When shopping for holiday gifts for family and friends, you might be inclined to look for the latest and greatest item, whatever is the newest, most trendy item of the year. But if you’re only looking at what’s new, you’ll be overlooking an opportunity for a truly unique, special gift.
Whether you’re shopping for a history buff, a collector, an eccentric decorator, a pop culture enthusiast or someone who just appreciates fine craftsmanship, you’re likely to find something gift-worthy at one of Indianapolis’ many vintage and antique stores.
Krissy Haganman, the office project manager at Southport Antique Mall on the south side of the city, said the term “antique” can turn some shoppers off, but there’s more to her store than things you’d find in your great-grandparents’ attic.
A giant replica Chewbacca head, for example, has come and gone at the Southport Antique Mall.
“It scared me to death the first time I walked around the corner and saw it,” Haganman said.
Haganman herself has purchased a vintage Steak ’n’ Shake booth for use in her own home, in addition to a 1950s dining table.
“I absolutely love having the history of those pieces, on top of the fact that they’re just better quality than a lot of the stuff you can get now,” she said. “There’s just something to be said about having something that is old and you know has been a part of someone else, so you’re kind of sharing in a tradition … I just imagine in the ’50s a family sitting around this dining table that now sits in our house.”
In addition to the history, Haganman says buying vintage or antique items is a way to keep them out of the landfill and in use.
“We’re such a use-it-and-toss-it society. Here, we have an attachment to those things. We want to see them used and respected,” she said. “Somebody spent a lot of time on this back in the day, and there’s no reason to throw this away.”
Although vintage stores are selling older items, Haganman said they still ride the wave of trends. With the recent boost in popularity of super heroes, the sales have also bumped.
“We have three showcases full of vintage superhero stuff, stuff that’s original ’60s, ’70s kind of stuff,” she said. “(The dealer is) selling quicker than he can get the stuff in here.”
Other trends at the moment include midcentury modern items and shopping for vintage items to be used as wedding decor.
Haganman says one thing stays the same: people are always looking for quality furniture, and for the highest quality, vintage and antique are the way to go.
When shopping for vintage furniture, Haganman recommends paying close attention to the quality of the wood and the way the piece is held together — you’re looking for something better than lightweight particleboard connected with staples or small tacks. A heavy piece usually means quality wood, too.
“Sometimes there are markings on the back of who the original maker was. A lot of the older pieces will have even a burnt stamp somewhere on it.”
Another pro vintage shopping tip: If you see something you want, you better get it.
Haganman said on two separate occasions her store sold vintage wedding gowns to women who weren’t even engaged to be married, because they knew it was now-or-never for the gowns.
Not even employees at the Southport Antique Mall are immune.
“That’s kind of the joke around here, if we see something when we’re working, if we don’t grab it, we’ve jinxed it,” Haganman said. “If we don’t get it right then, if we wait, it’s gone. It’s happened to me numerous times.”
At Southport Antique Mall, more than 200 dealers rent and maintain their own spaces and inventories, which can change from day to day.
With the huge selection and constantly changing inventory across 36,000 square feet of store space, Haganman is sure there’s something for everyone, but she says just the experience of vintage shopping can be valuable, even without buying anything.
“It’s always a treasure hunt, and it’s always just a fun trip down memory lane, whether you buy anything or not,” she said. “It brings back memories for a lot of people. We have people come in here all the time and say, ‘Oh my gosh, my great-grandma had this!’ And then it just floods back all of these wonderful memories for them.”
Shop vintage in Indy
- Audrey’s Place
3228 E. 10th St.
(317) 762-3015
- Main Attraction Antique Mall
1450 W. Main St. (Speedway)
(317) 248-1450
- Midland Arts and Antiques Market
907 E. Michigan St.
(317) 267-9005
- Olde Shadeland Antique Mall
3444 Shadeland Ave.
(317) 546-2402
- Southport Antique Mall
2028 E. Southport Road
(317) 786-8246
