TROY — Christine Young felt like she was changing the world as a kindergarten teacher. So when she stopped teaching in the mid 1980s, Young cried every night, she recalled.

But her second career as an antique saleswoman has been equally fulfilling — she's helped make people happy by beautifying their living space and taught history to those who are willing to learn. She recently visited a dying woman who told Young she felt so much pleasure looking at the items she had bought from Young's shop in Troy, The Antiques Warehouse.

"I think I'm very lucky," Young said. "I've never had a job I hated."

But after 14 years in the building at 78 Fourth St., Young plans to sell the space. After a lifetime of caring for students, her children, her customers and a sick husband, Young wants to take some time to care for herself.

"I feel as though I have to make myself stop," Young said. "I'm turning 71 in two weeks. I'm healthy. I'm active. My brain still works, and I want to explore the world."

Walking through Young's shop is like taking a step back in time, with three stories and about 11,000 square feet packed to the brim with old furniture, china sets, boxes of postcards and other memorabilia. Mary Tyler Moore was a customer. Michael J. Fox bought a rug from Young. The Antiques Warehouse has supplied set pieces to "Boardwalk Empire," "Sex and the City 2" and "John Adams," the 2008 HBO miniseries.

The most interesting item she's purchased recently was a Bedouin tent-door cover that reminded Young of an American folk art quilt. She's sold oriental rugs worth more than $100,000.

But her shop isn't just a business; it's also a gathering place for all of the friends Young has made through antiquing.

"There's no place like this," said Roberto Belmonte, who's known Young for about five years and described the shop as "mystic."

"Part of the charm is that there's so much stuff here, people get lost," he said. Belmonte picked up an old Snow White outfit, then a small scythe. "See what I mean? Who else has stuff like this for sale?"

Young's father worked in the rubbish business and would often dispose of peoples' unwanted household items. But these days, Young said people are looking for those hand-crafted, well-built vintage pieces in an era of mass-produced and cheaply made furniture.

"My father used to say to me, 'Chris, I remember when we used to take things like these to the dump,'" Young said. "Rubbish is what I sell here."

Now that she's preparing to close up shop, Young said she's being more selective with what she buys. She plans on hosting a sale when the contract on her building is finalized, and hopes to be out of the building within a year.

"I'm hoping it all comes together this spring, then I'll have the summer to get everything out," she said. "Then I can go on with my life."

Michael.Williams@timesunion.com or 518-454-5018.