Not Sure What to Expect...

On Mother's Day, I was looking at May's edition of Discover Vintage America, and I noticed a half page ad for Junk Extravaganza in Parkville.  I was off that Saturday, and I noticed that it had free admission.  I looked up as much information about the event as I could find, and the group showed several photos of items that would be included in the sale on their Facebook.  I felt that it was well worth the look, and I convinced the wife to come with me.  Neither of us knew what to expect, but we were definitely surprised at the finds we found.

The Junk Extravaganza was in a gravel lot in the English Landing Centre.  Some of the booths were covered and others were out of the backs of vans.  Regardless, all of the booths were very organized.  Nothing was piled nor was there anything a hunter could not look at because of a mess.  This was the first event, so there were not a lot of vendors.  However, there was a lot of selection.  A little bit of everything could be found at this event, which made it a lot of fun.  The best part... PRICES.  Everything seemed priced to sell, and the vendors were definitely willing to strike up a deal or a conversation.  The wife wound up buying the bottom half of a globe.  It was at a great price, and she will wind up making something out of it. 

I found a vendor who was selling glasses at bottom-dollar prices.  I was floored!  I really wanted to buy all of their inventory, but I only bought four.  I bought three Star Wars glasses.

And one Popeye glass.

The Junk Extravaganza was right out the front door of an antique store called La Bottega Vintage Market.  It is a single-story store that twists with several booths.  Some of the booths are very nice items, but they did have a few that were boutique-y (which are quick for me to skip right by).  The prices were hit and miss, but it was hard to judge after being at the Junk Extravaganza.  

Parkville Antique Mall is down a little ways from all of this.  This is location has a main story with plenty to explore and a basement with much to offer.  

The prices were similar to La Bottega, and there was a great variety.  The basement did not seem too full, but there was still quite a bit of stuff.  The wife did find some fabric, a handkerchief, and a metal form.  All of them will be used in some craft, I'm sure.

There was another store in Parkville called Colorful Memories Design in a bright building in the downtown which cannot be missed.  It had quite a few items in it, but it looked like most of it would be for repurposing or shabby chic.  That isn't our style, but the store does fill the void of such product in Parkville.  The prices were set to sell, so I'm sure there is a lot of inventory moving going on at this store.

We left Parkville and decided to find 600 Central, the sister store to River Market Antiques.  600 Central has a ton of furniture.  In fact, that's what the majority of the merchandise is.  It has four floors.  The bottom floor is vintage clothing.  The wife didn't like the stairs (she can be quite clumsy), so we did not check it out this time.  We will have to see what is down there sometime.  The prices were a little high, in my opinion, but I am not one to know much about furniture prices.  There were a lot of neat pieces.

So, a day which was on the brinks of uncertainty turned into a day with a lot of goodies.

Until next time... Happy Hunting!

Jesse James Country

The wife and I decided that we would utilize one of our weekends off together to try out some new locations.  This is a big step for her since she is not always the adventurous one in the family.  That is the reason why I usually go alone for the first trip in order to scout out the best stores.  However, even when it gets bad, she is still a trooper.

I had seen on Yelp a place in Kansas City called the Cowtown Mallroom.  It is a Sunday-only flea market that is held in the El Torreon building off of 31st and Gillham.  When I was in high school, my friends and I would go to concerts at this location, so I thought it would be interesting to see what the rest of the building looked like (especially in the light).  We had also heard good things about the selection and the prices.  So, we decided to give it a shot.  The area they have opened is quite large.  There is a downstairs with several offshoot rooms and a large, open upstairs.  There was a lot to look at there, but we did not see anything worth buying.  It was fun to see some of the different stuff, such as the vendor selling old toys from the '80s and early '90s.  I wouldn't consider them antiques, but it was still fun to see stuff from my childhood.  We did not spend a lot of time there since we were told a band starts playing later in the day, and we did not want to take part in any of that.

So, we hopped across the street and visited Bitterman's Eye Candy.  If you remember, I came up here alone before, so I thought I would share the location with the wife.  She looked around and enjoyed it while I tried to beat the high score on the pinball machine (which I did not do).  The wife did find a green blazer that she liked, and it fit so well (she claims it was made just for her) that I convinced her to buy it.

We had to make a decision.  We had to decide if we were going to wander around the metro area or head in a different direction.  We decided that we would head to St. Joseph and see what we could find up there.  So, off we went on our Sunday road trip.

