Every now and then you comes across a place on Yelp that makes you step back a little... I've been here a TON of times! How have I not reviewed this place before now...?! The Picker Knows is one of those places... Probably the premier, and my favorite, antique "mall" in the Des Moines metro! Rows and rows of vendor booth and cases. I'd hate to total the money up that I've spent here... And buying is great, but a lot of times I just have fun window shopping. Looking at the many different things here that I can't afford or have no business spending money on... Lol Very large display items, furniture, antiques, retro and vintage, some modern, a few clothes, comics, vinyls, Hot Wheels, some dusty and rusty things, handcrafted items, and tons of smalls! Prices are vendor driven. So some are high, some are at market, and there are great deals to be found here too. As a veteran I appreciate the veteran's only parking spot near the front door. At only 55 I pass it up a lot because there are veterans in A LOT worse shape than I am. But I have used it a couple of times. It's so easy to spend hours here! Vendors leave and new vendors fill their slots. And with the merchandise being vendor provided...the selection is ever changing! The staff is fantastic and always available for questions or to open a case! The bathrooms aren't terrible for this environment. They aren't perfect...pretty plain Jane...but they don't send you running for the hills. Lol The Picker Knows is a must stop in the Des Moines metro if you are into antiquing or thrifting! read more

The Picker Knows prides itself on being one of Iowa's largest antique malls with over 35,000 square feet of "stuff". I was here because my Nephew was getting married next door at the Decades Event Center. I believe that both spaces were once a Dahl's Grocery Store. Since I was early and the pictures I was in were taken, I had some time to wander about. I love looking around antique stores and this place certainly had a lot of space and individual "consignment" booths. In situations like this, my eyes glaze over as I keep walking. In my head is Gayle saying - "Where are you going to put this crap?". In my heart is the preference of finding some unique peace that I can convince myself that I can't do without. I finally purchased a cool heavy metal Iowa-themed belt buckle for $15. That was after my go-to shopping targets of knives, pens, and old publications came up empty. I also find that I'm good for about 30 minutes in an antique store, and them I have to get out. If there's a next time, I'm sure inventory will be different, so who knows what might appear! read more

Do you like estate sales? Antiquing? Garage sale-ing? Thrifting? Then consider this your Mecca in Des Moines, IA. This place has it all. MCM booths, comics, hardware, vintage clothing, furniture, antiquities and more. And at (mostly) reasonable prices! The shear number and variety of booths draw an array of clientele. I now live out of state but when I visit family, The Picker Knows is always on my itinerary. I always find something I can't leave without. And if you see something you like... you better grab it because this place has a lot of foot traffic and their inventory turns frequently! The staff is friendly and there may be a line at checkout but it's worth the wait in my opinion. read more

See all

Lots of aisles/booths and reasonable prices to explore at the Picker Knows. There were even some vintage handyperson tools at one booth. Friendly checkout staff and lots of parking. I would highly recommend this fun store. read more

This place is very open and full of fun treasures! You could loop around the aisles 10 times and still find something new every lap that you didn't see before. The people that work there are very helpful and knowledgeable about all their vendors. read more

Great store to browse for antique finds. Lots of sellers with anything you might be on the hunt for! The space is very big and easy to spend hours browsing in. Prices vary by seller, but there are often sales and you can make an offer to some sellers on their expensive items. Staff is helpful though can be hard to track down someone to help you at times. Overall a great local shop to check out for unique finds! read more

The Picker Knows - Antiques Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

I just found a new place to lose track of time. I forgot how much fun these places are. I knew this place had been here awhile, but don't make it over here very often. If you have ever been to a antique and collectible place this is just like them. It's got a mix of everything you could want. We randomly stopped by with only an hour before closing on a Saturday. Well that was a bummer cause once inside I could have been there for hours. There is a good mix from random nick nacks to nice local sellers and craft made items. We found lots of treasures in just in hour. I will have to go back when I have more time. Most things were prices I could afford or that I would want to spend on the items there. I suggest this place for unique gift items for that hard to buy for person. read more

See all

Well that was interesting. We were looking for an old door. We didn't find what we were looking for, but there's a lot of stuff. Really there's a bunch of crap, but if you collect that kinda crap, it's probably heaven. One thing I will say is it takes you back to your childhood and simpler days. There music was horrible, it was all cover songs for popular songs, really bad!!!but it had us giggling. There is mostly old stuff, but some new stuff, the old furniture is cool to see. It's not really a bunch of crap...wait yup it really is. I wish I would have saved all my 70s crap. All in all it was fun to wander, reminisce and giggle to the music. read more

See all

I've been to dozens of places like this and they all have a similar vibe. I either have to decide upfront if I am going to look or if I am going to pass, because the in-between drives me nuts. There's soooooo much to look at and so to glance briefly feels like missing the point. The quality of these places is entirely dependent on the types of people willing to pay rent space. In that regard, the spots within The Picker Knows really run the gamut. There are many that are beautifully arranged with excellent finds, well lit, cohesive and easy to navigate. Then there are others that look like the inner brain activity of a meth hobbyist. This is a different kind of picker, and I'm not sure what they know... The staff are very friendly and talkative. I'll certainly be back on a day where I've got more time to spare. There is something for every type of person, for every budget, and I saw lots of unique gemstones and tiny mini things that I want to go back and look at! read more

The Picker Knows - Super stoked to see this on one of the walls! - Antiques Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

I just found the most special glass plate set for my dining room, i find something everytime I come here. The only down side is one of the check out people working in the front desk is always on their phone but everyone is nice! read more

