We had some time to kill in and about Springfield, so we spent Saturday afternoon and part of Sunday morning at two huge antique malls along I-70. We made a list of things we wanted to find and by the end of the two days, we’d found them all. I’ve been in quite a few antique malls and these were by far the best. There was a lot of the typical junk — McDonald’s collector glasses from the 70s and stuff like that — but there was also a lot of very nice furniture and other items.
The one we visited on Sunday, Heart of Ohio Antique Center, is advertised as the largest antique mall in the world. I asked the woman at the checkout counter if that was true. She said, “That’s what they say.”
Here’s a random shot of one aisle inside. There were dozens more like this.
I took a series of photos that I posted on facebook under the heading of “Antique Store Nightmares.”
There were some strange items too.
This sign is strange mostly because it was priced at $449.
Some other things I liked that I didn’t buy. This Whistle Soda sign cost $1,789, which is oddly precise.
This bar, from a tavern in Collinsville, Illinois was priced at $4,000.
And a chuck wagon stove that was priced at $895.
I ended up with a couple Pepsi crates and three books by Richard Halliburton. My wife bought a two-drawer end table, a deviled egg plate, an old pair of ice skates, and a fancy plate for display in the dining room. We also bought a biscuit cutter for our daughter.