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Antique Hunting Day Trip

My husband has a newly discovered love of antiques.  He has always been fond of them, but lately he seems to be on a mission for all sorts of antique hunting.  We recently took a day trip to Greensboro, NC and spent many hours wandering around one of our favorite antique shops – The Antique Marketplace.

Antique Hunting Day Trip

Come with me on my antique hunting day trip.

The southern part of the US is deeply rooted in American history.  It was the place where many of our first settlers made their homes and the grand estates are quite something to behold.

Many of these estates, complete with furniture and furnishings, are passed down from generation to generation.  The area around Greensboro and Burlington in North Carolina has so many lovely antique shops.  It is fun to make a day of it and wander through aisles and aisles of lovely old furniture and collectibles.

The Antique Market Place is a huge building.  It has 45,000 square feet and is an antique hunter’s dream.  It is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.   The business is a conglomeration of over 150 dealers who offer a wide array of quality antiques, collectibles, furnishings and other hard to find items. 
 
We were looking for some pictures for our dining room, but ended up getting lost in so many things that made us drool.  Grab a cup of coffee and spend a few minutes enjoying some of the lovely antiques and collectibles.
 
This photo shows the entry to the store but cannot convey the size of it. It is truly just a tiny part of the building.   In order to remember where you are in the building, the store has different signs hanging from the ceiling. And believe me, it is easy to get lost in this place….especially for someone with no sense of direction. (like me!)
antique hunting - a mammoth building
Normally, I don’t like country style decor, but for some reason, this booth ended up being my favorite.  They used shoes in various ways, and the whole booth was very creative.
My favorite booth
Just one of their “shoe themed” items – a wall hanging made of baby shoes and spoons.  I just love this!
Baby shoes and spoons
This lamp caught my eye early on (or rather hubbie saw it first)  Our daughter has a thing for corks, so he wanted to show it to her.

Cork lamp

And yet another cork piece…this time it was a wine cabinet with cork door pulls and a hand painted cottage chic design with grape vines.  Love it!

Hand painted wine cabinet

Each booth seemed to have its own theme. Even though all sorts of pieces were in the booths, you could see that the owner of it had a fondness for one thing or the other.

This person obviously loved pictures.  Since that was my main reason for the antique hunting day trip, I spent a lot of time in this booth.

antique hunting in greensboro

I had told my husband that I was interested in an unusual and tall Santa Claus for Christmas.  He looked but could not find one.  Pity he didn’t come to this antique shop on his hunt (with a spare $575!)  He is over 4 feet tall and something else.  See my Santa Claus collection here.

Antique Santa Claus

I wanted these so badly.  I have pretty much zero use for them, but they are so unusual.  It was a set of 6 sherry glasses with nude opaque glass stems.  $65 for the set, and if we thought we would have used them, I would have bought them.

I passed on the purchase but talked about them all the way home!

Antique nude stemmed sherry glasses

Near and dear to my heart!  In addition to writing articles for this blog, I also have run online vintage jewelry site called Vintage Jewelry Lane.  These rings would fit right into my stock and turquoise jewelry is very, very popular.

Southwestern jewelry

Quite a of of the booths featured rustic “funky junk” decor like this.  Not quite my style but it is very popular.

If you love it too, be sure to visit my friend Donna’s blog Funky Junk Interiors.

antique hunting in Greensboro

So many of the shops had antique plates.  Took one took my attention, not so much for the plates but for the bookcase they were housed in!

antique plates

Knowing, not only what is collectible, but also how to price antiques is important if you plan to invest in them. 

Antique Trader Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide is your best source for buying, selling or simply appreciating this incredibly immense and intriguing community. For some 30 years, collectors have turned to Antique Trader time and again for clarity, insight and guidance in this constantly evolving landscape. 

When I had better eyesight, I loved to sew, so this collection of vintage thimbles took my eye right away.  They are very collectible now.

antique thimbles

One last booth to share.  One of my sisters if fond of country style antiques so this made me think of her.antique hunting

In the end, I never did find the pictures I wanted.  I needed a matching set of two in a particular size but they were not to be found.  We did find a bunch of other photos that we almost ended up buying but decided to sit on our wallets instead.

Antique Hunting in Greensboro, NC

If you love antiques and also enjoy of day of antique hunting like my husband and I do, be sure to visit The Antique Marketplace in Greensboro, NC.  You will be glad you did.

Are you an antique hunter?  What is your favorite place to hang out for an antique hunting day trip?  Please leave your comments below.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission from the sale, but the price is the same for you. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."