Tips for the Treasure Hunt: Shopping for Unique Decor at Antique Malls, Thrift Stores and Markets

Ready for Spring at SuzAnna’s Antiques

So here we are at part three of this little series on creating gallery walls in your home — decor that is truly and uniquely your own. If you missed parts one and two, or just need a refresher you can find them here: Filling the Walls: An Eclectic, Nature-Themed Gallery (choosing a unifying motif and creating a layout); Filling the Walls Part Two: Simple DIY Wall Art (how to easily create your own art for your gallery). Now I love arranging and making, but if I’m being completely honest, this may be my favorite part of the process: shopping for vintage, antiques, and/or second hand pieces perfect for upcycling to suit my own style. Several of the shops we’re visiting also sell handmade crafts, prints and original art by local artists. Purchasing handmade and original pieces provides the additional value of supporting emerging artists within your community. [Ok, a little bit of self promotion here.]

Walking into a well-stocked antique mall or market gets my adrenaline rushing and the inspiration is endless, but I can also see how it might be overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to go in with a plan — you’re looking for items that can be part of a grouping on a wall. You have an idea of your theme — subject, colors, etc., and the scale (size) of the pieces you need to fill a particular space. Or maybe you’re just getting started and seeking the first bit of inspiration to move the project forward. Either way it’s probably a good idea to bring the measurements for the wall hosting your gallery, a tape measure and even some note paper to do a quick sketch of how a piece might work in the space. And here are some tips on what to look for:

Art, of course, in the form of original works, prints, posters, as well as ceramic or fiber wall hangings (yes, 70’s macrame is back), carved wood or sculpted metal.
Frames. A very dated or otherwise unattractive print may have a really nice frame. As long as the price is right, you can always take a framed piece apart and just use the frame. You can also find empty frames, beat up or unattractive finishes can be painted and you can order glass to fit even the oddest sizes online.
Old Books often have great illustrations and interesting fonts, pages can be used as a stand alone element or as the base for your own project.
Plates are classic wall decor; many antique shops — and Amazon, keep plate hangers in stock.
Architectural Salvage can add interesting texture, dimension and variety to the grouping.
Old Shop and Advertising Signs sometimes highly collectible, and thus expensive.
Clocks
Small Shelves also provide variety and dimension, as well as a way to display small items that can not be hung. Don’t like the current color? Think paint.

Markets

The term “market” indicates a variety of goods — from food to candles, original art and even vintage. You will also often find soaps, cards, new decor and clothes. They make a fabulous one-stop-shop for decor, gifts and well, anything else the owners feel like offering. “Market” is a versatile term. Here are two of my favorites:

Original art at Bayleaf Market (a little more self promotion)

Bayleaf Market on Six Forks Road in North Raleigh, is set up to be “a community focused creative space that aims to bring people together.” The wide front porch welcomes visitors into the shop offering original art and pottery, as well as food items and handmade gifts — all locally sourced. Courtney Pernell, the markets creator, has her pottery studio on onsite and is planning on offering creative workshops and classes in the near future.

Neuse General Store is part of The Vintage Village complex on Durant Road, also in North Raleigh (formerly the location for SuzAnna’s Antiques.) The General Store is the centerpiece of the charming “village” of shops in refurbished historic structures. The building housing the General Store has been remodeled and finished to include bright lighting and heat and air (a big plus for those who remember visiting in its former life.) The store features multiple vendors in boutique-like spaces carrying everything from trendy clothes to kids’ items and a large selection of vintage and new furniture, gifts and decor.

Special Events

Aiming to provide entertainment along with great shopping, many market-style shopping venues offer additional activities and special events. Bayleaf Market periodically offers live music performances on their wide front porch and hosts food trucks in the parking lot, where you can also find the Seacow Mobile Market every Friday and Saturday. The Vintage Village holds an outside monthly pop-up market and has a wine bar and operating blacksmith shop on site.

Antiques Stores

So here’s where the serious hunting begins . . . My local favorites exemplify two different kinds of shop styles that both offer a great shopping experience.

Gresham Lake Antiques is a classic antiques mall — each vendor has a small space which they fill, often to the brim, with inventory. The emphasis isn’t so much on merchandise display, as getting it all in and as visible as possible. There is a lot to see. (Neither of my girls will go in an antique mall with me because they’ve experienced these little shopping trips turning into long excursions once too often. I’m hoping they grow out of that.) Go into an antique mall prepared for the hunt. You will need to do some digging and keep an open mind and a sharp eye — the perfect thing may be hidden or masquerading as something else entirely.

Flea Markets are related to antique malls but most often located outdoors; Raleigh has a fabulous flea market (once featured in Country Living magazine!) at the fairgrounds most weekends. Check out The Raleigh Market for hours, location and vendor information.

SuzAnna’s Antiques moved into a (air conditioned) shop space on Main Street in Rolesville several years ago. Having a slightly longer drive does not deter me from visiting as often a possible. The mother-daughter duo of Jenny Sellars and Susie Foster do a fabulous job of arranging their wares into appealing vignettes that rotate constantly. Just go in and browse — chances are that even if you don’t think you’re looking for something, you’ll find something.

Correction: after I downloaded this graphic I realized, oops — it’s SuzAnna’s (capital “A”)

And finally, do not overlook your local

Thrift Stores

You can readily find paints made specifically for upcycling at many markets and antique stores. The paints are easy to apply and come in a large range of often historically-influenced colors with a matte or semi-matte finish that is perfect for vintage pieces. Two Old Birds at The Vintage Village has cleverly used dollhouse furniture do display paint colors, so cute!

Thrift stores can be a fantastic source for inexpensive art, frames and display items like wood shelves — especially if you don’t mind going a little DIY. Often, all a piece needs is a simple coat of paint to make it gallery-wall ready. I’ve found treasure at North Raleigh Ministries Thrift Shoppe in the Harvest Shopping Plaza on Strickland Road in North Raleigh. Not only do they have a steady stream of donations coming in the door, the organization is deeply committed to its core belief that “God desires for everyone to thrive.” Funds raised through the thrift shop go to providing benevolence and food assistance to community members in crises.

I could go on for a while about the joys of antiquing and market browsing, but let’s wrap it up here. And I do believe actively doing actually tops talking and reading about, so if you’re in the Raleigh area and up for a shopping trip — get in touch!

Happy Hunting!