Don't be deceived by the small window-front of Plaza Centre - there is no way of knowing the size…read moreof Plaza Centre without stepping inside. It's a perfect place to browse on a rainy or snowy day. Even if you don't buy anything, I guarantee you'll say "Hey! I had one of these as a kid!" or "My grandmother had something just like this!"
Plaza Centre is like a HUGE indoor mini-mall of antiques. The business is located in a former theater. Imagine taking all the seats out of a large stage theater and replacing them with consignment booths along both walls and down the middle of the floor, and you have Plaza Center - and that's just the first floor! This place is enormous, so give yourself *at least* an hour to browse. There is a second floor above the main theater floor, nearly as large, and additionally they have taken up space in the next-door building - also two floors.
Plaza Centre is a consignment antique center, so different sections have goods from different vendors. There is one register, and your items are tagged with the initials of the vendor, so they can keep track of whose items you're purchasing at check-out. Prices are all over the place; there is really no telling what you'll find or how much it will cost. Most things are priced reasonably or cheaply, but there are some real and expensive gems amongst the visual clutter, including furs, glass, coins, tons of furniture, and thousands of collectibles. I'm not sure whether it's possible to call there if you're looking for something specific, given the variety and the constant turnover of each vendor's items. Perhaps they do have a store inventory list...I'll try to remember to ask next time I'm there.
Just when you think you've seen everything on the theater side of Plaza Center, it's time to walk through to next-door. The adjacent building to the theater holds antiques as well, but also candles, clothing, country crafts, textiles and books. It's a little more crowded but still not something you should miss.
The other fun part of Plaza Center is the historical items displayed but not for sale. In the main entrance-way, old movie posters, playbooks and photographs of the original theater are displayed. Near the front stage (which was not taken out when the building was occupied), there is an enormous weaving loom that I believe is fully functional. Upstairs, there are display cases with Bellefonte historical items, coins, albums and other pieces. The center of the upstairs also has a little water-feature display, (which always seemed an odd place for a water feature, but it's neat!).
Other than all of this, the ambiance of Plaza Centre is what makes me go back there regularly. Unlike other antique shops, you know you can afford something here, and you don't feel like you're about to knock over an expensive crystal vase at every narrow turn. There is plenty of room to see things without maneuvering around too much clutter, and you don't feel like you're being watched by a nervous store-owner who wonders if you can even afford what he has to sell. It's definitely an antique store for the masses! Bellefonte has a special little secret in Plaza Centre,
