Favorite Antique Malls & Shops? (That Don't Look Like This....)

 Last week I decided to cruise through some of the "antique malls" within an hour of where I live. The photo above pretty much typifies what I saw.  The 20,000sf mall in the photo was one that I rented space in when it first opened in 2002. It was near where I lived at the time and I was happy to be a part of it.  The building sits on a river in a beautiful downtown location. There were standards regarding what you could sell. The building was always filled, both with charming booths and customers.   Now half of it is a "craft mall" and the other half....I'll just be generous when I call it a mix of "vintage" and "stuff".  Sad. Same owner, same location, different vibe entirely.  No wonder there were only two other 'shoppers' when I was there.

 In two days, I went through four other malls.  I saw a lot of glassware and furniture.  It was basically a "brown-out" as my friend Jeanine, (ChiPPy!-SHaBBy!), would say.  Very few old painted pieces, architectural finds, industrial....  Nothing that tripped my trigger.  In two days of mall stops I purchased a total of one item, for resale...and spent less than $20.  

 I don't think one should totally avoid these types of malls entirely because you never know what may turn up. However, it would be terribly disappointing if I'd traveled specifically to these locations.   With that in mind, I'd like to compile a list of 'shops worth shopping' and post it here next week.  To keep it positive let's mention only the good ones.   At Grayslake, a friend and I were discussing taking a road trip. If we were coming to your area, where would you send us?   Please leave a comment with the shop name, city & state/province, along with a brief description. Large mall or small shop...it doesn't matter.  Together, let's find some fun places to shop!