The Antique Market — Local services in Michigan City

ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED WITH EXPERIENCE HERE TODAY WITH WEEKEND MANAGER! HER BEHAVIOR WAS A DISGRACE!

My husband and I USED TO (that stops today) frequent this antiques mall a lot - and spend money here a lot. Yesterday we spent over $150. Today we spent over $350. When we were in yesterday, I saw an item I wanted, but it had a "hold" tag on it - noting it was on hold until close at 5:00 today. Since we were back in the area after antique shopping in LaPorte today - we live over an hour away in Michigan - we stopped in the late afternoon. I bought a vintage television as a surprise for my husband. And the item I'd seen was still in the mall - and it was near 4:00.

I asked about it at the desk, and come to find out, the person it was on hold for was a friend of the weekend manager. So she called her friend and got her friend's voicemail. Another employee who was really nice encouraged my husband and I to hang around or go get dessert and come back. I didn't want to make my husband stand around for an hour, but he's a sweetheart and said it was okay, we'd wait. So we did. Blew an hour standing around killing time after we'd already been through the mall shopping the day before.

The weekend manager told me I could leave my name and number and if her friend didn't come in by 5:00, she'd hold the item for me for 24 hours. I said, "I was in here well before 4:00 yesterday and that hold tag was already on the item - so if your policy is a 24-hour hold, it's well beyond that." Then she changed her story to "well, not 24 hours, until closing."

Around 4:40, after we'd stood around since 4:00, another employee who was very nice and trying to be helpful and reasonable said to the weekend manager to just sell it to us. She refused.

Then the manager's friend called her back and said she couldn't get there by 5:00 today. But she wanted the item held anyway. When the manager told me that, I was stunned. She told me she was going to hold the item until 5:15, AFTER CLOSING! so her friend could buy it. That was well after the time they said they'd sell it to me. I pointed that out to her, noting it wasn't fair to tell me 5:00, let me wait around for an hour, then change the rules for her friend - who could then come in AFTER CLOSING (!).

When I told her that was absolutely not right, she said she was going to call the mall manager and get her opinion. She scurried off with the phone in her hand, clearly wanting to go make a call off somewhere else so I couldn't hear.

She came back with the story her manager said - what a surprise! the EXACT words SHE had said! I don't believe she ever even talked to her manager - especially because what happened next was her friend called back a minute later (she likely had to leave her a voicemail again, she had told me the friend was at some reception or rehearsal or something). Her friend suddenly called out of the blue and said she wanted to put the item on her credit card right then. GEE WHAT A COINCIDENCE!!! . I'm quite certain she called her friend and told her to call her back and buy it with a credit card. This was at about 4:55. The weekend manager then looked over her shoulder, not even looking at me, and said, "She's paying now with her credit card!" then turned her face away from me and ignored me after we'd been mid-conversation.

WEEKEND MANAGER WAS ENTIRELY UNPROFESSIONAL. HER BEHAVIOR WAS UNBELIEVABLE. WE WON'T...

I am a huge antique hunter! I love them! I was in town to visit the beach from Indianapolis. This place is at least double retail price on just about everything I saw. They do have a large space, and lots to see, but more like a museum, nothing to buy!

Instead go to the smaller place behind the antique market called Nani’s Over the Fence Antiques. It’s so cute and nice reasonably priced items. Turns out that it got its name because the bigger store put up a huge fence in front of their property when they opened up to try to keep people from seeing it.

In general, people who love antiques have a love for the past, when people were kind to each other. Actions like building a wall in front of a new little shop just makes me mad! So skip the big overpriced guy and go see...

This is a treasure trove for collectors and vintage enthusiasts. The selection is impressive—everything from furniture and home décor to toys, jewelry, and unique collectibles. The store is spacious and well-organized, making it easy to explore at a relaxed pace. While some items are on the pricier side, the quality and rarity of many pieces make it worth the visit. Really, most of the prices are probably in line with collector market values. This is not a flea market or thrift store, so dont fool yourself into thinking everything should be cheap, though you can find some good deals if you look. We had a great time browsing and even found a few unique deals. If you're a serious collector or just love hunting for vintage gems, this is definitely a spot...