Antique malls can be vast time sucks, not to mention energy sucks. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I am simply craving to walk aimlessly through an antique mall for hours, and I nourish that desire from time to time. But for those of use in a hurry, or want to know how to focus in an antique mall, follow my tips.
Get to know your booths. I am fortunate enough to live less than 10 minutes away from a huge antique mall. I frequent this mall enough, that when I do go, I know exactly which booths I want to hit. If you are frequenting your local antique mall, familiarize yourself with which booths you like. I always have my pyrex radar on, and generally there is at least one booth that will have a pretty good selection. I also tend to gravitate toward kitch 1950-1970’s era kitchen-ware, art, accessories… well pretty much mid-century anything. Once you know your booths, you can zero in on those spots when you hit the mall for a quick trip.
Know your price points. If you are hitting the mall in search for something specific, know what you are willing to spend. Do you research so you have an idea of what the item sells for and what you would like to spend. The internet is a great resource for researching prices but keep in mind anyone can list any item for any price!
Queen Tip: when searching ebay for price points, refine the search list to show “completed listings” only. This will give you a much more reasonable idea of what buyers are actually spending and not just what sellers are hoping to earn.
Look for sales. Once you know your price point, why not try and snag a deal? Antique malls are comprised of independent sellers who rent their booth space. This is why each tag should have a dealer or space number listed. These sellers often take turns working the counter and you may get lucky and catch the seller, allowing you to haggle in person. In most cases, the seller will not be present but whomever is working the counter will gladly reach out to the seller and ask for whatever discount you desire.
Queen Tip: If the tag does not say “ND” or “No Deal” after the price, the seller will more likely be open to strike a deal with you. Most malls offer 10% discount just for asking.
Now you have a few tricks up your sleeve, have no fear of being overwhelmed next time you want to do just a quick run through your local antique mall. On my last quick trip, I was able to have some fun, snap some pics, and pick up this pretty turquoise Pyrex 024, all under 20 mins!
Photos taken at the Cannery Row Antique Mall in Marie's Space; @clairescupboard
Check out some of my other favorite vendors from this mall on Instagram:
Sannie @luvmetwotimesvintage
Christy @cest.la.vintage