Antiquing is a fun and relaxing hobby for many folks these days, and Illinois has an abundance of unique locations where you might find your next favorite one of a kind treasure. If you’re looking for a few of the best antique stores in Illinois, you’ve come to the right place…this regional breakdown of top stores will help you on the hunt for a wonderful antiquing experience.
The Best Antique Stores in Northern Illinois
1. The Lazy Dog Antique Store
Kicking off our best antique stores in Illinois is The Lazy Dog Antique Store. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this store offers a quintessential collection of antique paraphernalia! Here you’ll find everything from fine art to furniture to curios and oddities, all sorts of antiques, home décor, appliances, ceramics, and so much more.
If you’re interested in unique, vintage, retro, and one of a kind items for your home, The Lazy Dog Antique Store is a great place to stop in and spend even a few hours shopping and exploring all this store has to offer. Visitors in the past have ranked this highly as one of the best antique stores in Illinois for taking an entire afternoon to peruse and enjoy!
2. The Brown Elephant
There are actually 3 Brown Elephant antiquing locations scattered throughout the Chicago, Illinois area, with the most well known and arguably most popular being the Clark Street shop, which is located in a very unique spot—a historic theater!
At the Clark Street Brown Elephant antique shop, the grand atrium with its barrel ceiling and room full of all sorts of furniture is truly a memorable sight to behold on any antiquing excursion, and many folks have found Brown Elephant to be a great source for shopping vintage clothing as well.
Some shoppers have also been particularly fond of the Brown Elephant’s charitable business model, with its proceeds going to the support of Howard Brown Health, which is an LGBTQ-focused clinic. For some, that aspect alone makes The Brown Elephant one of the best antique malls in Illinois!
3. Out of the Attic Antiques
Out of the Attic Antiques, located in Aurora, Illinois, is a larger sized antique mall sitting on over 10,000 square feet and hosting over 60 captivating vendors with eclectic treasures of all sorts. Not only is this mall popular for its wide variety on hand, but also for its dedication to serving the customer! If you don’t find what you’re on the hunt for among the booths and shelves at Out of the Attic Antiques, employees will help you in your search…and if you still can’t turn up the perfect find, they’ll spread the word to other antique dealers to be on the lookout for the item you’re searching for!
Out of the Attic Antiques is one of the best antique malls in Illinois for fantastic stock and customer driven quality, making this an antiquing location you don’t want to pass up on!
4. Olde Timers Antiques Center
One of the largest and arguably the best antique malls in Illinois, particularly in the Chicagoland area, Olde Timers Antiques Center in Sandwich, Illinois, is home to lots of one of a kind finds with some of the best, most competitive pricing you’ll find on the antiques market today.
Olde Timers Antiques Center is also praised for the range of age in their items, stretching from quite vintage to relatively modern, as well as their overall availability, being open 7 days a week. No matter what day the urge for an antique hunt strikes, you can drop by Olde Timers Antiques Center and peruse the shelves for your next treasured find!
The Best Antique Stores in Central Illinois
5. True North: The Warehouse
There’s never any shortage of new things to discover and explore within the 10,000 square feet and at the more than 125 vendors housed in True North: The Warehouse—a truly one of a kind antique mall. Located in Morris, Illinois, True North: The Warehouse boasts stock that changes by the hour, with a vast array of items including handmade, vintage, clothing, toys, books, movies, games, salvaged goods, and much, much more.
A greatly loved and highly touted antique mall, True North: The Warehouse offers more than just some fantastic antique finds; you can join their fan club, attend a True North event, subscribe to their Tribe and receive their custom newsletter, and participate in many other ways as well.
True North: The Warehouse truly is more than just another one of the best antique malls in Illinois…it’s an all out antiquing experience!
6. Alley Kats Arts and Antiques
Owned by a dedicated pair of antiquers in Bloomington, Illinois, Alley Kats Arts and Antiques offers a one of a kind antiquing experience. Its eclectic fare and attractive appearance make this an extremely popular place for folks of all kinds to hunt for vintage, retro, and specialty items.
Not only is Alley Kats one of the best antique stores in Illinois to visit in person, they also offer a unique service—an online store! If you can’t make it to Alley Kats’ shop, you can visit their eBay store and browse their timeless collection from the comfort of your home.
7. Pleasant Hill Antique Mall
Making its home in East Peoria, Illinois, Pleasant Hill Antique Mall boasts a welcoming atmosphere and great variety of items! As this is a fairly large and well stocked antique mall, most visitors have noted that it’s good to set aside 2 to 3 hours to get the full measure of everything Pleasant Hill has to offer.
A sprawling antique mall located seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Pleasant Hill Antique Mall is nevertheless touted by antiquers almost universally, who all agree it’s one of the best antique stores in Illinois. It has great variety, great organization, and an overall great feel that makes shopping here a real pleasure!
8. Old Town Antiques
Located near Illinois’s western border in the historic town of Quincy, Old Town Antiques is a beautiful shop with a lot to offer! With more than 35 years of serving the town of Quincy, the Old Town Antiques store offers a specialized bevy of furniture dating back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They are also well known for their collections of sterling and coin silver, brass and copper, fine China, various types of art including paintings and folk art, and so much more!
A real favorite in the town of Quincy, Old Town Antiques may take you a bit out of your way to visit, but it’s sure to be a worthwhile trip every time! We love it and had to add it to our best antique stores in Illinois!
The Best Antique Stores in Southern Illinois
9. Pink Elephant
Got a sweet tooth as well as an itch for some antique shopping? Stop in at Pink Elephant Antique Store in Livingston, Illinois and satisfy both your cravings!
Pink Elephant Antique Store offers, not just cute and classy home and farmhouse décor, furniture, and quality antiques from old suits of armor to coffee mugs—they also sell homemade candy and fudge as well. This is a great pick for a weekend jaunt, even with kiddos in tow, to enjoy some shopping, snacking, and perusing one of the best antique stores in southern Illinois!
10. The Barrel Antique Mall
Located in Springfield, Illinois, The Barrel Antique Mall is one of the best antique malls in Illinois where you can find so many one of a kind specialty items—particularly of the vintage variety! Here you’ll find such unique items as historic photographs, retro décor, vintage furniture, and even some historic heirlooms.
The Barrel Antique Mall also offers some great discount sales throughout the year—in addition to their already competitive antique prices—and occasionally they like to shake things up when the weather permits with outside tables and booths!
So whether you are a fan of the traditional indoor antique mall experience or prefer more curbside shopping, you’re sure to find your visit to The Barrel Antique Mall an enjoyable experience.
11. Countree Peddlers Antique and Craft Mall
Last, but not least on our best antique stores in Illinois list is Countree Peddlers Antique and Craft Mall. This bright and beautiful business has a little bit of everything! Situated in Effingham, Illinois, the Countree Peddlers Antique and Craft Mall offers a wonderful shopping experience with lots of great items to be found; here you may spot such exceptional finds as vintage handmade models and toys, seasonal indoor and outdoor décor, porch and interior signs, plastic floral banners, garlands, and bunches, stunning glassware sets, and much more!
For folks who enjoy antiquing but aren’t fond of the warehouse type of feeling that many antique malls and shops offer, Countree Peddlers Antique and Craft Mall offers a relaxing change of pace, with an airy, bright, almost homey feeling that you could easily spend hours perusing through to your heart’s content. This is truly one of the best antique stories in Illinois!
Are you excited to visit some of the best antique stores in Illinois? Don’t stop there! Be sure to check out the rest of our website for other fun things to do in Illinois!