Antiquing in Corydon, Indiana

After spending a short while at the Corydon Battle Park, Wonderful Wife and I ventured into the town of Corydon itself for a bit of lunch and - we hoped - a successful antiquing excursion. Although there are a handful of independent eateries in Corydon to go along with the usual chain establishments, with most of the latter being located in a cluster around the I-64 interchange, none appeared to be gluten-free friendly. As a result, our lunch consisted of a hurried, mediocre meal at Wendy's.

Corydon isn't exactly an antiquing hotspot, but some pre-travel research turned up a couple of shops that looked promising. Our first stop was the Red Barn Antique Mall, located just west of downtown on Walnut Street (Indiana 62).

The Red Barn Antique mall in Corydon, Indiana

The Red Barn has great outside appeal and you can tell the owners have put a lot of effort into making their shop aesthetically pleasing. The interior is no less impressive with a great rustic theme that you'd expect to see in a renovated barn. Boasting three floors of dealer booths, there's plenty of inventory to keep browsers busy! Most items were of mid-range quality with a few higher-end pieces scattered about. Prices tended to hover a bit above normal, in my opinion, though I did see a few things marked very reasonable. Despite the mall's large inventory, Wonderful Wife and I left the Red Barn empty-handed.

When we antique, we typically target specific "wants" so that what little savings we have isn't squandered on potentially regrettable purchases. On this trip my radar was calibrated for pre-Vietnam-era military insignia (patches, DUIs, etc.) and souvenir pint glasses. I did find one grouping of World War II patches that was reasonably priced, but for reasons beyond my comprehension I didn't pull the trigger. Talk about regrettable non-purchases! Wonderful Wife tends to be a little less discriminating than me, though she also left without anything really catching her eye.

Next up for us was the downtown shopping district which, like many quaint old towns, centers on a town square. I really wish I had more pictures to share, since the square is home not only to shopping but the original Indiana state capital building. Next time, for sure. The first stop on our circuit of downtown Corydon was the Old Town Store on the corner of Mulberry and Chestnut streets (how Midwestern are those street names, right?). The store - situated in an old service station - boasts more than 3,000 sq. ft. of antiques, collectibles, and the all-important mantiques. The prices here were by and large very reasonable, but as with the Red Barn we left empty-handed.

The next two stores that we visited - Little Texas Consignments and A Place In Time - were also busts. The inventory of both shops was more of the flea-market variety. By now, it seemed that our chances of having a successful antiquing excursion were slim to none.

So Dear 2 My Heart Vintage Jewelry in Corydon, Indiana

As it would turn out, the last shop on our list - So Dear 2 My Heart - would salvage the trip. For Wonderful Wife, anyway. This particular shop specializes in vintage and antique jewelry, which is right up her alley, and sure enough she scored this largish owl necklace.

Although we didn't add much to our collections, antiquing in Corydon was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The town has plenty to offer for history lovers, making for a pretty well-rounded experience.