Antiques Barn — Local services in Town of New Paltz

Visited the Antiques Barn with my wife on a weekday during October. The 3 stars are for the antiques and location.

PROS: large space, good selection of antiques and collectibles, centrally located in a little plaza with other shops and restaurants

CONS: only the bottom floor is handicapped accessible unfriendly owner (?) / staff: from the moment I asked if there were an accessible entrance, the snark began. No greeting. No warmth. No explanation about needing to repark in an entirely different area of the complex, just “You can go in the back door” the back door is also used for deliveries, and an able-bodied man delivering one shirt had parked his car blocking the whole access to the “accessible” back door. Again, no offer to move the blocking car, no intervention from the staff; we had to navigate around and down a very steep slope into the back door once inside, my wife and I were immediately and obviously shadowed by the staff to make sure we didn’t shoplift. The older guy who followed us around the whole time was uncomfortably close to us. It was just creepy. Loss mitigation is clearly their main priority, not “How can I help you? What are you looking for?” It might have occurred to you that the handicapped woman with advanced cancer, who requires obvious exits and entrances at a glacial pace using a rolling walker, is probably not looking to steal something and make a quick exit. My wife was so uncomfortable she wanted to leave and sit in the car, so I helped her back outside and continued by myself.

I was, in fact, looking for postcards, among other things. When I asked if they had any, the shopkeeper appeared irritated I had interrupted his ongoing gossip stream and snapped “they’re just every where, upstairs, downstairs” rather than point out any of the multiple specific collections for me to look at. It was not busy so it was surprising he wouldn’t take a moment to steer me toward what I was looking for.

Lastly, when I checked out, there was no “thank you”. No “come again”. No acknowledgment of any typically universal customer service platitudes one exchanges as a small business owner. Everyone who works here seems unhappy about the fact that they do, and it shows. The only reason I purchased anything was for my wife. We now refer to this as the “Grouchy Antique Barn” (I actually call it the “B**y Barn” as the level of irritation went far beyond grouchy).

Bottom line: As a handicapped woman and caregiver, we will not be returning. However, if you want to be treated like a presumed shoplifter the moment you roll through the back door, and can cope with the snark, the antiques may be worth it. Limited handicapped accessibility overall, both in the entrance setup and the lack of...

As a gay man, I love to support other gay owned and operated business but I must say after my visit yesterday, I cannot see myself going in again.

Upon entering, the owner was at the register with his husband and his friend talking. Instead of greeting customers, they seemed to be more focused on gossiping and talking terribly about another vendor in the complex which I found to just be disgusting. To talk so openly, and so meanly about another person is just gross, especially when you do not know who knows who. This for me ruined my experience here and made me put down what I was going to buy and leave.

I have been to this store many times have purchased many things. I often would pop in to just see if something new had arrived but after yesterday, that will not be the case. In fact, I will encourage others within my community to spend their money elsewhere.

As a gay man I find it so disappointing that our community has people in it who act so gross. I had debated on saying something in person but thought letting others know what kind of person owns this store may have a bigger impact.

To the owners - learn to have some tact and class. Spend some time saying hello, and stop talking so terribly about others. It says more about YOU than...

I was nervous about the vibe after reading other reviews but the owner and his partner, and their friend, were nothing but nice and helpful to me and my husband.

This is also a really affordable, well-curated antique store! We spent $330 total for a gorgeous wood dresser, and three first-edition books from the 1970s (one being a kid’s set that came with 15 books). The same dresser would have been twice, maybe triple the price at the antique stores in Hudson (that I’ve been to, at least).

Can’t...