Saugatuck Antique Pavilion — Local services in Douglas

Was a great mall at one time, although there R several dealers, who have multiple booths (within this gigantic place) who sell nice stuff 4 decent prices so it is worth finding out who they R so 2 re-visit later; (save time & effort). Merchandise prices R high, 4 most part. At this time, about 1/3 of the mall is comprised of things that R newer than 20 years. B sure 2 make price comparisons before U drop the $$ here. ### Thanks 4 the comment, Gerry! Good luck on selling UR / this business (Update 8/21). Of late, (4/22) I hear that Gerry Goyette sold the mall 2 a new owner & I've heard, numerous times, that new owner (w/ wife), R VERY NICE, personable, & knowledgeable antique people! If so, it's what any aging mall would CERTAINLY NEED! Gerry Goyette knew very little about antiques. 4 him, it was strictly about how much $$ 2 make on the dealers; some benefited from this, if he liked them. Overall, as a result of recent extreme elevated fee charges 2 his renters, these will lead 2 even more high prices extended 2 customers. i would only add that it might behoove the new owners 2 replace long time customer service (check-out counter) personal. Also, worth noting, GG decided, a few years ago, 2 allow newer items in certain (rather large) sections of the mall. Now, new items (prior 2 a general consensus of a 20 year limit) is excessive, throughout the mall & not just in certain sections. If U want decorative, more recent stuff, you'll find plenty. Such items may B priced right - not sure as MANY true antique items R overpriced (check online before buying old, vintage, newer, whatever). Either way, It's always good 4 a business 2 take a fresh look at old practices. I'll re-rate when + changes R made! UPDATE: Great news 2 hear that again (as mentioned prior) NEW OWNERS R described, by many dealers, as "VERY NICE PEOPLE." This has 2B a BIG + 4 this mall! I'm sure they can repair the GERRY GOYETTE damage done & revive hope in the dealer community there! Now that GG is GONE (GOOD RIDDANCE) I'm sure this will B a better place 2 shop. Good luck 2 all! I'll change my rating since hearing good things about new ownership; certainly not sure about anything else that may B new, such as rent prices, fees, management changes, etc. After my 16 year stint here (since it opened) I got robbed of my best booth, during the Covid-19 shutdown in 2020. Owner Gerry kept charging rent while we were closed, so w/ no income; I couldn't justify paying rent. My "best" friend at the time, maneuvered, behind my back, to grab it while encouraging me, 4 weeks, 2 leave. Gerry was worried about losing dealers at the time & she schemed - used the info she knew from me 2 immediately worm into my Grandfathered-in priced wall (didn't have to pay a great deal, but it was enough), 4 the exact same price that I had been paying since the beginning! Since GG worried re people leaving & disliked my protesting his money grab, he was PO'd. My wall, created (by me) BSAP opened in 2004. My late mom & I rented it - 16 years. How would I know in '20 when GG would re-open? But after he got angry w/ those, such as I, 4 complaining re excessive charges, (leading me 2 leave as well), he refused 2 let any of us 2 come back. I didn't want 2 deal w/ that $$ grabber again. He charged FULL rent during '20 shutdown! GG had a rep 4 being TIGHT, ALL OVER THE AREA! Little did I know that he would open again, (with Covid in full force) 3 months later - June, '20 (w/ lame safety restrictions). I couldn't predict or know when opening / profits would begin or how to justify paying full rent (when closed) 2 this millionaire who never cared about his dealers (most dealers scrape by w/ numerous xtra fees), but only HIS bottom line. Most antique mall owners, know that many old time dealers will hang on; they had hope or couldn't go elsewhere. Other antique malls in the area; HARVEST mall DIDN'T charge their dealers ANY rent during '20 shutdown. I should have been there. A few old SAM "friends" shunned me & sucked up 2 Gerry. GO FIGURE?!. Anyway, NEW TIMES! BEST OF LUCK 2 new...

First, this is a great antique mall - it's big, filled with real antiques not beanie babies, 8-trak tapes, etc - it's clean and well organized.

The only thing that often makes me decide to go to other antique malls instead is the prices here - a lot of the dealers are EXTREMELY high on what they ask for things, and I shop antiques malls all over the state on a pretty regular basis (rarely a week goes by that I'm not in an antiques mall somewhere, shopping). I also peruse online antiques sites, and items in the same condition online or in other shops/malls are priced considerably less than at Blue Star Antiques.

I collect a type of pottery, and one dealer there is trying to sell an item for over $200 that sold in excellent condition on ebay for $155 - after a week bidding and 7 bids. That same dealer also has an item with quite a bit of damage they're asking an outrageous amount for, which another dealer who showed the piece to me agreed with, saying he'd sell it for maybe $30-40 while the dealer had it marked over $100. Another dealer has a pitcher of what I collect priced at $400 (!) saying it's "rare" but it's a common piece (even in the same size in excellent condition) that can be bought elsewhere for less than half what he/she is asking.

I bought a gold chain there that was stamped "14K" and the dealer's price tag had "gold necklace" written on it. I thought I got a great piece at a great price. Took it to a reputable jeweler in Grand Rapids to have a new clasp put on and was told by the owner of the shop (his family has owned for over 100 years) that the piece isn't gold, it's a fake, and he showed me how to tell and what was wrong with the necklace. So I was out that money because a dealer here sold something marked 14k and "gold" when it wasn't. The jeweler told me it was a good fake - which is why I couldn't tell, because I have a lot of gold jewelry and can usually tell a fake - but this one was well enough made that he said he had to put it on his wheel to be sure - and sure enough, the thin layer of gold came right off the cheap metal underneath ( and the piece was not marked gold filled, gold plate, etc - it was clearly 14k).

I like to buy original paintings and find them at reasonable prices many places, but the dealers here are way off the chart on what they price them at - I can get the same quality for far less at other antiques malls.

The mall is worth the drive, many booths filled with great antiques, but I'd suggest checking on the internet via your cell phone to see what like items are selling for online before overspending what could be twice as much as you...

Although the store, although dated in it's overall appearance, is clean and offers a large selection of items at the Saugatuck Antique Pavilion (SAP); many of the employees and ALL the leadership I encountered lack transparency, refuse to assist the buyers (unless checking out - do they work on commission?), and will not accommodate simple requests like contacting the vendor. They will not negotiate pricing; every item is priced at least 4 to 5 times estimated market value (estimates are produced by Google Gemini -generative AI). Regardless of the methods of price comparison, these items that are listed at other antique dealers at a cost of $40, for example, bear a price tag of $175 at SAP. There are a variety of other pieces that interested me, such as a "hand carved" eagle for $95, but listed elsewhere for $28.

Approaching leadership is an experience in itself. The gentleman I tried to speak with kept interrupting me and saying, "...there is nothing he will do about that.". And, "... That's retail.". Actually, retail is about treating the client properly - honestly, respectfully, and with transparency. You can't even use the contact us link on their website. It doesn't work. I waited over 5 minutes for the contact information to populate. No such luck.

The worst part is the people that hired the leadership team, speculatively speaking, condone this behavior - after all these employees are still working there in spite of the multiple complaints I have read on different social media sites (AFTER I VISITED THE STORE TODAY) while conducting research to find three owner's contact information.

I will not be recommending SAP or patronizing the pavilion and I encourage your to choose wisely before conducting...