items.

She says she likes to "sort of recycle old things that give character to people's homes," and she likes to carry old pieces that make you go, "Where'd you get that?"

Walking around the store, Piemonte points out popular sellers, such as pocket watches. "There's a renewed interest in them," she says. In fact, some pocket watch enthusiasts visit every week to check out the new selections.

Chandeliers, jewelry and trunks also are hot sellers at the store, which is going into its third year of business.

Talking about silver jewelry and costume jewelry, she says, "If it sparkles, it sells well."

Jewelry made from Bakelite, a type of plastic invented in the early 1900s, is a hot item: "When we get it, it goes fast."

Although some antique shops carry only very expensive items, Piemonte tries to carry items that run the gamut. "We try to have a huge price range," she says, to appeal to not only adults but also kids.

Walk down the stairs to the basement, and more treasures await. Sturdy, heavy church pews that someone recently bought are waiting to be picked up. Piemonte says that a family renovating a Victorian graystone on the West Side plans to use the church pews at a dining room table.

Nearby sit many radios from the 1930s and 1940s, and many are made from Bakelite.

"All old radios sell well," she says. "Radio collectors are fanatics." Also, most of the radios still work, and Piemonte says, "The sound is fantastic."

Although Piemonte will do minor repairs to some items, she tries not to buy things that need a lot of repairing.

Near a Seagrams 7 Crown Whiskey bottle lamp is a cattle branding iron with "ND" on it. Piemonte says she thinks maybe a Notre Dame fan might go for the branding iron.

Walk around the basement some more, and you'll also see a postage stamp machine, beer trays, railroad signs and trunks. Many old hat boxes, including a Stanley Korshak box, sit on a table. Hats are popular, and Piemonte says, "All Chicago theaters shop here."

The store also carries many gorgeous candy trays, vases and other items made from hand-blown Murano glass. The Murano glass items look even prettier when the light shines through them. "It's kind of everywhere because I love it," Piemonte says.

And what kinds of antiques does Piemonte have at home?

"I try to keep my house as clutter-free as possible," she says, and she has mostly antique furniture at home. If she had more room, though, she says she would have more antiques there.

Regular shoppers include designers and interior decorators, who "tend to beeline for the good stuff."

Piemonte finds some items from going to antique shops and estate sales, but she finds more of her merchandise from people who call her and let her know about their treasures. She estimates that she finds about 85 percent of her merchandise from individual sellers, and the rest comes from estate sales. When Piemonte makes appointments to look at estates, she goes around Chicago and also to the suburbs, including Wilmette, Winnetka and Glencoe.

She says that she is seeing an increased interest in antiques, partly because of the "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS. Some people are optimistic that many of their items will be "super valuable," but Piemonte says that usually she'll find one or two impressive treasures.

Whenever she and her husband travel, they always stop at antique shops. She says, "My first love is to go on that hunt."