How do I love thee, antique malls? Let me count the ways… Or rather, let me count my favorites. There are few ways I’d rather spend a weekend than digging for oddities inside an antique mall, and of all that I’ve visited three stand out as the absolute champs. And lucky for you fellow midwestern babes, they’re all pretty darn close to each other.
If you’re driving around the midwest this summer, here are the must-visit antique malls you need to add to your itinerary.
Midland Arts and Antiques
Indianapolis, Indiana
This is, without question, my favorite store I have ever visited. The building. The booths. The packed selection of abso-fucking-lutely weird items. I’m thinking about making the 3-hour drive again in the fall just to see the holiday items.
Located inside of a former factory, this two-story antique mall had amazing selections of one-of-a-kind items. I left with original Marvel concept art, vintage arcade items, and a retro travel pennant; my shopping companion found plenty of beautifully preserved bug specimens along with some funky wall art. My only complaint was that I don’t live in Indiana, which makes it hard to buy large pieces of furniture (and there were plenty here we would have snagged in a heartbeat).
The Green Shag Market
St. Louis, Missouri
Without a doubt the greatest store in the Gateway City, The Green Shag Market is everything you want from an antique shop: it’s the ideal size for an afternoon of shopping, the booths are varied, and items rotate out frequently. So many of our favorite oddities, including our vintage phone sign, are from The Green Shag Market.
If you’re on the hunt for mid-century modern items, especially furniture and light fixtures, this is a must-see stop.
Hilda’s Antique Mall
Divernon, Illinois
To know me is to know I love vintage holiday decor, and the best selection I’ve ever seen is consistently found at Hilda’s Antique Mall. But what first brought us out to Divernon was not the antiques — it was the family fall event!
Hilda’s, and the store it shares a parking lot with (Nickorbob’s), hosts family events and outdoor markets in their parking lot a few times per year. We had an absolute blast taking Charlie to the petting zoo and the pumpkin patch
Other notable mentions…
Treasure Aisles
St. Louis, Missouri
I’ve heard since we last lived in St. Louis that Treasure Aisles expanded and bought the building next door, which is great news because this antique mall always had a strong selection and great booth options. It’s nearly tied for best in STL, in my opinion, and is where I found many of my most beloved items including our 7-foot star marquee.
The Barrel Antiques
Springfield, Illinois
This antique mall is the perfect size for an afternoon of shopping, but it doesn’t come in on top simply because the stock rotates rather slowly. There’s a few booths where I always find an item, and the prices are fantastic, but things stay on the shelves for a while, meaning you can’t visit too often. And that’s a problem for frequent shoppers like me.
The Pink Elephant Antique Mall
Livingston, Illinois
I’d love to include this mall for its fun exterior decor alone, but its semi-recent addition of one two-story tall statue of an orange former president keeps me away. In the defense of the dealers inside, it is a huge antique mall and we did find lots of fun items… but it was SO big that it became more of a chore than a fun shopping afternoon. Excluding that particularly obnoxious statue the outside it’s a ton of fun. (Or at least it was the last time I visited many years ago.)