Nice well lit larger space to undertake your antiques search ! They even are resuming in person auctions, with one coming up. Especially MCM items. Recommend this place. read more

My first ever stop at the Pick Knows was life altering! WHY you may ask, well I found HOT RATS by Frank Zappa Original pressing on vinyl and had to purchase it! This store has got it all, if you are looking for something unique or just a treasure from the past you got to come in and check this place out! I was excited to see a little audiophile booth with lps and speakers! The guy also writes incredible tags that make you want to buy the records even more! The staff was super friendly and nice even though it was 5 minutes to closing and people were still shopping around looking for that one last diamond in the rough, or Needle in the hay, or what ever you want to say! read more

The Picker Knows - Antiques Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

See all

Life is all about choices and options and this place certainly has choices and options for antiques treasures and collectibles. it's just fun to browse as well or if you have a particular item that you're looking for you might be able to find someone who deals in that can anything from restoring cast iron skillets 2 baseball cards to toys. It has country artwork. Antique furniture, plates and many things in between. If you have sometime you want to kill or it's a rainy day it's a fun place to go and browse around and you never know what you might find. read more

If you like cool stuff, you should go to this shop. It's a little intimidating when you walk in the door; you'll see some high value antiques or signs, and then head over to the right for some truly unique furniture finds. If you head to the left, there are lots of antiques and small trinkets to pique your interest (my husband found a piece of UPS' first plane as an example). Then once you get past the glass cases and the furniture pit, there are tons of booths that they rent out to local artisans and dealers. You'll find anything from refinished furniture to old marquis letters to handcrafted pottery. There's a few booths that have great deals on barnwood or old wooden window frames for crafters, but there are also booths with tons of collectibles like Pepsi or Barbies. Every time I go to this store, I have found something interesting and unique. Some booths are overpriced and some have great prices; it's another situation where you just have to go in willing to look through the junk to find treasures. The other amazing part of this location is its service team. The cashiers and individuals who work here have always been amazing; they offered to help me take things to my car, are more than willing to unlock cases for you to look at wares, and are generally just very friendly. read more

This is more of a flea market than an antique store. The horrible soft music playing did not make me excited to look around, but instead made it hard for me to stay awake. The super slow cashier wrapped the plastic item I got in newspaper and not the glass item. If it wasn't for the one vendor that always has Pepsi items (something I collect), I wouldn't be back. I really think they should market their shop as what it is --a flea market/yard sale-- instead of an antique shop. read more

I have purchased several items through the Friday night online auctions and many via browsing in the store. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Booths are well-stocked, contain a wide variety of items for all interests and are competitively priced. The space is well-organized, clean, well-lit. It's the perfect place to treasure hunt for a unique gift. read more

This store was just what we were looking for. She had a lot of items and had them set up in ways that made us think a little differently. Very nice and even recommended where to go next for antiques! Definitely plan on stopping again! read more

This place is amazing. There are dozens of booths and displays filled with different items. There are toys, sports collectibles, comics, coins, music, anything and everything. Can't find something you like in one area, odds are you will in another section. Take your time and browse around. One head's up. They don't take checks. I have bought from here on several occasions. Find what you like or gifts for someone else. P.S. I'm actually from West Des Moines. Not San Francisco. This is a Google foul up read more

Stopped here while driving cross country - it's aisles of showcases of various sorts of collections. There's a really cool light display in the middle of the store, that had all these cheap nick-knacks, I enjoyed looking through that. Didn't end up buying anything, but had a good time looking around. read more

Nice clean shop. Lots of merchandise, but not overly crowded. Staff was very nice and helpful. Did not think it was over prices. Will defiantly be a repeat customer. Only thing that could use improvement is the parking. read more

It is very disappointing to walk into an antique shop and the first thing you notice is a sign that says "WE DON"T TAKE CHECKS!!!" The owners need to realize that not everyone has or uses credit cards. Slapping people in the face by discriminating against certain types of payment methods isn't going to win you any admirers. I did look around in case there was some small item I might want, though I didn't find one. ****However, to the vendors in the glass cases near the front desk, take note: One of you had a stack of Christmas Tree plates for sale at $75 a pop. They were something I collect and search out. You would have had a pretty nice sale that day - IF the Picker staff would bother to take checks. Since they don't, you lost out. You may want to discuss this with the owners. To the other vendors - how many sales do you think you might be losing to this policy? Overall a very disappointing stop. read more

If you like flea markets this is a good substitute. Many booths and display cases with people's collections in an old grocery store building. Everything is priced and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Browse around and take purchases to the front where the staff will ring it up and wrap it. read more

I was so excited to hear that a new antiques and collectibles store was opening in the Des Moines area and this place did NOT disappoint! The staff was welcoming, knowledgeable, and friendly, but the inventory was what really made me love the place. Wall to wall antiques and collectibles, but not overwhelming like some other stores in the area can feel. There are a ton of individual vendors, so they said the items are always changing and vendors are constantly adding new things. I found a set of champagne flutes and a large antique trunk that I will be using as a coffee table in my new apartment! I will definitely be going back here! Best antiques/collectibles shop in the Des Moines area for sure!! read more

Wonderful selection of cool antiques as well as hand crafted items. This place is huge, so make sure you have a good amount of time to browse through everything!! read more

Always a place I seem to find a treasure! Great prices! Great way to spend an evening with friends. The staff was helpful and there was a wide variety of inventory. read more

Plenty of true antiques here along with a little mix of collectibles and crafts. Ample parking and convenient hours.