In our opinion, there is something quite special in an item that has a history and a story behind its life and purpose. Antique items come in all shapes and sizes, and finding the perfect one for your collection can be a real accomplishment.
Antiques Can Be Anything from Small Gifts to Fine Art
It’s no secret that some items can also come at a huge price point, and you want to know you’re buying into the real deal. If you’re new to antique hunting, it can be challenging to know the right place to start. Luckily, there are a few online and brick-and-mortar antique shops with fantastic reputations. Some also have incredible vendors who can provide any relevant information you may need before purchasing. In our article today, we have narrowed down some of the best online antique shops and those physical stores in the US and across the globe. So, if you’re on the hunt for your next antique piece, give these stores a try!
Online Antique Stores
One great place to find antiques, whether its decorative items or larger pieces, is online. There is no end to online resources for purchasing antiques. Let’s look at a few of the best online antique shops:
1st Dibs
1st Dibs is the place to go if you’re looking to buy high-end valuable antique items. The auction site scopes out antique dealers and authenticates every item before allowing them to sell on the platform. The site’s strict authenticity standards reassure buyers that the items they’re purchasing are genuine and a worthy investment of their money. 1st Dibs has antique items in almost every category, so you’ll be sure to find something that ticks all your antique boxes.
Craigslist
Craigslist is one of America’s largest online classified advertisement sites where people can buy and sell a vast selection of services and products. Included in these products are antique pieces ranging from jewelry and trinkets to antique furniture and paintings. When you click onto the Craigslist site, there is a separate “Antiques” category. The category makes searching and purchasing antique goods straightforward and convenient.
eBay
eBay is quite possibly the most well-known online marketplace in the world. Sellers, including antiques dealers, can create listings for items and set them to auction. Buyers can then place bids on the item until the highest bidder wins. Many sellers also add a ‘Buy It Now’ option where you can immediately buy the item. This feature cuts out the hassle of going through a bidding war. The site has categories for almost everything. You can expect to see antique items in the form of furniture, sculptures, and other artwork to silverware, clothes, and all manner of affordable (and not so) items.
Etsy
Etsy is a site for creatives and sellers to list and sell handmade or vintage items. The website is incredibly easy to navigate with an “Art and Collectibles” and a “Vintage” tab to streamline the products you’re particularly interested in. To list an item as vintage on Etsy, it must be at least 20 years old. Interested buyers can browse everything from Moroccan rugs to trinkets and paintings.
Mercari
Mercari is another online site with an entire section dedicated to vintage items. There is also an option to shop for antiques categorized into age groups in the vintage section. The age groups range from 50 to 75 years old, 75 to 100 years old, and 100 years and older. The prices on Mercari are pretty reasonable, making it a great place to browse and shop for antique pieces at a low cost.
Rejuvenation
Rejuvenation is a fantastic vintage store that sells interesting antiques and restores vintage pieces that need some TLC. Furniture, fine art, rugs, and light fittings are regularly added and sold on the site.
Rehab Vintage Interiors
Rehab Vintage Interiors could be a good place to start if you’re on the lookout for vintage furniture. The company is known for its quality restorations on vintage furniture pieces and accessories. For over 20 years, they have refurbished twentieth-century industrial, business, and institutional items like desks, seating, and filing cabinets. They mainly specialize in metal restoration, but they also have art pieces and ceramics.
Ruby Lane
Ruby Lane is a website dedicated solely to vintage and decorative items along with antique collectables. It is a one-stop-shop for all things antique with categories like furniture, clothing, dolls, silver, and porcelain. If there is an item you like the look of, you can make an offer or directly pay the asking amount from the seller. You also have the option to email the dealers to find out more information about the items. Ruby Lane ensures that all items are over 20 years old and bans non-authentic, fake, fantasy, or reproduction items from ever making it to the site.
The Good Mod
The Good Mod is the best of both worlds and has an online store and a showroom in Portland, Oregon. Spencer Staley founded the store in 2006 and bought and sold vintage mid-century items, including lighting fixtures, furniture, and fine art. Customers can also have their items reupholstered or repaired by The Good Mod. The company offers a full range of custom upholstery at their Portland, Oregon showroom.
Webstore
The website runs like an auction, and sellers can list their items so buyers can make offers. At the end of the allotted time period, the highest bidder wins the auction and will take the item home. If you’d prefer to skip the hassle with an auction bid, you can opt to buy it now and purchase the item directly.
American Antique Stores
If you are a brick-and-mortar kind of antique hunter, then you are also in luck. Across the United States, you can find some truly magnificent places to find everything from collectables to dealers selling jewellery, textiles, and more. Check out some of these wonderful physical antique shops. They are all worth a visit and have enough stock to keep collectors of all manner of items happy.
America’s Antique Mall
America’s Antique Mall is a family of malls in Melbourne, Florida, and Highland, Indiana. The malls aim to connect vendors and collectives looking to buy and sell quality antiques. The stores have thousands of items from vintage toys and fashion to furniture and sports memorabilia. America’s Antique Mall also often hosts events like antique car shows, auction evenings, and outdoor vintage markets for even more chances to find the perfect item for your collection.
