Antique Shop Road Trip Throughout Southeast Missouri

Whether you are a knowledgeable collector who has been antiquing for years or a novice just starting out, Southeast Missouri is an antiquing gold mine. Our area is rich with antique shops, from small stores to large malls. Load up the car and plug in the GPS as we take you on an antiquing road trip through our treasure-filled region.

Bertrand/Sikeston

Let�s start in the Bootheel, at Granny Antiques & SEMO Agricultural Museum, 521 County Road 532, between Bertrand and Sikeston.

The antique store and museum sits on Sandra and Tom Mock�s cattle farm, alongside a fully furnished old schoolhouse, an old church � complete with pews � and two log cabins. The couple lives on the property.

Sandra jokes her collecting began with an uncommon gift from her mom and dad.

Various glassware and kitchen items sit on a shelf at the Antique Centre Mall in Benton, Missouri.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

�It all started when my parents got me a newly restored 100-year-old buggy instead of a new car,� she says. �I still have that buggy.�

The antique store has a little bit of it all, according to Sandra. The inventory includes primitive furniture, Victorian glassware and antique toys, as well as horse-drawn items such as buggies, sleighs and the newest addition, a stagecoach. Even if you�re not interested in shopping, the antique tractors on the property are interesting themselves, and there are over 50 of them. The most unusual piece at the store? A horse-drawn hearse from Shelby Funeral Home, complete with a cast-iron coffin inside.

To find these unique pieces, the Mocks travel around the country to purchase items that can�t be found in the Southeast Missouri region. Their drive for one-of-a-kind pieces makes your drive to their shop worth it.

Benton

Next, head north to The Antique Centre Mall, 109 North Outer Road in Benton. Phyllis Schwartz and her husband Herman own the mall, and the merchandise includes everything from furniture to Depression glass. Before the mall opened in 2005, the building was a farm supply store called Crop Care, according to Schwartz.

Antique toys sit in a vendor’s booth at Pastimes Antiques in Cape Girardeau.Ben Matthews ~ bmatthews@semissourian.com

Shari Stroup of Cape Girardeau is a frequent customer at The Antique Centre.

�I love to mix and match old and new things at my house,� Stroup says. �I love the beauty, the history, the strength, the experience and the feel of old things. Then, I like to mix them with new, bright contemporary things.�

Stroup, a self-proclaimed �haphazard collector,� says she loves to entertain, so she picks up a lot of antique pieces at The Antique Centre for that purpose, including Flow Blue China, ice buckets and ornate champagne glasses.

With more than 40 antique dealers at the mall, there is sure to be something for everyone.

Cape Girardeau

Up next: the popular antiquing spot in downtown Cape Girardeau called Pastimes Antiques, 45 N. Main St.

This building is rich with tradition. It was the original location of the St. Charles Hotel and later became Sterling, a dime store. Today, owners Jim and Deb Maevers operate an antique mall with more than 50 dealers� merchandise and consignment items in the building. With that many dealers, Jim says the merchandise �changes every day.� And if you are wondering about the latest trends, he can help.

�Mid-century furniture is hot right now,� Jim says. Comic books, baseball cards and jewelry are also good sellers.

Both Jim and Deb grew up in Jackson, and they have owned a variety of businesses in Cape and Jackson over the past 30 years. In the 1980s, Deb owned an interior design business, which was the catalyst for the Maevers� love for collecting and selling antiques.

Pastimes is also known as a place to find great vintage clothing. Deb is the founder of the Vintage NOW Fashion Show, an annual fundraiser for the Safe House for Women in Cape Girardeau.

Jim�s favorite part of the antiquing business is the day-to-day variety it provides.

�Every day is different,� he says. �I learn something new every day.�

Farmington

To round out your trip, head north to Farmington for Forever Antiques, 5091 Flat River Road.

This 200-booth antique mall offers a variety of merchandise, including primitive furniture, general-store counters and quilts.

Owner Angel McDowell began antiquing with her mother.

�I always went with Mom to antique stores and shows, and then when I got married, my husband Rusty and I got into antiquing,� she says. �My husband and his father built this building that we�re in, for this purpose.�

Vicki Wideman and her husband Gale, of De Soto, Missouri, were some of the first dealers at the mall when it opened in 1999, and they still rent booth space. They cite the McDowells� hospitality as part of the reason why they love being dealers at the mall.

�If we�ve got something heavy to bring in, Rusty will help my husband carry it,� Vicki says. �Angel has quite a knack for staging and displaying items. She�s very aware of how an antique mall should look.�

With all of these antique shop options�and more along the way�in Southeast Missouri, you are sure to find that perfect treasure. Happy hunting!