DUNCANVILLE – Tuesday marked the first day of spring. Easter is right around the corner, and daylight savings time gives people more sunlight to get out and enjoy the day.
It is also time for the popular spring activity of shopping.
There are a variety of antique malls and flea markets in the area, so if you can’t find something, you aren’t looking, but sometimes just spending the day looking is all fun.
Here is a list of a few shops in the area to get your list started.
Knick Knacks in Duncanville has been around since 1992. However, Sarith and Rich Abramowitz took ownership of the store in 2017.
With 20,000 square feet, Knick Knacks houses 170 vendors and 200 booths. It is primarily a home décor store offering vintage, antique, and contemporary furniture and décor items. The store also carries vintage clothing and accessories, gently used designer clothing, vintage collectibles, glassware, and china. Of course, there is also the popular General Store that customers love to visit.
“We serve a very diverse community,” Sarith Abramowitz said. “From young homeowners looking for reasonably priced furniture, young adults looking for eclectic items, home stagers and designers assisting clients, to collectors of vintage barware, milk glass or cast-iron skillets. We have a vintage clothing collector/client and another shop owner from New York City who come to buy vintage clothing, specifically from Yesterday’s Threads Vintage Clothing. Also, when in Dallas, a costume designer visits Yesterday’s Threads to pick out items for her school theater productions. Recently, we had a movie set production person scout Knick Knacks store items for a locally filmed movie.”
Abramowitz also mentioned that Knick Knacks has several new vendors bringing in unbelievable spring items such as birdhouses, Easter wreaths and baskets, patio sets, and yard art.
Knick Knacks’ owners are also proud of their prices, which are “incredibly reasonable, and we have a real mix of items – something for everyone. Our vendors interact with customers, even developing relationships. Many have said that there is a family feel to the store.”
Knick Knacks also gives back to the local community by having food and personal hygiene product drives for local non-profits and the Duncanville School District. The store regularly employs local high school interns and sponsors local organizations’ endeavors. One of the vendors, Peg’s Couture & Furniture Gallery, annually hosts a back-to-school backpack drive in late August and “Shop for the Cure” (benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundations) every October.
Knick Knacks’ Solar Saturday Party:
Knick Knacks will be hosting a Solar Saturday party on April 6. They will give out solar sunglasses to the first 100 customers, as well as mini Moon Pies and Sun Chips. An in-store activity, “Hunt for the Sun and Moon” (vintage salt and pepper shakers), will be held with gift certificate prizes.
I n Ferris, The Ol’ Queen Theatre Vendor Mall Indoor Flea Market is located in a historical theater building built in the early 1900s. It opened in September 2022, and Dale and Linda Batey, the owners, personally welcome customers.
“We fell in love with the town of Ferris and its history,” Linda Batey said. The town is also a perfect setting for a business like ours. The Queen Theatre building holds a lot of character and nostalgia of its own. It was once a vaudeville theatre in the early 1900s and a movie picture theatre in the early 1920s.”
When shopping at The Ol’ Queen, you will find practical and gently used furniture pieces, 80 plus vendors selling their new and/or gently used merchandise such as clothing, new boutique items, jewelry, books, pieces of recognized artwork, records, CD’s, DVD’s, audio equipment, tools, workout equipment, collectibles, floral items, crafts, everyday household items, dishes, toys, interior and exterior decorating items and just about anything else you might think of buying.
The most unusual item is the “Big Foot” replica for sale.
“We claim “Big Foot” as our official mascot,” Batey said. “We don’t know why, but just to say, he is a mystery to us all. He is everywhere, inside and outside of our building. We never know where he is going to appear next.”
The Ol’ Queen Theatre Vendor Mall Indoor Flea Market’s added bonus:
The Ol’ Queen Theatre Vendor Mall-Indoor Flea Market will be celebrating the solar eclipse with “The Total Solar Eclipse 2024” party. There will be $5 Eclipse Bags filled with goodies and certified eclipse glasses available at The Ol’ Queen. “The Total Solar Eclipse Weekend Party” begins Friday, April 5, and ends Monday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also on hand will be vendor discounts, music, food, games, giveaways, and prizes. Don’t miss the Total Solar Eclipse Scavenger Hunt around the Flea Market.
Ken’s Antiques and Reproductions in DeSoto fascinated me because for over 50 years, this shop has been selling to dealers and the public. Stained glass windows, bronze statuary, glassware, iron, and more are the things you never know what you will find and what kind of story it will tell.
Aunt Agatha’s Attic in Cedar Hill specializes in small antiques and collectibles, including lots of glass, pottery, dishes, art, and ephemera. It is best described as “lots of things from grandma’s house.”
The Red Barn Flea Market Antiques & More is a must-stop for almost anything you want to buy. Located in Waxahachie, you can and will get lost in the store full of twists and turns and hidden corners. The store is best described as “A little bit of everything from crafts, home interior, shoes, jewelry, sports memorabilia, and furniture.”
The Antique Mall of Mansfield is the kind of stop on the thrift store shopping schedule that might take up quite a bit of time. You will find art, books, home products and decor, furniture, candles, clothes & accessories, music, handmade items, jewelry, coins, toys, and tools. The best part is that the coffee is always hot and free.
Dust, Rust, and Relics Flea Market in Venus at 1624 Farm-to-Market 157 is worth the visit. It offers furniture, books, dishes, and an abundance of home goods. If you aren’t sure what you are looking for, this stop in Venus might give you some great ideas.
