2013 Anniversary Antiques: Day 3 (Final Day)

The final day was spent in Topeka.  We had a few stores on our list, and there were a few we wanted to go to but couldn't since they were closed on Mondays.

The first place we stopped was Brickhouse Antiques.  This is a brick house, and I expected it to be a small place.  Nope!  They utilized the area well, and there is a lot of great stuff.  There are a couple of rooms for the guys and a "back yard" with some outdoor items.  We got there earlier than opening time, and they opened 10 minutes early for us.  We definitely found some stuff to purchase, which was not hard with the prices being super cheap!

The wife bought a Walt Disney tray.

I bought some cups which are similar to the cups my family used when I was growing up.  Cold liquid in these cups on a hot day.... it is hard to beat!

We then headed down the road and found Washburn View Antique Mall.  This mall is in the lower level of a building, so it could easily be missed.  Honestly, I expected it to be a really small place, but that expectation was destroyed.  It isn't a huge place but it is good size.  Another place with a lot of stuff to look at.  The prices are up and down, but there are some bargains to be found.

We bought a pot to place by the well for when we finally buy our country home.

The wife bought two handkerchiefs.

I bought a Peanuts lunchbox with the thermos.

I bought a record set called Mood Music for Dining.  I am a sucker for Reader's Digest compilation records because they always have an interesting selection (not to mention they usually have at least 40 tracks).  This is ten records in one set.

Next, we went to Wheatland Antique Mall.  This is a smaller store, and the selection did not seem great.  However, they do have several cases with small items.  There are several knives, belt buckles, and jewelry booths to look through.  We did not find anything this time around.

We decided to go to Lawrence.  We had been there before, but it had been during our first year of marriage.

The first stop in Lawrence was Kief's Downtown Music.  The original plan was to wait to include Kief's in an entire post about record stores, but I read that they were working on liquidating their stock of music.  That's very sad for me since I have spent many hours (and dollars) in that store.  They currently have records for as low as $.91.  Here are some of the records I purchased.

Lawrence Antique Mall was the final stop on our trip.  The store has two levels.  There is an upstairs (making a third level) called Fun and Games or something along those lines.  I have not been up there in a long time, so I really don't remember what is up there.  I do not think it is antique stuff though.  There are some very interesting items at this store.  There are booths with vintage clothing and some with Beanie Babies locked up tight.

 

With that, our anniversary trip was completed.  We headed home and tried to get back into the swing of things.

Until next time... Happy Hunting!

2013 Anniversary Antiques: Day 2

Without thinking about it too hard, I assumed that it was Saturday.  Therefore, all of the shops would be opening at 10:00am, and our plan would be running full steam ahead bright and early.  I'm an idiot, and it was actually Sunday.  Therefore, the shops didn't open until 12:00pm.  What to do, what to do!

So, the first thing on the list was to find some breakfast.  We found a diner through Yelp called Jimmie's Diner.  Now, I don't usually do this since the blog is all about antiques, but hear me out on this one.  Jimmie's Diner has a theme of the old diners.  Therefore, it is kind of like an antique.  The lady who served us had on a poodle skirt and a name tag for "Suzie Q".  Oh yes, we were in deep.  The food was pretty good, and the service was quick.

We then managed to kill more time until Paramount Antique Mall opened.  This is the original one, but it is affiliated with Paramount East Antique Mall, which we visited the day before.  The sign outside the door stated "Voted Best Antique Mall in Mid-America."  I'm not sure who voted and what other stores were in the voting pool, but the store did not really let us down.  We were some of the first people in the store, and the store quickly filled up with customers.  The layout is a little whacky, but I think we managed to look at everything.  The store has a lower level (three or four steps) to the right of the entrance.  There is also a separate room off of the far right of the building.  The store had a little bit of everything.  In fact, there were some booths that seemed too knick-knacky for the location, but it all had its niche in the store.

The wife found a lemon juicer for cheap, and she wanted one to start making homemade lemonade.

She also found a stool which she tried to talk herself out of getting.

She also found a set of pots for our flowers.

And this scarf/bow... which her crafty mind has a plan for but it is over my head to understand.  I just smile and nod.

I found the complete series of MLB star glasses, including George Brett.

 

And, I found a The Legend of the Lone Ranger lunchbox with the thermos.

