America's Antique Mall - Algonquin — Local services in Dundee Township

I am the Owner of Shadow Dreams LLC. Founded in 2012. and a vendor at the American Antique Mall in Algonquin. I cannot express how grateful I am for Karen Mavros, ( General Manager ) her assistant managers Allie and Chrissy and the entire supporting team. They have been Golden. They follow the rules as laid out in our contracts, have been extremely supportive and patient when explaining all and are always around with helpful suggestions. Advertising has been phenomenal, Via Social Media, Newspaper Articles and even 2 Large Bill Boards promoting our location. The Rent price ( Per Square Foot ) is on the low to average amount for the Collar counties of Chicago. The 12% Commission is within the same ball park as well. The store is beautiful, well lit, and well staffed.

The American Antique Mall / Algonquin is almost completely full. If you are considering becoming a Vendor don’t wait !!!

I normally do not take the time to write reviews… in actuality I don’t have a lot of extra time with all that I do but I read an extremely negative Ex- Vendor Review that pushed me to to take the time to write this. Please keep in mind. Those that are disgruntled are usually losing $$$ or not making profit $$$. Why would someone leave if they were making profit ? Why trash the store and the staff ? This is disheartening to others that may be just beginning their journeys and I find it infuriating and sad.

For the Newbies, Please don’t listen to the negative. If it is as bad as the Ex-Vendor portrays why did I just open my 3rd booth space ? Better yet, I am in the store a lot restocking etc… Come find me and introduce yourself.

I am close to retirement age and after owning and operating my own business’s for decades I had to speak out in support of The Algonquin / American Antique Mall and their entire team. I thank them all for going beyond what...

The place is huge with a wide variety of items. Although listed as an "antique" mall, there are also arts and crafts and other items that may not qualify as antiques. If you are looking for records, there are several vendors throughout the place. However, I can say this: the items I was looking at were way overpriced. That is to be expected, I guess, at a franchised antique mall where vendor fees are probably very expensive. I did buy 2 items and paid more than I should have, but they were things I wanted. It was very crowded and took about a 15 minute wait in line to check out. It was nice to browse. But I probably won't go back any time soon.

UPDATE: So I went back. The booths were mostly occupied. I specifically went looking for albums again. There are many vendors that sell records, and prices are hit or miss. Lots of albums never opened. I think the average price for a single album is between $18-20. For most, I would not spend that much. I told myself I would not spend more than $10 on a single album unless it was really something I wanted. That being said, I did walk away with 4 decent albums and paid $23. Here is a tip: if you find an album you want, check the other record booths because you may find a better copy at a cheaper price. Also, make sure to check the record itself. Found a $14.95 record that I wanted, but there was a huge scratch on one side. Wouldn't have paid a dollar for that one, let...

In 2024 I bought a MCM wood chair that had orange velvet upholstered seat cushions which was done by the seller. When I got home I was wiping down the wood parts of the chair, an orange color came off on my soft rag, and a LOT of color came off, leaving the wood another color. So all I can surmise is that the seller did a very poor job of applying an orangish stain without prepping the wood first. I do vintage furniture flips and that is a very rookie mistake, especially giving the price of the chair. I called the store just to inform of the situation as I knew that there are absolutely no refunds on any merchandise. I hadn’t even completed my sentence and I was cut off abruptly by a women who answered the phone. She said “there are no refunds, sorry.” All I wanted was for the vendor to be informed, and she again cut me off. I decided to not buy anything from there again. The vintage furniture that they have there is generally of poor quality and WAY overpriced. Most of the merchandise is way overpriced. I went there yesterday because I needed to pass some time prior to going to an appointment in the area and I was dismayed how the quality of the merchandise has gone down and the prices are even more outrageous. I feel sorry for the vendors and have read some of the past vendors experience on here and am wondering how long the doors will be open. Not to mention the reviews of the...