Antiquing - 21 July 2012

After attending the dedication of a memorial on the Richmond Battlefield commemorating the troops of the 1st Michigan Light Artillery that fought and died there during the 1862 battle (read more on my Kentucky War Memorials blog), Wonderful Wife and I set out to explore a few antiquing destinations in central Kentucky that were new to us.

First up was to be Collector's Paradise Antique Mall on US 27 between Lancaster and Stanford, but upon pulling into the tiny parking area we discovered that the business had apparently been shuttered. It was to be just the first of many disappointments (sorry for the spoilers). Just a bit further on down the road we stumbled upon a shop that hadn't shown up in my pre-excursion recon - County Line Flea Market and Antiques. Occupying a somewhat worse-for-wear structure that looks to have been a hardware or appliance store, County Line has a considerable number of booths brimming with what mostly amounts to yard sale bric-a-brac. There were a few moderately interesting items of an antique and vintage nature, but nothing compelling enough for us to buy - so we left empty-handed.

County Line Flea Market & Antiques

Next up was the historic downtown district of Stanford. I had three shops on my list so was pretty amped about what me might find - never expecting to discover that all of the shops were closed. We passed through town in the early afternoon on a Saturday, which you'd think would be prime time for these shops, but closed they were. Unfortunately, my list contained no further destinations since I expected browsing these three to take up most of our afternoon. We decided to make our way home via Danville, with the hopes of coming across an unexpected shop or two.

Upon entering Danville on US 127, we came across one of the Peddler's Mall flea market locations. As it turns out, we arrived on the very last day that the Danville location would be open - closing it's doors forever later that afternoon. Now, in our experience we've found the Peddler's Mall franchises to be largely hit-or-miss experiences, with most being of the miss variety. Excepting the Georgetown and Middletown (Lousiville) locations, these outlets are stuffed mostly with flea market and yard sale quality merchandise. The Danville store was no exception, though it contained much less due to most of the booth owners having already packed up their wares. I took this poorly framed picture of the store from the hilltop parking lot of McDonald's just across the US 150 Bypass.

Danville Peddler's Mall

On the way out of Danville, along Lexington Ave (KY 34), we ran across Not Just Antiques In Danville in an aging strip mall. This shop was very much what we expect to find when out hunting for antique stores - numerous booths with quality antiques and just a bit of primitive and country decor. We really didn't find much that caught our attention, though, which is all well and good since the prices here seemed a little on the high end.

Not Just Antiques In Danville

After a quick stop for refreshments, we made our way back to Lexington through Nicholasville on US 27. Just north of KY 1980, on the east side of US 27 (Nicholasville Rd), is an old brick church housing ClaireBourne Antiques. It's never been open when we've happened by in the past, but this time we were in luck so we swung in and had a look around. Bargain hunters beware - ClaireBourne is very much a fine antiques dealer specializing in upscale items such as furniture and artwork. Needless to say, our modest budget didn't stand a chance. Still, it was nice browsing the excellent pieces they had to offer. I'd hoped to at least snap a shot of the building, but the driveway and parking situation is rather tight so getting a good angle between the huge trees on the property proved impossible.

And so our antiquing trip ended with Wonderful Wife and I left empty-handed. We ended the day with a meal at BW3's and then picked up a few dorm items for The Daughter, who starts college life next month. Here's to better antiquing luck next time!