Appalachian Antique Mall — Local services in Boone

Our primary residence is in Charlotte, NC. However, we own a cabin on Beech Mtn. And spend a considerable amount of time in and around Boone. My husband and I have been shopping at the Antique Mall for many years. Many times a year. We’ve purchased more items than we can count. We are avid antiquers and we’ve been lucky finding some great deals on really high quality antiques in the past. We’ve also bought a lot of junky Knick knack antiques... if we like it, we buy it. We were in the store yesterday and visited the right back corner booth on the main level. We were surprised to find the same booth that’s been there for years had the addition of some really nice 100+ year old sleds. We counted seven in the booth and we believe a few had been carried downstairs and left by customers as well. Three of the sleds were missing price tags. All of the other sleds were marked at $95 each. This was a steal!!!! These sleds are in great condition and we know enough about antiques to know the sale price should have been closer to $300 each. We spent a great deal of time trying to decide which to buy or if we were going to buy more than one since the price and quality of items was fantastic. My husband did some research on his phone while I browsed and picked out other items in the store. He and I met at the counter. I was purchasing the 1965 Carousel Gumball Machine on the pedestal that has also been at the counter for years as well as a few smaller items. When my husband handed the sled to the very grumpy older woman at the counter she immediately yelled at him that the price tag was wrong. The sled was not the $95 tag attached. We were shocked as she continued yelling at us. I explained to her that all of the sleds in the back corner booth had $95 price tags. She proceeded to yell at us both, ranting; “those sleds are over 100 years old”....”someone is getting fired”... she even accused us of retagging the sled. Not happy. She proceeded to yell at me as we both walked (she ran) back to the booth for me to show her the price tags. She started ripping the price tags off, making a big scene while still yelling at me. What did I do wrong? Obviously there’s an issue in the store and someone made a mistake. I continued to tell her that I had nothing to do with the mistake and she had no reason to yell at me. My husband came back, clearly he felt the store should have honored the $95 price tag which she refused, still yelling at us. I was embarrassed and very upset. I don’t yell at my kids in public. Yet, here I am, a 46 year old woman, being yelled at by a crusty old lady who clearly needs a lesson in customer service, common decency and humanity. I left without purchasing any of the items I wanted with the entire store looking at me as if I had done something wrong. The store lost a $300 sale and a lot of future sales because I will never, ever be back. It’s very sad and upsetting when human beings forget how to behave and act so intolerable and cruelly to one another especially when there’s simply no need for it. This store has a problem.... a human problem... much like the problem our nation is...

My friend and I stopped on Sunday, at this antique store, on our way back to the Raleigh area from Abingdon, Va,. The store and its workers were in a frenzy when we arrived, as they had lost the cash register key. I asked if we could place our shopping bag behind the counter, as we shopped, and asked the man behind the counter if he would give it back to me when we checked out. There was a particularly grumpy woman in the store barking out orders to her employees. The employees seemed frustrated and overwhelmed. When I brought my items to the counter, the man I had spoken to earlier, kept trying to ring up someone else's items, as mine. It distracted me from asking about our bag. He didn't mention it either. We left, and when we returned home and realized we had left our purchased items from, Artwalk, I called the Antique store and left a message. The recording said they would not be open until Tuesday, so I called again on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, even though we bought items from her store, the woman refused to send me the bag, COD. She was unsympathetic, cold, and uncaring about the whole situation. She kept repeating that she was not responsible, even though she acknowledged she had the bag. Then she said that she might send them or she might not. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL! The kind man from ArtWalk, where we purchased the items in the bag, agreed to send them to us. I do NOT recommend you deal with this woman ever. Just ask...

Really disappointed that I had to leave a negative review for this place, as it's a great store with three floors of quality antiques for decent prices. However, I can't say the same for the customer service.

The other day, I browsed the store and found an excellent rotary telephone which I was very eager to buy. I brought it to the counter and asked if I could get a small discount, as it wasn't in the best condition for its price. The cashier said she had to contact the vendor to approve the discount, which seemed logical. The vendor didn't pick up, but she left a message and I gave her my name and number if they called back, and she said she'd "hold onto it".

The next day, I came back to buy the phone, as I didn't need the discount too badly. However, the man at the counter said he wasn't sure where it was, and told me to come back tomorrow, as the woman I had dealt with previously would be there then. I did, and after asking again, she briefly looked for it then checked the records to find that it had been sold... the day before.

Very disappointed in this lack of quality service and honesty. The hallmark of a well-run establishment is quality customer service -- something this place is starkly lacking. Will most definitely keep shopping for antiques, but hope that this place gets its act...