If you’ve ever stepped foot into an antique mall, you know that inside the unassuming walls lies a treasure trove of items you’d never find anywhere else. The booths and showcases are filled to the brim with thousands of unique vintage home décor pieces, one-of-a-kind collections, and rare vintage goodies just waiting to be discovered. Have you ever been curious about what sells best? We certainly have been!
Whether you’re a vendor looking ahead for future wares or an avid antique hunter searching for the trendiest finds, understanding the current best-selling items at your favorite antique mall will make you feel like a pro. The next time you go shopping, keep your eyes peeled—who knows which of these vintage home goods you may find for yourself!
Why Vendors Should Keep Track of Antique Mall Trends
If you’re a long-time vendor, you understand the importance of keeping your booth feeling fresh and new—but did you ever consider that might mean stocking it with the trendiest vintage home items of the time? Keeping track of the best-selling goods will help you know exactly what to buy and what to prioritize in your booth display. (Not to mention the competitive edge it gives you on your vendor neighbors!)
Staying up to date with vintage home décor trends will also help you attract a wide range of customers. Similar to how redecorating your vendor booth can increase foot traffic, featuring sought-after collectibles and vintage home goods will encourage customers, new and old, to stop by your booth every time they’re in the store. More visitors almost always means more sales, and what vendor wouldn’t want that?
The Top Selling Vintage Home Items Right Now
Trends come and go—that’s why, if you’re a vintage home goods vendor, it’s important to stay on top of them. Whether you’ve been selling for years or are just starting to gather your goods, make sure you have a couple of these trending items to bring booming business to your booth:
Antique and Vintage Furniture
Vintage and antique furniture are among the top contenders year after year for most-sold vintage home décor in our vendor mall—and we can see why. With countless designs from across different eras, these pieces provide unique and stylish designs that suit a variety of aesthetics. Deciding to sell furniture at your vendor booth is a profitable option any time of year.
These days, shoppers gravitate towards buying antique furniture for all sorts of reasons. It’s a known fact that antique designs are usually durable, as they were crafted from high-quality materials to make sure they last you a lifetime. Vintage home items, from desks to bed frames and beyond, are also the more sustainable and unique method of decorating a space.
Popular Types of Vintage Furniture
If you’re interested in selling vintage furniture at your booth, you should consider stocking up on these best-selling items:
Desks
Dressers
Tables
Chairs
Coffee tables
Bar carts
Coat racks
What are the Trending Home Décor Styles at Antique Malls?
One of the most important factors to consider as an antique furniture vendor is the current design era trends. For a while, barnyard chic and minimalism were all the rage. But nowadays, we’re seeing a return to traditional styles, such as American Colonial Revival or Chippendale, in vintage home décor. As you shop for your own selection, look out for furniture that features natural wood hues, intricately carved designs, and neutral color palettes.
Pro tip: mid-century modern is another style that antique malls can’t seem to shake. Driven by nostalgia for simpler times and classy styles, the post-World War II styles remain highly requested and collectible.
Fan-Favorite Memorabilia and Collectibles
Though it’s technically a broad category, memorabilia is one of the most consistently popular vintage home items sold each season at Melbourne antique malls, including all of those fascinating knick-knacks and merchandise items you see when you browse. If you want to develop a reputation, you can become the vendor that specializes in specific types of memorabilia so that customers know exactly who to go to when they’re looking for specific pieces. Other people dabble in a little of everything to appeal to a wider fan base.
While some customers choose to store away their collectibles in pristine condition, the majority of customers choose to show them off around the house as unique vintage home décor. As a vendor, it’s helpful to understand (and lean into!) the fact that many of these purchases are driven by nostalgia or a deeply personal connection to the memorabilia. Certain collectibles can also appreciate in value, making them attractive to collectors who are in the game mostly for the money. When you choose a niche, decide which kinds of buyers you’d like to attract.
Look Out for These 7 Types of Collectibles
If you’re considering becoming a vendor at our Algonquin antique mall, choosing one or two types of collectibles to stock your shelves with is the perfect way to find your niche. Dedicated collectors will spend hundreds, if not thousands, on curating the perfect assortment of vintage home items to show off their passion in their house. The most popular types of collectibles include:
1. Sesame Street collectibles: the beloved Henson Muppets aren’t just on our screens anymore—plenty of people go to antique stores to find plushies, figurines, clothing, and toys depicting the beloved cast of furry characters.
2. Movie memorabilia: movie buffs are always searching for vintage home décor to show off their film fanaticism in their homes, from Godzilla to The Godfather and everything in between.
3. Funko Pops: these collectible figurines honor pop culture’s favorite characters, celebrities, and iconic figures in adorable and collectible doll form.
4. Model trains: motorized toy trains are a popular hobby all around the world, and with plenty of different designs and track accessories to discover, it can be quite a profitable business.
5. Trading cards: think of vintage baseball and football cards, as well as classic games, such as Pokémon, Magic: the Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh!
