Look for Antique Malls, I have found some of my best pieces in them. They divide up a large store into 'booths' and rent them out to individuals. Some sell antiques and just plain old stuff. Some sell good stuff....JUNQUE, future garden decor, possible planters, shabby chic without the high prices. Those booths are usually found at the back of the store, sometimes relegated to the far back corner. But do take a slow walk through the whole store because you can find bits and pieces of the good stuff stuck on bottom shelves or laying behind a framed photo in some of the other booths. Thrift stores are good for some things. Dishes to make totems, old lamps to make bird bath bases, a cool chair to make a planter. Sometimes if you get to know the people working there and ask about the items they decide are not good enough to sell, they might let you look through items they plan on throwing away. That can be a treasure trove for junquers. Open air Flea Markets are great but again you have to look through all the vendor booths since you never know what they will have and be sure to ask if they have a store somewhere. Most of the vendors at open air Flea Markets have stores and don't bring everything to the monthly markets. Garage/Yard Sales...around here most seem to be primarily or exclusively toys their kids have outgrown or clothes they and the kids have outgrown. But sometimes you find a good one. Estate sales are another good place. Of course the large/newer/antique items will be pricey but you aren't shopping for those anyway. Wander through the garage, backyard or tool shed to see what you can find. Those prices will probably be good since at an estate sale those items are usually old and possibly rusty from non-use in the previous owner's later years. And the person running the sale is concentrating more on the inside goodies that will bring in the big $$$ than the type of things we are looking for and they just want to get rid of it when they get the chance so the price is right. Go to maps.google.com - enter your city in the search bar - click Enter - click on Search Nearby - enter the word Antiques (or flea markets). The map will provide you with store names, addresses and phone numbers of all sorts of good places to wander through. Be aware that many are closed on Sunday or Monday so be sure to call before heading there. Instead of entering your city in the first search bar, enter your general location...i.e. the county you live in ...that will widen the search and find stores in little towns you never thought of before. Check out http://www.antiquetrail.com/ their locations include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and each state gives a list of counties to search through too. Happy hunting.....am I an enabler or what :twisted:
Don't forget Habitat for Humanity's ReStores. If you have one in your town there are lots of promising things if you go with a creative eye.
Oh yeah... My kids knew where to find old junk piles in the woods, and found all kinds of goodies and collectibles. They had a nose for sniffing those things out. I have found interesting items in my own woods. Some folks even like to go dumpster diving. Don't forget Freecycle.org and others of its ilk.
