With vintage and retro themes making a comeback, some are curious about how they can get involved and where they can go. The St. Charles Antique Mall is a local store that sells antiques, vintage pieces and collectibles. The mall opened in 1993 and has since attracted a diverse range of vendors and clients. Vendors can rent individual booths to sell their items.
“They’ve lived a long life and they’re such quality pieces that you can’t buy now unless you want to pay lots and lots of money for it,” store manager Cindy Groves said. “So I think people might not understand how they can work it into the design of their home.”
Sometimes, people stray from purchasing antiques and vintage pieces because there is a preconceived notion that they are expensive and too delicate for regular use. However, antiques are typically considered higher quality due to the materials and craftsmanship, especially furniture. They can also be relatively inexpensive.
“There’s a lot of reproductions–and not that they’re much less desirable if you’re just looking for the style or the color–but if you’re actually wanting a true antique, it’s best to educate yourself and be able to tell what is reproduction and what’s not,” Groves said.
If you like the look of an item, whether or not it’s authentic may not mean much. But, if you’re looking for a true antique or vintage item, you should be able to identify which ones are authentic and which ones are fake. The value of items does depend on whether or not it’s a true antique or vintage item, but there are also many other factors to consider such as quality, durability and demand.
“If you have something that no one wants, then it could be as old as 200 years old and it could not be worth much,” Groves said. “So I think it’s the market and what people are actually wanting makes it more valuable.”
The St. Charles Antique Mall has a large quantity of different items ranging from house decor like furniture and paintings to little trinkets and accessories such as jewelry and Beanie Babies. They hold seven sales throughout the year and are soon holding an event and sale simultaneously to attract vendors and customers.
“Our next event is Oct. 4, and we rent out space in the parking lot and sidewalks for anyone that wants to sell things,” Groves said. “We’re also going to have an inside store sale as well.”
