Michigan is home to lots of great places to shop for vintage and antiques. We love antique malls because of their variety and breadth. It’s great to just spend a Saturday afternoon getting lost in one – combing aisle after aisle of treasures. I know I’ve found a great antique mall by the amount of time I spend there. I’m pretty good at scanning quickly to know if a booth is worth digging in to – if I breeze up and down the aisles, I haven’t seen much I want to stop and look at.
You can find an antique mall of some size in just about any town you pass through. And while we think all of them are worth a stop, there are a few standouts here in Michigan that are worth planning a day trip around. We’re on a mission to travel the state, searching town to town for the best. This is our Top 5 list of must visit Antique Malls in Southeast Michigan.
1.) Livingston Antique Outlet
Y’all know we’re partial to Livingston Antique Outlet (LAO), having had our own little shop there for a few years. We love LAO because it’s a treasure hunters paradise. They feature 200 handpicked vendors that really give you a curated experience. Each booth reflects the personal tastes of the pickers who fill them – you’ll find everything from industrial objects to repurposed furniture and a lot of mid-century modern. The mall is massive, stretching over 33,000 square feet and has been consistently awarded the People’s Choice Award for Best Antique Store. They only have 4 sales a year, so it’s worth signing up for their email list to be notified when they do. Their annual holiday sale runs from Nov. 25 – Dec. 4 with drawings and giveaways on the weekends.
Location: 1825 Burkhart Road, Howell MI 517.548.5399; Hours: Mon-Sat 10-6; Sun 12-5
2.) Odd Fellows Antiques
Housed in a historic building long used as a meeting hall for the Odd Fellows and a community gathering space, it is now home to 50 antique dealers sharing their passion for vintage. If I could sum up this place in one phrase, I would say it’s an interior designer’s dream. It’s a treasure trove of mid-century and 1970’s furniture and high-quality antiques perfect for someone looking for unique one-of-a-kind pieces. Each vendor treats their space like its own little shop, which is evident in the focus of their merchandise and how it is carefully displayed. The place is full of large bold lamps, pairs of chairs, vintage barware and tons of art of all shapes and sizes.
Odd Fellows Antiques is consistently voted “Best Of” Fine Antiques and Vintage Retail Shopping by the readers of HOUR Detroit Magazine. They have sales twice a year, so be sure to subscribe to their email list for details.
Location: 3248 12 Mile Rd., Berkley MI 248.399.6098; Hours: M-S 11-5; Sun 12-5
3.) Antiques Market of Williamston
I must say, after visiting Williamston Antiques Mall recently, it moved up a couple notches on our must visit list. It’s always been worth a stop, but IMO, it’s become a destination visit. Jill and I spent hours there, each of us getting sucked into vendor booths uncovering things we had to have. A few highlights of their offerings – several booths featured vintage mercantile scales that were just stunning. These pieces are large and heavy, so they really do speak to a specific buyer, but I find myself still thinking about them and tempted to go back for one. They also had some great vintage hardware, unique pieces of primitive and antique furniture, lots of old sports memorabilia and trophy’s and even some vintage newspaper advertising prints. From Dec. 2-4, everything in the store will be 20% for their annual holiday sale.
Location: 2991 N. Williamston Rd, Williamston MI 517.655.1350; Hours: Mon-Sun 10-6
4.) Town Hall Antiques
Town Hall Antiques has been in the same location in downtown Romeo for over 30 years. They are proud to have 50 of Michigan’s finest antique dealers who travel all over the country to acquire the best items. There are three floors of thoughtfully selected vintage pieces from many different time periods. They feature a lot of glassware, dishes, knick-knacks and smaller items with little furniture. Usually, I’m bothered when there isn’t a lot of furniture, but there is so much to look at here that I almost didn’t notice. Some standouts – huge selection of vintage advertising, old retail signs and hat boxes, pretty paintings and old prints, and the biggest selection of old military gear that I’ve ever come across.
They also maintain a locator service for customers searching for special items so be sure to visit their website for more information.
Location: 205 N. Main St. Romeo MI 586.752.5422; Hours: Mon-Sun 10-6
5.) Town Peddler Craft & Antique Mall
Town Peddler is Michigan’s first and largest craft and antique mall with over 400 dealers. It’s one of those places that has a little something for everyone. On the antique side of the building they pack in a lot of vendor booths, mostly small antique items great for décor. Vendors carry a lot of old dishes and glassware, so it would be a great place to look for replacement pieces for Grandma’s old china set (I found a few vendors that had my Nana’s old pattern). Also, new since my last visit, they’ve added vendors selling vintage clothing. It was kinda cool to see a couple of teenagers looking through 70’s clothes. The crafts side of the building is jam-packed with everything from painted furniture, to personalized signs and Michigan-themed items. I’m personally not a big fan of crafts, but if you want variety, Town Peddler is worth the stop.
Location: 35323 Plymouth Rd, Livonia MI 734.513.2577; Hours: Mon-Sat 10-7; Sun 11-6
Shopping antique malls is great to do in the colder months when flea markets are off-season. This list is definitely not comprehensive because Michigan is full of great antique malls. We decided to highlight our favorite five in Southeast Michigan and plan to showcase more in other parts of the state very soon. Help us find the best – where should we go next for the best antique malls in Michigan?
~ Beckie