We then went to Flying Moose Antique Mall.  They have some items outside the store, and the wife would have taken some of it home if we had room in the car.  The store feels bigger than it looks, and there are some really fun booths.  We looked, and I drooled over some items that I could not afford.  There is one booth  that I would have purchased everything if I could afford it.  The only thing we walked out of there with was another bucket that the wife purchased to use as a flower pot.

 

Since we got a late start and both antique stores were large, our day was shot.  So, we headed towards Topeka to finish off our trip.

2013 Anniversary Antiques: Day 1

The wife and I shared our third anniversary together over the weekend.  We always try to plan a little trip in order to break up the day-to-day schedule of our lives.  This year we decided to go to Kansas to find an antique shop the wife has read about on a blog.  So, we planned some stops and headed that way.

The first stop was the shop we went to the middle of nowhere to find called Bearly Makin-It Antiques. This shop is placed in the downtown of Marion, Kansas.  There is the main shop and a second area six or so blocks away from the main shop called the Alfalfa Mill.  American Pickers (we don't have cable so we don't know much about the show) went to the Alfalfa Mill for the show.  

So, we stopped at the main shop in the little downtown, and we were surprised at the organization of the place.  There is a lot of stuff, but you will find it organized well.  Salt and pepper shakers, on the wall all together.  Glasses, on a different wall all together.  Toys, tools, quilts, all in separate locations but together with each kind of item.  The place was cluttered but the organization helped it from being overwhelming.  Also, the prices were spot-on.  If you find something you liked, you are going to buy it because of the amazing price.  The wife found a small blue bottle and bought it.  That's all we found at the main shop.

Central Park Antiques was down the street from Bearly Makin-It Antiques, across from the park.  This is a smaller shop with several rooms to explore.  It is a mix of the old and new.  I felt that it was more geared towards the female shopper, but it was still fun to see what they had.

Then it was off to the Old Alfalfa Mill.  We really did not know what to expect on this, but we had high hopes for something.  When we pulled in, we were greeted by rows of junk.  They have placed sheeting in the grass and piled stuff on the sheeting.  The same organization from the store is present here as well.  There are wagon wheels, wash tubs, wire baskets, bicycles, and so much more.  There are two buildings with stuff in them.  One building has architectural salvage in it.  The other building had boxes of stuff in it and funiture.  You would have to literally dig to find something.  I was not feeling adventurous enough to start throwing boxes, so we let them be.  We did find some stuff to buy, and the guy was willing to bargain.

The wife found an old watering can.

She also found an old wire basket that she is going to use for a gift.

I found an old military gas can that I have eyed every time I see one, but this one was priced to sell.

I also found a wire bicycle basket for my bicycle.

We were hungry and ate in town.  When we first came into town, there was a sign that said "Marion: Rhino Capital of Kansas."  I was hoping for someone owning a rhino farm, but I was informed that it was because they had rhino statues that were sold as a fund raiser for the town.  While we were in town, we saw several of these little guys!

After lunch, we went up the hill and found TC's What Not Shop.  When we walked in, I noticed the wooden signs and homemade jewelry.  I was disappointed but decided to continue.  TC's is a long shop.  There is the option to go to the left into a large room or go to the right which leads down a hall with several smaller rooms on each side.  We went left first, and TC's was redeemed.  There are kitchen antiques, books, and a several other items in this room.  The prices were really fair, and it was a lot of fun stuff.  The rooms on the left are hit and miss, but you really never know what you might find.  I found some items that I passed on buying.  I can't spend all of my money in the first day.  The hallway opens up at the end to several other rooms.  One room is crystal.  We did not buy anything here, but we did have a lot of fun looking.

We left Marion and headed towards Wichita.  We had a hotel room in Wichita, and we had seen several shops that looked like they would be fun to explore.

The first shop we found was Paramount East Antique Mall.  The shop is technically in Augusta, and there is a sister shop in Wichita.  The shop is very large with a lot of items.  The shop has a good variety since they use booths.  The best part is the "Last Blast" corner, a small corner in the second room with discounted merchandise.  The wife found an outdoor chair set with a small table in this section for a steal of a deal!

