Springfield, Ohio And A Stop In Indiana

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of driving my daughter to Bloomington, Indiana to begin her freshman year at Indiana University. With the car loaded to near bursting, stopping on the way out there to "antique" was out of the question. On the way back was a different story. We planned to spend two days driving home to give us time to hit as many antique spots as we could. As it happened, the September issue of "Country Living" magazine had an article on Ohio, specifically, Springfield, Ohio. The article featured a show there but also talked about the various Antique Malls. What a coincidence! Our route from Maryland to Bloomington took us right through Springfield. We decided to spend a day there and stop at any other Antique Malls who had a sign along Interstate 70.

We left Bloomington in the morning and decided in the interest of fairness we needed to include at least one Indiana Antique Mall, so we stopped at Webb's Antique Mall, in Centerville, Indiana. This is one of three Antique Malls owned by the Webb's, the other two being in Florida. There was a dealer there who carried the stained glass windows that were installed in English homes in the early 1900's. Apparently homeowners consider these windows very "dated" and have been replacing them at an astounding rate. The pieces are very architectural and are great for craftsman style homes, as decoration or to use. We spent some time at the mall. I have to say there was little else of interest. I purchased some windows and off we went.

In Springfield, Ohio, our first stop was the AAA I-70 Antique Mall, 30,000 square feet of showroom. Sounds like a lot right? We went through there in under 45 minutes. In the entire mall I found one item to purchase. My partner did quite well, he collects carte de visites, and purchased a half dozen of them. There were very few dealers there who carried actual antiques. Don't get me wrong, vintage stuff can be great. But "Antique" malls should have predominantly antiques. Truth in advertising and all.

Our next stop was literally right behind the building we just exited. The Springfield
Antique Center has 50,000 square feet of space. (By the way, both of these malls are at Exit 59 off I70 in Ohio.) When we entered the mall I was very encouraged. The lobby area was filled with furniture, porcelain and oddities (including a bear skin coat) from mid 1800's to about 1910. The rest of the mall was a mix. Lots of collectibles, vintage items, and some antiques. I purchased one item, my partner was again fortunate in finding several carte de visites. And we called it a day.

The next morning we were rested and ready to take on Heart of Ohio Antique Center. Located off Exit 62 of I70, it is the largest antique center in America, with 116,000 square feet of space and 650 dealers. When you enter you are provided with a map and advise on how best to tackle the place. Obviously in a place that big there is bound to be something to appeal to everyone. I was a bit more successful here, actually purchasing 5 items, and my partner was thrilled he found Civil War carte de visites that did not require selling off his first born. We did this mall in under 3 hours. Granted I am a very focused buyer, and have specific items and time periods that I concentrate on. But I always keep an eye out for the unusual piece that can be repurposed to fit modern life. This takes time and thought as you go through the booths. And we were done in under 3 hours.

With plenty of space still left in the car, we decided to stop at any antique shop that had a sign along I70, and would not require to large a diversion from our trip home. That's how we ended up at the Barnesville Antique Mall, located off Exit 202 off I70. The mall is in a converted store front in quaint Barnsville. There are three floors of dealers. I found a wonderful primitive bench that was very reasonably priced, and since I still had plenty of room in the car, I bought it. My partner was again lucky with the carte de visites. We loaded the car and hit the road.

We stopped in Cumberland, Maryland for fuel and dinner. Cumberland is experiencing a rebirth. Buildings are being renovated and restored attracting new life in the downtown. On Friday evenings (which it happened to be) they close off the streets of the central downtown area and have music and dancing. The restaurants have outdoor dining, and people fill the streets. We ate at a wonderful Mexican restaurant, walked around a bit and then continued our trip home. To learn more about Cumberland, and what they offer visit their web site.

The antiquing was not all I had hoped for on this trip. But I have not given up on Indiana and Ohio. I picked up two brochures along the way on Indiana's famous Antique Alley, trail 1 and trail 2. These trails are located in Wayne County (not quite sure where that is in relation to where I will be traveling) and look promising. You can find out about them by visiting the web site.

Be sure to visit our store, Comfortablestyle.com for great antiques, decorative accessories and unique gifts!