7 Things You Should Always Look for at an Antique Mall

There is a particular kind of optimism that comes with walking into an antique mall.

You don't know what you're looking for yet. You just know there is a very real possibility that somewhere inside is something you absolutely cannot live without, even though you didn't know it existed ten minutes ago.

That's the fun of it.

With dozens of dealers under one roof, Magnolia changes every day. Something that wasn't here last week may be waiting for you today, and something you decide to "think about" may very well be riding home in someone else's car by tomorrow. So while we would never suggest shopping with too rigid a list (where's the adventure in that?), there are a few things we think are always worth slowing down for.

1. Original Art

Before you buy another mass-produced print from a big-box store, take a stroll through an antique mall. Original paintings, sketches, watercolors and quirky little pieces of folk art turn up all the time, and they don't necessarily cost a fortune.

Don't worry about whether the artist is famous. Ask yourself a much more important question: Do I love looking at it? A $35 painting by someone you've never heard of can become the piece everyone asks about when they walk into your house. And don't overlook the frames. Sometimes the frame alone is worth bringing home.

2. Brass Candlesticks

Yes, we're biased. But there may be no decorating problem that cannot be improved by the addition of a brass candlestick.

One looks lovely. Three look intentional. Seven mismatched ones running down the middle of a holiday table look spectacular.

Look for different heights, interesting bases and the patina that only comes with age. Mix ornate Victorian styles with simple mid-century shapes. Please don't worry about matching them.

In fact, we'd prefer you didn't.

3. Vintage Barware & Glassware

This is one of those categories where vintage simply wins.

Coupe glasses. Etched crystal. Colored glass. Cocktail shakers. Ice buckets. Decanters. Highballs with gold rims. Tiny cordial glasses for something you don't drink but suddenly feel you should.

Modern glassware is designed to match.

Vintage glassware was apparently designed to make cocktail hour an event.

A set is wonderful, but don't dismiss the orphans. Mismatched vintage glasses can make a bar cart, or dinner table, far more interesting than twelve identical ones ever could.

4. Linens

This is the section people walk right past.

Don't.

Vintage linen napkins, embroidered tablecloths, tea towels, runners, quilts and hand-worked pieces can be beautifully made and surprisingly affordable. Look at the details: hand embroidery, crocheted edges, monograms, unusual prints and fabric that still feels wonderful after decades of use.

And remember that old textiles don't have to be used for their original purpose. A beautiful embroidered tablecloth can become a curtain. A vintage tea towel can be framed. Fabric remnants can become pillows. Old linens can line baskets or add texture to an open shelf.

Sometimes you're buying fabric. Sometimes you're buying somebody's hours and hours of handiwork for twelve dollars.

5. Serving Pieces & "The Good Dishes"

Silverplate trays. Transferware platters. Cake stands. Soup tureens. Gravy boats. Crystal bowls. China.

You know, the things previous generations called the good dishes.

We're officially voting to bring them back. Not because we're suddenly hosting formal eight-course dinners, but because life is too short to serve everything out of the container it came in.

Put grocery-store cupcakes on a vintage cake stand. Serve takeout on china. Put potato chips in Grandma's crystal bowl. Use the silver tray for perfume bottles. And if you find a beautiful platter for $18, please don't leave it behind because Thanksgiving only happens once a year. Tuesday happens every week.

6. The Weird Thing

Every good antique mall has one.

The ceramic leopard. The enormous wooden duck. The portrait of someone's stern great-aunt. The slightly alarming brass fish.The lamp shaped like something no lamp has any business being shaped like.

And sometimes... that's the thing you should buy.

Homes become interesting when everything in them wasn't chosen because it was tasteful, coordinated or trending on Instagram. If something makes you laugh, reminds you of someone, sparks a memory or makes you circle back through the booth three times... pay attention.

Your house needs a little weird.

7. The Thing You Can't Stop Thinking About

This may be the most important rule of antique shopping.

You're halfway through the store when you realize you're still thinking about that painting in Booth 12. Or the green chair. Or the ridiculous rooster.

Go back.

Unlike shopping at a traditional retailer, there probably isn't another one in the stockroom. That's part of what makes vintage shopping special. You're not choosing one object from an inventory of 200 identical objects. You're deciding whether this particular thing gets to come home with you. Sometimes you'll walk away and that's fine. But every vintage shopper eventually learns the painful lesson: The antique you regret most is usually the one you didn't buy.

One Last Tip: Don't Rush

The best way to shop an antique mall is slowly. Look high. Look low. Open your eyes to the booths that aren't normally "your style." Circle through twice. Talk to the people behind the counter. And don't arrive convinced you know exactly what you're looking for.

Because the very best antique-mall find is rarely something that was on your list. It's the thing that makes you stop in the aisle and say: "Oh my gosh. Look at THIS."

That's the treasure hunt. And that's why we never get tired of it.