The first shop we went to was W.D. Pickers Antique Mall in Platte City.  It had been several years since I had been there, and I could not remember what it was like.  The wife quickly noticed that it was a lot of glass cases (her nemesis).  However, she did admit that this one was not too bad since the glass cases were organized well.  She felt that it was easy to see every item in the cases, and it wasn't a bunch of random stuff shoved in the case.  There is a lot to look at in this store, so make plenty of time if you plan to stop.  We found several things to purchase.  She found some old bird seed boxes that had her maiden name on them.  She bought one for her mom and one for her soon-to-be-sister-in-law.  I found a Life magazine from 1966 with Adam West as Batman on the cover.  As much as we love Batman in this house, we had to buy it.  It was at a steal of a deal as well.

As we were leaving, we saw a sign for Weston.  I had always wondered what was in Weston, other than the skiing place, so we decided to make a detour.  It is a cute little town, but it feels like a tourist trap.  Here is a list of stores in the downtown area.  There is an antique store called Treasure Trove (sorry, I can't find an online presence for them).  It was fine antiques, but I noticed there were only a handful of pieces in it.  The place that really caught our eye was Sundance Photo Gallery and Mort's Classic Cameras.  There were tons of old cameras and even more old prints of photos from a Kansas City photographer.  It was a very neat place.

When we finally got to St. Joseph, we found The Rusty Chandelier and Jesse James Antique Mall.  The two locations share a parking lot, but they are independent from each other.

We went to Rusty Chandelier first.  There is a large area outside with a lot of stuff to dig through.  It feels like you are a picker, digging through someone's barn.  The wife enjoyed this and kept saying she would have to bring her sister there to dig.  The prices on the items were super cheap, but the items had been weathered from being out in the elements.  The inside was very girly, and it caught the wife's eye.  My eyes were on trying to find the next stop.  It is a good size place with lots of stuff.  There is an upstairs, which it was not very full so I am assuming they just recently expanded.  There is also a back room on the ground floor which was not done up as cute as the front area.  We did find a US map from a classroom.  The wife has been looking for one for awhile, and this one is in really good shape and at an awesome price.

We then went to Jesse James Antique Mall.  When we walked in, the wife saw glass cases and just walked by them.  I enjoy looking at the small things because you never know what you might find in there.  The place is really big.  There is the main area, and then there is a back area as well.  Both areas are full of things, so take your time and look.  The prices were reasonable, and we had a lot of fun looking.  I found a Batman glass.  I have seen them on eBay but this one was in really nice condition.

We also bought the Missouri tourist glasses that highlight some of what makes Missouri famous.  We see these out all of the time, and they are nothing special.  I like the way they look, and I love my home state.  We found them in various booths, so we could be picky about quality.

We were both hungry, but we had an hour before everything closed.  So, I made a deal with the wife that we would go to one more shop, and I would let her pick any place to eat.

The final store we went to was St. Joseph Auction & Antique Market.  We saw it when we came into town, but we were told that it was a nice one.  It is a nice place, and it is another large antique store.  It has some very different items in it.  There was some Roy Rogers and Lone Ranger memorabilia in the front of the store.  I love old television, and the old western television shows really have a draw on me.  We only found one item to buy at this store, and this is a very cool piece to us.  It is a tomato can from Odessa Canning Company.  I could not pass it up since it is from my hometown.

We found some food and headed home.  I know we missed several antique stores in the St. Joseph area, so we will have to get an early start and go back that way.

Until next time... Happy Hunting!

Lake Antiques

Summer will soon be upon us, and I know the lake is a great place to spend the weekends.  However, have you ever looked at the antique shops in some of your favorite lake-side towns?  I went on a quest to see what was around the Truman Lake area, and this is what I found.

I went to Clinton before, but I was on a time restriction.  Therefore, I was not able to look around as much as I wanted.

This time, I had all of the time in the world, so I took it slow.  I did return to all three locations mentioned in the last post.  My feelings and thoughts remain the same.  However, something about Wagon Wheel Antiques struck me differently this time.

It was a nice change, and I was happy to see it.  I attempted to go by White Rabbit, but it was closed.  I will just have to get it on a weekend (or hope they get different hours for the summer).

I headed out of Clinton on MO 7 because I knew there was a place called Ginny's Red Barn Antiques somewhere out there.  This location is out several miles, but it is worth the trip.

