(This article first appeared in the October print edition of the Hendersonian.)
For some reason, fall seems like a good time to explore antique shops and upcycling outlets.
Perhaps it’s because when the season changes, the leaves begin to fall and daylight gets shorter, it brings feelings of nostalgia wrapped around the cozy time of year.
(That would also explain miles-long yard sales that are popular at this time of year where treasures from the past abound.)
Or perhaps it’s because the holiday season is just around the corner, and it’s fun to shop for unique treasures to give as gifts.
And sometimes a little road trip to explore antique shops adds to the excitement. The road doesn’t have to lead too far from home.
Sturgis
Just down U.S. 60 in Union County, you can get lost for hours looking at all the vendor booths set up at the Sturgis Antique Mall.
Located at 515 N. Main St., and open seven days of week, the antique mall has 23,000-square feet of china and pottery dishes, glassware, vintage tools, cast iron pots and pans, cookbooks, collectible figurines, toys you used to play with, furniture you can refurbish, lamps, textiles, old sewing machines, telephones, cameras, stoneware, classic books, gently aged denim, Mason Jars, home accent, Carnival and Depression glass and things you don’t even know you need yet.
For more information, visit the Sturgis Antique Mall on Facebook or visit www.sturgisanitquemall.com.
West Louisville
Over in Daviess County in the former West Louisville Elementary School (which closed in 2011), Preservation Station offers 39,000-square-feet of retail marketplace (with more than 60 shops) set up in former classrooms. The gymnasium event space also hosts community events.
The vendors offer antique furniture, boutique clothing, farmhouse signs, primitives, antiques and collectibles, painted furniture, jewelry, shabby chic décor, wall signs, rustic garden décor, knives, soaps, clocks, framed prints, metal signs, religious items, chicken coops, wooden barrels, Amish goods, garden flags, handcrafted items, candles, architectural and salvaged finds and more.
Preservation Station also hosts what they call “Market Days” with additional vendors coming in to bolster the offerings of the permanent ones. “Market Days” still to take place this year are scheduled for Nov. 1-2 and Nov. 29.
For when you need a break from shopping, Preservation Station also has a restaurant that’s open for lunch on Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for Sunday buffet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You can find Preservation Station at 9661 Kentucky 56 in western Daviess County and you can find more information at visitpreservationstation.com.
Hazel
Just a little bit farther away on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line in southern Calloway County, the small community of Hazel (450 residents) is open to browsing.
During the late 20th century, the town transformed itself into a destination for antiques, and today has approximately a dozen antique stores with thousands and thousands of items, according to ExploreKentuckyLake.com.
One could spend all day there looking at relics of the past, including vintage clothing, old chippy paint primitives, doors, vintage advertising signs, glassware, cast iron, tools, Coca-Cola memorabilia, toys, furniture and household collectibles.
Shops along U.S. 641 (Hazel’s main street) include Hazel Folk Art Gallery, It’s So Real, Mantiques (also known as The Hazel Antique Mall), Memory Lane Antiques, The Cabin, The Felix Antique Shoppe and The Willow Tree Antiques.
For more details about Hazel’s shops, visit kentuckyantiquetrail.com/City/Hazel/9034/