6. Hot Wheels: with limited editions and complete sets to track down, these tiny retro car toys are highly sought after by collectors of all ages.
7. Disney: when you wish upon a star, you’ll be able to find rare and nostalgic Disney brand collectibles left and right in a vendor mall, from Micky Mouse figurines to vintage home décor and more.
Retro and Vintage Clothing
Fashion cycles are short—but for vendor malls, that’s great news! This means that every 20 or so years, old clothing trends are back in style, solidifying vintage clothing as a top-selling item across the globe. Chicago antique malls are famously filled with tops, bottoms, dresses, shoes, and accessories from different eras, allowing customers to discover unique styles and vamp up their wardrobe at an affordable price.
Many of these purchases are spurred by a growing interest in sustainable fashion. Why would you buy new pieces (that are made with lower-quality materials) when you could save a gorgeous design from ending up in the landfill? If you are interested in providing secondhand clothing to generations of shoppers and doing your part to save Mother Earth, you should consider selling vintage clothing at your booth.
Consider Collecting Upcycled Clothing
If you rent at a vendor mall, don’t feel limited to vintage home goods and clothing—handmade and upcycled items do just as well. When vintage clothing is damaged or unwearable, upcycling is often the answer.
The growing fashion trend saves garments from being thrown away, and instead, creative design skills are used to give them a second life in our wardrobes. This can include just about anything, from bomber jackets made from quilts to old leather boots turned into handbags and more. We know many of our shoppers jump at the chance to score a unique outfit made from meaningful vintage pieces.
Antique Kitchenware and Barware
Any antique-lover will tell you that it’s nearly impossible to pass up a good vintage home item for their kitchen. Coming across a beautiful set of China or whimsical utensils is a blessing sent right from the vendor mall gods. Some customers are even dedicated to collecting specific brands of valuable glassware and vintage kitchenware—and they can be sold at quite the price.
Barware, in particular, has its own fan base worth catering to. Some collectors, whether they’re trained mixologists or just a fan of the craft, will spend all their time and money on finding the best vintage bar accessories, cocktail glasses, and utensils on the market. Most of the time, they’re searching for mid-century modern designs (á la Mad Men), but adding a variety of style eras to your booth is a great way to attract visitors.
Popular Vintage Kitchenware Brands
Pyrex
Blenko
Tupperware
CorningWare
Corelle
Fiestaware
Vinyl Records and Players
By now, everyone’s seen just how big the resurgence of vinyl records can be—and that’s especially true in our Crown Point antique mall. If you know records, you know that nothing beats flipping through an alphabetized crate in search of a collectible album. Collectors and music enthusiasts cherish the tangible experience of hunting for their next find in person, and with the right selection, you could become their go-to vendor.
Both vinyl and vintage record players are highly collectible, especially if they’re in mint or rare condition. But money isn’t everything to these collectors—they also act as the perfect vintage home décor. From displaying their favorite albums on a gallery wall to making the turntable the statement piece of the living room, these fun finds are the best way for music lovers to show off their hobby at home.
Pro tip: if you decide to specialize or offer vinyl records in your booth, consider adding a few pieces of music memorabilia as well. Posters, set lists, signed t-shirts, and more can fetch a pretty penny. The two types of collectors tend to overlap, and you may make two sales instead of one.
Vintage Home Décor for the Holidays
It doesn’t matter what time of year it is—there’s always someone searching for the perfect vintage home item to celebrate the holidays in retro style. From collectible antique ornaments for the tree to vintage candy buckets perfect for welcoming in trick-or-treaters, there’s a vintage design for every style. Holiday home décor has its own devotees, so regardless of what you normally stock year-round, adding a few festive pieces could be worth your while.
While Christmas and Halloween offer the perfect opportunities to add a few festive designs to your booth, don’t forget about the smaller celebrations. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving are all great chances to give your vendor booth a facelift with holiday-specific vintage items.
Don’t Forget About These Assorted Home Décor Items
Oftentimes, when a shopper is stopping into a Highland antique mall, they’re looking for versatile items that can add a touch of vintage charm to their space. If you like the eclectic look, consider adding a few of these home goods to your booth to attract spur-of-the-moment customers. These small but mighty vintage home décor items tend to get scooped up the second they’re put on the floor:
Light fixtures
Mirrors
Vintage clocks
Antique frames
Baskets
Vases
How Often Should You Change the Vintage Home Items in Your Booth?
If you rent at a vendor mall, it’s important to never let your shelves get stale. Tracking the trends in your mall will help you understand how often you should rotate and restock your collections to attract your desired number of customers. In general, we recommend switching up your selection every two weeks or so to keep things fresh and interesting.
While they may be filled with treasures from the past, our antique malls are always changing and evolving to fit the current shopping trends. You, as a vendor, should be doing the same. If you stay on top of the latest and greatest best-selling vintage home items, you’ll see your business skyrocket!