It is in a red building that looks like a barn (not sure it is really a barn).  There are two floors with the ground floor having a second room off to the right which is makes it twice as big.

There is something for everyone here, and the prices are very inexpensive.  I found a Daisy glass that I could not pass up for the price.  The ladies in the store pointed me to Warsaw to find more antiques.

Further down MO 7 is another antique store called The Hitching Post.  It looked cute from the outside, but it was closed.  I will have to swing by there when I go back for White Rabbit. 

Warsaw was the next stop.  I was told to find the downtown, and I would find several shops.  That is not a lie.  The downtown is very nice, and there are several shops (antiques and specialty shops) scattered all around.  At the first shop, I asked about what other shops I might find in Warsaw.  I was given a map of all of the specialty shops in the area.  This is definitely something worth having since it gives a description, phone number, general address (not always a proper street address), and hours of operation.   It is a nice thing to have if you are not from the area, and it would be a nice thing to see other towns do in the future.

The first shop I found, and where I found the map, was Ye Old Treasure Chest.  This shop is down an odd roofed alley.  There are other shops, mostly boutiques, to discover in the alley.  The shop is fairly small, but it does have three rooms to it.  The far left room is considered to be the Man Cave, so the stuff in it is geared towards men.

Next, I went around the corner and found The Old Curiosity Shop.  The shop is odd shaped, but good size.  When walking into the door, there is a room with stairs and a door on the left.  The stairs lead to a workshop area which did not have much for most viewers.  The door to the left led to another room which led to another room.  The shop is build on a hill, so there are several groups of steps.  The shop did have some interesting items in it.  It was not the typical antique store stuff, so it was fun to look.

Angie's Attic is next to The Old Curiosity Shop.  This shop had two rooms and a hallway that ran to the back of the store from the second room.  The items seemed more like a thrift store since there were toys in bins that had to be dug through to find anything.  There was a room with die-cast car models, but these are not antique.  This would be a place to come, dig, and hope for the best.

Down Main Street, I found Warsaw Antique Mall.  This is the run of the mill antique mall, but it is a nice antique mall.  There is the main floor with several small rooms off of the back and a basement with several booths.  There is a lot to look at in this one, so make sure there is plenty of time.  The items are kind of generic, but there is something for everyone.

Wooden Wagon is across the street from Warsaw Antique Mall.  There are a few booths in it, but I think the majority of the sales come from the sewing operation along the back wall.  The store is small but very nice.  It definitely has a warm feel to it.

Somewhere In Time Emporium was the next shop I went to, and it is not in the cluster of other shops.  Follow the map you got from one of the shops, and you will be able to find it without issue.  The shop felt like a flea market when I was in there, but it was still a very nice shop.  It is a main room with smaller rooms off of the sides.  One of the smaller rooms was obviously from a man's collection since it had superhero, Star Wars, and car items.  There is a good variety at this shop, so it is worth getting off of the beaten path to find it.

There were a few other shops in Warsaw that were closed or I could not find (even with the map).  It is an excuse to come to the lake sometime this summer.

To get back home, I decided to go up US 65.  The goal was to get to Sedalia to see what I could find there.  However, I found two shops in Lincoln that I was not expecting.

The first shop was Lincoln Antique Mall.  The store was divided into two identical buildings which had a driveway between them.  This was an odd format for an antique store, but it didn't take anything away from the experience.  Both buildings are good sized, and there is a lot to look at in both.  I did find a gun cigarette lighter that I could not pass up purchasing.  It is the smallest one I have ever seen, and I know my dad will enjoy it for his collection.

Best Antiques and Collectibles was the second shop in Lincoln.  It was further north on US 65.  This was also a good size building with a lot of stuff.  It was very organized and clean.  Some of the items made it feel like a flea market, but that's fine by me.  There were tools for the men and glass for the ladies.  I asked the owners about good places in Sedalia, and they gave me a list of places to visit.

Chelsea's Antiques was the first store I found in Sedalia.  This is in the historic downtown area.  The store is literally packed with antiques.  There were times where I did not feel adventurous enough to climb over some of them to see what was behind them.  There are three rooms on the ground floor and an upstairs with a couple of rooms.  The prices were reasonable, and the variety was different.  The variety of the items is what makes this store stand out to me.  I found an Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom glass that was not marked with a restaurant.  It was priced low, so I had to buy it.

