Kind of a mess, but still filled with a few unique items…read more
I had no idea this place existed until a few weeks ago. My husband and I were driving past it and turned around to stop in since it's an antiques shop and, well, we love vintage/antiques, so we figured there was no harm in taking a look. Honestly, it didn't look like much from the road and I can see why it was so easy to bypass without noticing it. It's located in a pretty nondescript strip mall with no discernible landmarks near it to mark the location. If you didn't pay attention, you'd pass right by without a second look, so definitely make certain to slow down and look for the sign, which isn't very visible at all. Seriously, may I suggest that the owner invest a better sign or something?
The best thing about this store was the collectible Barbie collection in the back. If I wasn't really looking, I would never have noticed it. It was tucked far away into the back room in a corner. In that dusty, hidden corner was a treasure trove of limited edition collectible Barbies, still in their boxes, unused and untouched. Most of the boxes were still in pretty good condition, too. On that particular day, the store was having a one-day only sale on certain ones. It was more like a blowout sale- certain special edition Barbies were marked down to $5 each! I don't know, but whatever, I wasn't about to ask questions. I thought the sale price was too good to be true, especially after looking the Barbies in question up on Ebay, etc. I didn't hesitate and bought two right then and there. Both are valued at about $75-$85 online, so it was a bargain.
The rest of the store was fairly organized, but the pricing was all over the map. Some things (china, Barbies, ephemera, vinyl, toys) were priced lower than I'd expect, though other things (Star Wars collectibles, jewelry, furniture) were priced higher than some things were actually worth. Quite a few things weren't clearly priced and I had to ask the manager/owner about them. I hate doing that. Just slap a clear price tag on it and leave it at that.
Other than the Barbie collection, it was mostly furniture and a lot of Star Wars memorabilia. I don't care about that, but apparently the owner did. Truth be told, it felt a bit like a Star Wars convention in there, which isn't my cup of tea. I can't stand the Star Wars movies, however, to each his own.
Customer service was a little lacking. The only employee in there (owner or manager???) seemed kind of cold and aloof, not rude necessarily, but a little more on the unfriendly side than most antique shop owners. Usually, they want to chat with you, however, not this guy. Nope, not at all. We received kind of a frosty reception when we walked in, like we were interrupting something. Maybe he was really busy doing something when we stopped by, I don't know. I do know that when I asked if he had a tissue so I could wipe some dust off my hand (the place was a little dusty, like many antique shops and flea markets), he sort of looked at me like I was interrupting him and he just pointed at a box of tissue behind the counter. Hmm, okay.
Despite the semi-cold response from the guy behind the counter, we still picked up a few items (collectible Barbies and some vintage bar ware) that we wanted, but overall, I'd say there is room for improvement in terms of customer service and pricing. It's still worth a look.