Casa Gusto
Casa Gusto in West Palm Beach, Florida, has older antique items and a selection of newer “Gusto Made” and “Gusto Painted” items. The antique dealer mother and son duo set out to create a space filled with unique items that they, too, would want to purchase for their own collections. They’ve also racked up a fair few followers on Instagram, where they showcase and style their new pieces.
Larry’s Antiques
Larry’s Antiques in Cottonwood, Arizona, was originally opened 20 years ago in Glendale, Arizona. A few years later, the owner moved the store to the Cottonwood location. The antique store stretches through 2 acres, four buildings, and a two-story hay barn and was bought by Larry Cohen in 2011. Larry owns 70% of items in the store, and additional vendors own the remaining 30%. The vast array of antiques, treasures, and vintage items will make you feel like you’re walking through a museum. We highly recommend scheduling plenty of time to look around and discover everything the store has to offer.
M.S Rau Antiques
M.S. Rau Antiques has been selling fine art, antiques, and jewels since 1912. It now stands out as a landmark in the french quarter of New Orleans. Even if you don’t intend to buy anything, the M.S Rau Antiques store is a must-see. The store showcases exquisite art, extremely rare furniture, and one-of-a-kind jewellery, with prices up to $1,000,000.
Midtown Antique Mall
The Midtown Antique Mall is the midwest’s largest antique mall, with over 65 dealers showcasing different antique items. Initially established in 1991 in Minnesota, the mall soon grew to be three stories. Midtown displays a vast selection of jewelry, clothing, furniture, art, and antique light fixtures. Midtown Antique Mall also regularly updates its website with new items that you can reserve and pick up in-store. They also have a virtual tour where you can get a feel for vintage shops and item types before you head over there. The mall also buys antiques directly from their customers, so it is a great place to sell antiques you may have lying around if you don’t know what else to do with them.
The Factory Antique Mall
The Factory Antique Mall that opened in 1996 in Verona, Virginia, is America’s largest antiques centre shopping destination. The mall spans over a whopping 135,000 square feet. Independent dealers can hire booths in the one-story antique mall to sell everything from history and war items to clothing, toys, and pottery. There are so many items, including more oversized furniture and salvaging items on display in the antique shops, that you’ll be wandering around browsing at everything for hours.
Antique Shops Around the World
If you are reading this from outside the US, or perhaps you enjoy traveling and indulging in your shopping hobby, rest assured, there are some more great places to find antiques worldwide. Grab your passport because we’re going to do a bit of globetrotting now, as we check out some fantastic stores from around the world.
Birkelunden Flea Market
The Birkelunden Flea Market, in Oslo, Norway, is a flea market held almost every week in a large park in the Grünerløkka district. Weekends are extremely popular, with vendors selling a large selection of textiles, antique furniture, vintage clothing, glass, ceramics, and so much more. You can spend hours walking around the market, taking in all the weird and wonderful antique items before grabbing a bite to eat and relaxing on the park’s open lawns.
Mallett Antiques
Mallet Antiques is one of England’s oldest dealers of fine antiques after John Mallet founded it in 1865. The antique store has galleries in London and New York locations and regularly exhibits antique fairs and international fine art.
Oedo Antique Market
The Oedo Antique Market is Japan’s largest outdoor antique market that takes place twice a month in the Tokyo International Forum. Two hundred fifty dealers showcase incredible vintage and antique items on blankets and tables spread out through the market. When visiting the Oedo Antique Market, you can find items ranging from ceramics and vintage film posters to antique prints and alarm clocks. Creative sellers also transform vintage materials like kimonos or curtains into clothing pieces. Customers who want unique and interesting pieces are drawn to Oedo because of this.
Portobello Road
You can find one of the largest antiques markets in the world along Portobello Road in London. The entire street is dedicated to antiques hosting over 1,000 vendors. Vendors at Portobello Road sell a wide selection of antiques and collectibles. Fridays and Saturdays are the street’s most popular days for antiques, with additional stalls popping up everywhere. During these days, street performers and food stalls also appear in abundance. Collectors and vendors have been coming to London, particularly Portobello Road, since the 1940s, when the market mainly sold essential items and food. Over time, traders began the sale of bric-a-brac and antiques, which is now what this London market is best known for.
Walton House Antiques
Walton House Antiques in Warminster, England, has an extensive range of antique collectibles. The range includes items such as furniture, clocks, fine art, and porcelain. The Walton House Antiques shop showcases them in a 2,500 sq foot showroom. Buyers can visit the showroom, browse the collection and ask the experts questions about each individual piece. Decorative items dating back many decades, along with jewelry and mirrors, can also be purchased at Walton House Antiques.
Final Thoughts on Antique Stores Around the World
Well, there you have it! There are some incredible places to browse and purchase antique items, both in-store and online. It’s great to see that people all across the globe find joy in purchasing items that have their own history. Understandably, we couldn’t mention every location on this list. But luckily, there are thousands upon thousands of places to purchase antique items. Local towns put on auctions that can be fantastic places to look for antiques. The items may even represent some history of your local area. As we come to a close, we’d love to know what are some of the best antiques you’ve found for your collection? Are there any other antique shops or online stores you think deserve a special mention, and where is your favorite place to buy antiques? Let us know in the comment section down below!