Maple Leaf Mall was the next store.  The store is very big (the site says that it is six buildings worth), but it isn't all that full.  There is a lot of open space, so don't get too excited about the size.  The items were all nice, and there was variety in the items.

The final stop for the day was Dollar & Cents Flea Market.  The bottom floor is the flea market stuff, and the top floor is furniture.  The store had the glass cases with some interesting antique items, but it was definitely a flea market.  I went there because I was told by someone that he went there to buy stuff for cheap to resale.  Well, it will take a lot of digging and frequent trips to find gold, but it was a very nice store.  The prices were right, and there was variety.  It is a place to dig and hope for something great. 

Then it was off to home.  A lot of driving, but it was a fun day of discovery.

Until next time... Happy Hunting!

To the North!

I had a day off from life, so I wanted to take a break from everything and enjoy some antiques.  I was not sure which direction to go, so I looked online for some stores that I had never heard of before.  Yelp has a huge listing of places, but there are no promises that they are still active and opened.  My goal for the day was to find some new places and help clean up the inactive Yelp businesses.  I will not name the stores which I never found but will definitely let you all in on the ones I did find!

The first location I found was Bitterman's Eye Candy in Kansas City.  I read about this location in a small write-up in Discover Vintage America.  This is a candy store and an antique store.  According to the article, the store is stocked by some of the people who do the stores in the West Bottoms.  So, the items are pretty close to the same style.  The store also has a lot of great candy.  The thing that made me smile the most was the fact that they had candy from the '80s, such as Ninja Turtle ooze.  There is a sign that says "The candy on display is not for consumption", but it was still fun to see it on the shelves.  Don't worry; there is also edible candy.  They had salt-water taffy, sixlets, and so much more.  To top off the fun atmosphere of the store, there is an old pinball machine that is not for sale.  The purpose is for visitors to play it (for free).

The next stop I made was Show Me Antiques.  I have seen this store many times while driving down State Line in Kansas City, and I have never stopped.  Well, today was about discovery, so I had to stop.  The shop is full of fine antiques.  There are several pieces of fancy furniture.  There is a display case with some silver and pieces of art on the wall.  It was all too fancy for my blood, but it is in the fancier area since it is sitting on the Kansas side of the state line.

Weird Stuff Antiques has been on my list to find for some time.  All of the reviews on Yelp stated that this place was full of oddities, and that is a lure that always attracts me.  I get tired of seeing the same things at every store I go to, so this should store should be a nice break if the reviews are correct.  Weird Stuff Antiques is a very fitting name for the shop, and I was not disappointed.  The location for the shop is in an industrial area of the city. 

The store is two-stories and FULL of "stuff."  The items in it include close to 200 bicycles, metal lunchboxes, signs, radio equipment, furniture, and much more. 

The prices seemed extremely reasonable, and I found a lot of items I would have loved to purchase.  When I have money to burn, I will definitely be back.  I spoke with the owner of the shop, and he stated that he sold a lot of his merchandise online.  If that is the case, I would assume the inventory changes a lot.

From Kansas City, I headed north to Claycomo.  I found a nice antique mall called Timeless Treasures Antique Mall, which is in a strip mall down the road from the Ford assembly plant.  This antique mall is back to the normal antiques, but the store is a big one.  There are lots of booths to wander through.  There were several booths with some great finds, and I could have spent a lot of money there.

The road of exploration led me to Liberty.  Liberty is the home of Bradford's Antiques and Liberty Antique Mall.

My parents always talked up Bradford's and said how nice it was.  Well, my parents are more into the finer things in life.  I grew up with them buying wood furniture and buffets for the dining room.  I should have taken that as a hint since Bradford's is beyond my taste.  However, it is a very neat place to browse.  The items are fine wood furniture, phonographs, and jukeboxes.  It was fun to see the variety of items, but I could never afford the items, even if I wish I could.

Liberty Antique Mall was more of my pace after being a Bradford's.  It is a two-store building with a lot of area to explore.  The first floor has a lot of rooms that lead into other rooms.  It all leads around in a circle, so feel free to explore without feeling you will miss something.  There is a second floor that is open with several booths to explore.  One booth that stuck out was the one with records for for sale.  It is hard to beat a $1 record from a huge selection.  I told myself that I would have to come back and dig when I had some money to spend.  The prices seemed fairly reasonable on all of the items I looked at.

Then it was time to race home to be there when the wife got home from work.  I was able to find some great new shops to share with her.

Until next time... Happy Hunting!