**Here's the first part in this series, in case you missed it! Antiquing 101 Part 1. Beginning a collection.**
 

Shopping for antiques can be both exciting, yet somewhat overwhelming. Aside from knowing what to look for, its also important to know where and how to look for your treasures, as well as what to bring.

Step 1: Where to go.

Thank God for the internet! I remember way back when, my aunts used to look up all of the garage & estate sales in the sunday paper. Even looking up thrift stores were a pain in itself. Grabbing the phone book, looking up the stores, & individually writing each down, then driving to the store, trying to remember where that street was... GPS? o.0 What's a *gps* haha. Oh the 90's were fun...Nowadays you just google thrift store + city and boom, there it is.

When looking for antiques, I try to scope out thrift stores & garage sales in the "nicer" or older areas of town.  They tend to carry nicer and more upscale vintage finds.


Here are my favorite places to go antiquing;

Flea Markets
Pros: You can haggle prices, lots of selection, sometimes they have food vendors.
Cons: Outdoors, weather permitting, a lot of newer stuff, typically only weekends, cash only.

Garage Sales
Pros: You can haggle prices
Cons: Outdoors, weather permitting, a lot of driving around, typically only weekends, cash only.

Thrift Stores
Pros: Indoors, lots of selection, open throughout the week, they accept credit cards.
Cons: Set prices.

Peddler's Stores
Pros: Indoors, lots of selection, only one register, open throughout the week, they accept credit cards.
Cons: Higher prices at times, sales tax.

Antique Stores
Pros: Organized, lots of selection, accepts credit cards.
Cons: Higher prices, sales tax.

Other places to go (I have not been!)

• Antique Auctions
• Estate Sales

Once you map out where you want to go, you'll need to figure out what you need:



Step 2: What to bring.

This probably sounds odd, but yes! Bringing a few emergency items makes all the difference in a pinch. You never know if an item is too big, too small, maybe needs to be taken home in parts..
When I'm going to a flea market, garage sale-ing, outdoor markets etc., I like to bring the following;

• Comfortable shoes & Sunglasses
• A big shoulder bag.
• Extra grocery bags.
• Loose change.
• Cash in lower increments. Bring as many singles & 5's as possible, lots of venders don't carry change for larger bills.
• Measuring tape
• Small Screw driver (If something doesn't fit in the car, its good to be able to take stuff apart, maybe unscrew the legs off of the chair etc.)
• A few snacks
• Your list of what you're looking for.
• Anti-bacterial gel

 If you're going to a thrift store, peddlers market, or antique Stores, I like to bring;

• A list of what I'm looking for.
• Small Screw driver (If something doesn't fit in the car, its good to be able to take stuff apart.)
• Measuring tape.
• Anti-bacterial gel

Once you have your goodies and list, next is time to go shopping!

Step 3: Rummaging

• Prepare to get your hands a little dirty! (Exactly why I added anti-bacterial to the list!) Sifting through old boxes, crates, clothes, can get a little messy. Look through items with care.
• Inspect every nook and cranny. If its glass, run your fingers *carefully* around the edges to feel for any chips or cracks. Look for discoloration, missing pieces, tears or snags. If an item has any sort of damage, I don't bring it home. (**exception** to this rule is a diy. For instance I'm using a window as a picture frame etc.).

Next Post in this series: Part 3, Ideas for decorating with Antiques. (Coming soon.)
 
What are your favorite tips for Antique shopping?