Just 15 minutes from campus lies the “Antique Capital of the World” in Allen, Michigan. When driving through Allen, antique stores line both sides of the roads, claiming to be “the largest antique barn in Michigan” or “home to the world’s greatest antiques.”
Antiquing in Allen is a popular pursuit that entices people to travel from all over the globe just to spend a few hours wandering the aisles of enormous warehouses filled with relics of the past.
Bryce McAllen, owner of the Allen Antique Barn since taking over from his parents more than 4 years ago, said that people will travel from just about anywhere in order to visit the “Antique Capital.”
“We have a regular guy who comes in from Japan twice a year,” McAllen said. “He buys us out of Fire King mugs. We sell them for a one or two dollars and he’ll get thirty or forty dollars for the same mug. So he comes in and just cleans house.”
Though antiquing can be a pastime for anyone, McAllen explained that most people come in looking for specific things: memories.
“Most people do it because they are buying their childhood memories. They come in to buy a couch that looks like one that was in their grandmother’s house.”
Hog Creek Antique Mall Employee Pam Barrows said her customers are equally as diverse, and come from all corners of the globe looking to find deals on childhood remembrances.
“I just love meeting everyone from Australia and Europe,” Barrows said. “One lady was visiting from Germany and bought a chandelier. Everything is so much cheaper here (in America). We take a lot for granted.”
Though Allen is admired internationally, it is also a hotspot among local Hillsdale college students on a budget. While many are scouring the aisles of Wal-Mart or IKEA, thrifty students find that Allen makes for a fun off-campus adventure and great place to find household goods for cheap prices. Alumnus Robert Ramsey, ’14, described in an email all that Allen has to offer.
“The antique malls there aren’t antique stores in the sense that people normally think of antique stores: overpriced, stuffy places filled with brittle Edwardian furniture. In Allen, they’re basically vast warehouses of mid-20th century Americana,” Ramsey wrote.
Ramsey said the appeal of antique malls is largely that items are both cheap and of good quality.
“I supplied much of my kitchenware from Allen in college; decent quality china can be had there for a couple bucks if you know where to look. It also has a fantastic tool section filled with quality, American-made tools for next to nothing,” Ramsey wrote.
Junior Forester McClatchey said he antiques because it allows him to fill his house with furniture on a budget.
“It can be great if you’re trying to find something that fits a certain aesthetic that you want for your dorm room or house,” McClatchey said.
Planning to spend a day in Allen is planning to have a day filled with adventure. Antiquing is not only a popular pastime for those with small wallets but is also an exciting exploration of the recent past.
“It’s fun to walk around the antique shops because…you see all these interesting artifacts that make you wonder about the people who made them and used them. It’s fascinating,” McClatchey said.
Junior Aaron Schreck, who has been antiquing since last year, echoed McClatchey’s sentiment.
“To go antiquing is to step back into this world of the past. It’s like looking back into another world; all these objects have sentimental value to someone, and walking among these objects allows you to experience their stories,” Schreck said. “That’s my favorite aspect of antiquing. If it’s a book, someone read that book; if it’s a chair, it was sat in for years — It’s like walking through the halls of history.”
