Raleigh Antique Store

When you’re out furniture shopping in Raleigh, do you only think about new furniture? What about antiques? When I hear that word, the first couple things that come to mind for me are auctions and $$$$.

Well, Glenwood South Antiques is neither of those things really. They sell furniture in the store with prices marked right on the furniture. No haggling or bidding. Though, I wonder if you could negotiate…everything is negotiable, right? But the written price on tags are comparable to Raleigh furniture stores that sell new furniture. You can buy this lovely Victorian Mahogany Love Seat for $600.

Antiques strike a chord with me ‘cause I remember going to auction houses when I was a kid. BasicalIy it was an extremely boring experience for a kid… uninspiring, several hours long, couped-up-indoor-torture. But I thought it was funny when the auctioneer would get up there and rattle off the bidding and emphasize all the last raised dollar figures. It sounded like he said Yee-Haw! after everything. And, I always wondered if they made mistakes ‘cause it went so fast…like in a ‘blink of an eye’ and the hammer went down and a piece was sold. I guess that’s how they get through all the items.

My dad was a collector of rugs, vases, paintings… you name it. He got rid of most that stuff. That’s the benefit of antiques. You can sell some antiques for possibly a higher price than you purchased. Imagine that… as a piece ages, the price goes up! Very different from store-bought furniture that you end up donating, throwing out, or selling at a yard sale as cheap, used furniture .

Glenwood South Antiques is the smaller of the two stores. They carry mostly 18th and 19th century pieces. A lot of English and French influence, although there’s a lot of very eclectic, tasteful array of antiques like this piece which is a Chinese inspired rosewood chair with French Empire front legs.

The co-owner David Lindquist whom I met, also owns Whitehall Antiques in Chapel Hill off the main drag, Franklin Street. David gave me a tour of the Glenwood South store. He mentioned that most pieces are not touched up ‘cause of the preference for the patina finish. I’d actually never heard that word before. But he showed me wood, that had a shinier finish (…ooh like shiny!). It keeps the value of the antique. He also showed me some chandeliers that were sold to the White House in the early 19th century. He encouraged me to come back which is a good idea as they get new pieces all the time. Btw, in case you have any antiques, they also appraise and may purchase from you to resell. Sounds like it could be a fun hobby for some.

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Category: Unique Raleigh Retailers