We then went to 2 Attics Antique Mall and Estate Liquidations.  The shop has some outdoor items (items perfect for a junker).  The store is separated into two sections.  There is the main section and a section down some stairs to the left.  There is a huge variety of items, and it does have an attic feeling to it.  However, that feeling can usually mean some awesome bargains.  The wife found a little bucket.

She also found a cake plate for half of the price usually seen in antique stores.

We had the intentions of finding one more shop before going to the hotel, but we ran into some trouble.

So, the rest of our time was spent running around the city, trying to find some adhesive to fix the issue.  We finally found some and made it to our hotel.  We fixed the mirror and turned in for the evening.  However, we were going to get up early to hit some other locations.

Let's Have an Adventure

So, Saturday was the Strawberry Festival at Vaile Mansion.  The wife and I got up early and headed up there to make sure that we didn't miss the awesome treasures to be found.  The mansion itself is worth the trip.  They give tours for $6, and it is a very neat place.

I read that there were supposed to be 100 vendors, but I think the rain and wet kept some of them coming out.  There were a few antique cars, lots of craft booths, and a few antique booths.  There was also kettle corn, which is not that amazing at 9am.  We walked around for an hour and found a few items.  The wife found an old wooden crate and a blue Ball jar with a wire basket.

This was supposed to be it for the antiques for the day.  The plan was to then stop at a few stores to pick up supplies for some home improvement things and head home.  I got the antique bug though.  I told the wife, and she said, "Let's go on adventure."  So, that's what we did.

We drove down 24 Hwy towards Kansas City.  Over the trees in the distant, I saw a large red sign that said Super Flea.  As soon as I saw it, I knew we had to go see what it was.  I'm not sure how I have missed this all of my years of living in this area, but HOLY SMOKES!  So, the Super Flea is a flea market in the old Montgomery Wards building.  The building is five stories tall (at least), but the flea market is only the first level.  It is open on Saturday and Sunday, and they have a little bit of everything inside.  Be warned; this is in a rougher location of the city.  Also, there is a $.50 fee to get inside.  It is one of those places that is for the adventurous, and it is impossible to know what you might find there.  I walked out of there with a pair of Peanuts glasses.  Who would have thought...

The wife wanted to go somewhere we both had not gone, so I suggested that we travel to Olathe, Kansas.

We made the trip and found Lone Elm Antique Mall.  This is a very nice shop!  It is a single level shop but has a lot to explore.  There are several booths and lots of variety.  The prices were super reasonable, so bring your money because you will definitely find something.  The people running the shop were also super nice.  The wife bought a blue baby book (no, we don't have children, nor are we expecting any in the near future).  It looked new and was still in the box.

I purchased a Homer and Jethro album.  It said that it had been graded, and that gives me a little reassurance that I'm not buying a scratched piece of junk.  There were several records in this booth, and most of them were really inexpensive.

The wife also found a wall hanging that she could not pass up.

We then went down the street to a little flea market called A Place in Time Antiques & Flea Market.  This is definitely more on the flea market end of the spectrum.  It isn't that large of a building, but it is cluttered with stuff.  However, you are bound to find something in the clutter.  This is a location that seemed to have inventory moving through it quite a bit, and the prices were dirt cheap.  We didn't find anything this time, but we will definitely have to try again down the road.

A few blocks further down the road, we found Sentimental Journey Antique Mall.  When we walked in, the wife told me that it reminded her of Wildwood Antiques in Rogersville, MO.  I agreed.  It had a similar feeling to it.  The shop had a front section, and there was a smaller back room with two doors that would allow visitors to make the full circle.  There were a lot of things to look at, and the wife was having a blast seeing all of the old dresses.  If anyone was doing a vintage nursery, this store would have to be in the list of shopping locations.  I found a Minnie Mouse glass (and several other glasses that I would have liked to buy but didn't).

The wife bought a handkerchief.

My dad called us and told us of a flea market in Kansas City called D&D Flea Market.  We decided to run by quickly.  When we got there, we weren't sure what to expect, but we were greatly surprised.  The place was cluttered, but it was worth digging to find something.  It felt that the store kept going as we explored the four or five rooms.  The wife found a set of tins for dirt cheap.

We left here and had to go back into adult-mode, making the boring stops and heading home.  It was an adventurous day with lots of great finds.

Until next time... Happy Hunting!