Regular readers know that we have moved back to the Mid-Atlantic, and it has been great fun exploring new antique shops and malls. I love malls dearly, as the range of items is so great that there are always things to see. This past Sunday, I visited two malls in the same small town in New Jersey. Both billed themselves as general malls, but they could not have been more different from each other than night and day.
Mall “A” was the larger of the two, and it was filled with booths. One can usually tell the nature of a mall in-as-much as the owners of the mall often have their personal booths up front. So those first few seconds give the clue of who was in the mall. In mall “A,” the contents were a jumble of items piled into booths with little ability to even walk in. The Collyer brothers had nothing on these shop owners. The merchandise was dusty and jumbled. I walked back through and heard the shop clerk, who may have been an owner, chewing out a guest who did not understand what a co-op was about. I moved quickly through the mall and my wife and daughter went through even faster. The prices, when visible, were high retail, and while items were moving, it was not enough, in my mind, to pay the rent.
Mall “B” was two blocks away, and there were few dealers. The difference was that the mall owner set a different tone for the mall. There were fewer items, and they were well displayed. The vintage of the pieces spanned Victorian era to postmodern, but everything was in good order and repaired. There was an assemblage of victrolas by the front door that were in working order and priced to move. And, oh yes, they were having a sale on everything. We dropped about $150 on items and emerged very happy with the results.
My reason for juxtaposing the malls is to talk about how the owners can set the right tone for what is sold. When it is about selling quality items (regardless of age) that are clean and ready to move, the tone of the mall is great, and sales happen. When junk is filthy and piled up and priced to the nines, it sits. Mall “A” assuredly believes they have the right approach, but it’s rare for our family not to find a single thing. Mall “B” hit our notes, and we dove in and looked and bought and will go back very soon.
As a final note, I have to mention mall “C” in a more distant town. It has nice items laid out well, and the owner’s merchandise sets a good tone. However, the owner is one of those folks who rules the roost with an iron fist. Orders were barked, and God help the customer who dared to move a piece of furniture. She knew customers and was not afraid to make you wait while she talked to them. In the end, while we bought, it was a painful experience. To quote the movie “Stripes,” “Lighten up, Francis,” could be applied to the owner. You never know who you are selling to.

"Born to collect" should be the motto of Peter Seibert's family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seibert's writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years' worth antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.