Colorful cardigans, charming ceramics, hand carved furniture, your new favorite necklace; hidden gems stud the shelves at the antique and consignment stores.
Shopping in second hand stores carries with it a special sort of magic: once you step through the doors, you become an archaeologist, a treasure hunter, brushing through troves of hidden gems to find a one-of-a-kind item (or five) to take home. When you leave, you can’t help but feel like you’ve left a little richer.
The cherry on top? Shoppers can find unique, quality items at unparalleled prices.
Along the stretch from Ridgeland to Madison, Highway 51 is a second hand mecca, lined with enough antique and consignment stores to satisfy any shopaholic. Starting just off the highway -- at Antique Aly, across from the Ridgeland offices of the Madison County Magazine -- and winding all the way into the heart of Madison -- at Pette’s Antiques -- let’s take an “antique road show” down Highway 51 and experience all that the route has to offer.
294 Commerce Park Dr, Ridgeland, MS 39157
Upon walking through the doors of Antique Aly, shoppers are greeted with a collection of charming, bizarre curiosities: a display of waving skeletons, a faded mid-century jukebox, a full suit of armor beside the cash register.
Antique Aly is filled with items ranging from the nostalgic -- like vinyl records and vintage tea sets -- to the offbeat -- like cartoon clocks and ornate model ships.
The space is subdivided into booths, each filled with rare finds and vintage curio brought in by various vendors. “I think we have about 30-40 different vendors, so it’s almost like 40 different storefronts under one roof,” says Aly McGarrh. Aly owns and operates the eponymous Antique Aly with her mother, Donna.
Each piece in the booths has a rich heritage -- that’s what makes the shopping experience in antique stores so special. “There’s just stories with every piece that comes through here, and every piece reminds somebody of something from their childhood, or growing up, or a family member. I just love the stories that we get when people come in and shop.”
Maybe it’s the nostalgia, or maybe it’s the warm and open environment fostered by the McGarrhs, but either way, stories are often swapped within the store. “We’ll have vendors and customers that sit and hang out and tell stories,” says Aly.
From Antique Aly’s storied inventory to its welcoming air, it makes sense that Aly and Donna McGarrh love what they do -- and it certainly shows.
242 Highway 51, Ridgeland, MS 39157
For such a spacious building, Repeat Street is impressively saturated with color. Kaleidoscopic statuettes greet you at the door; retro signs punctuate the store’s interior; vinyl records dot the walls, climbing up to the rafters of the vast warehouse. Even all of the doors are painted with bright hues and patterns.
Owned and operated by Michele Austin, Repeat Street is perhaps the metro area’s most popular consignment store, bringing in eclectic customers to take home even more eclectic treasures. The shop offers everything from plaid shirts to prom dresses, kitchen wares to kitten heels -- and its inventory is updated all the time.
Shoppers at Repeat Street can walk several feet over, too, to the Storehouse, an artisan mall that serves as an extension of Repeat Street. Storehouse manager James Briggs says, “We have a lot of talented people in the area; we’re giving them an outlet to sell their merchandise.
In both stores, the troves of treasure to be found can feel endless. “Sometimes you have to come back twice, just to go through and walk it once, then go through again, just to see all the pieces,” says Briggs. “It’s not a big building, but we have a lot in this space.”
Shoppers often find surprises on the shelves of Repeat Street and the Storehouse; they’re sure to find a little adventure, too.
367 Highway 51, Ridgeland, MS 39157
For the McGarrh ladies, the antique business runs in the family. Mother-daughter duo Donna and Aly McGarrh own and operate Antique Aly; just down the road, Bobbie McGarrh, mother-in-law to Donna and grandmother to Aly, manages the Antique Mall of the South.
The Antique Mall of the South is an impressively vast vendor mall, owned and operated by Joyce Clingan. The spacious warehouse, divided into vendor booths, is mostly plain and unadorned; the real attraction is the wide selection of vintage baubles, art, accessories, and furniture within its walls.
Bobbie McGarrh says much of the appeal of these items comes from their exceptional prices. Shoppers can find unique items at unmatched markdowns, and if they’re still not happy with the price on the tag, they can work to strike a deal that makes everyone happy. “We’re going to call the vendor, and we’re going to stick for the customer,” says McGarrh. “And we may have to bat it back and forth, because we want to sell, they want to sell, they want to buy, so let’s make it a deal for all three. That’s part, I think, of the attraction of some of it.”
It’s true that many avid antiquarians love the thrill of the chase. Searching for a steal keeps them on their toes, and it often proffers pleasant surprises. For others, antique shopping is simply a way to unwind.
“We’ve got a lot of people come in and say it’s just for mental therapy,” says McGarrh. “They come in, it’s wide, it’s big enough, and it brings back a lot of memories, some of the things that are in here.”
Whether shoppers are on a treasure hunt or a day trip, though, they’re sure to find remarkable goods at great deals at the Antique Mall of the South.
637 US-51, Ridgeland, MS 39157
“Come in, we’re awesome,” says the sign on the front door of Palladian Consign & Design. Through the doors is a refreshing space, illuminated with natural light and lined with charming furniture and decor.
“The main thing, I think, that sets us apart from other stores is that we set things in little vignettes,” says owner and operator Kay Fagan. “You see the rug, you see the coffee table, you see how the coffee table is arranged, you see the chairs around it, the end tables, the lamps -- so you can kind of imagine what it might look like in your house.”
For more detail-oriented shoppers, Palladian’s myriad assortment of baubles and art can spark the imagination, too.
“We have some Waterford glasses that are $240 for 5 -- you know, little treasures like that that you can find,” Fagan says.
Palladian’s intentional design goes a long way in making the shopping experience comfortable, accessible, and welcoming.
984 Highway 51, Madison, MS 39110
Pette Montgomery and husband Jim have owned and operated Pette’s Antiques for 30 years.
The store was converted into an antique shop from an old MEA clinic, so many of the pieces are tucked away into small rooms. Through each doorway, shoppers can find refined antique pieces: resplendent wood furniture abounds, and shoppers can spot classy accents like small gold sculptures or 18th century art. Pieces range in antiquity, from vintage finds a few decades old, to bonafide artifacts from the 17- or 1800s.
The Montgomerys hand select their store’s inventory, finding unique items from auctions, individual sellers, and international marketplaces.
“You never know what you’re going to find,” says Pette. “That’s what’s the great part about it.”
Sometimes, even Pette and Jim run into a pleasant surprise when scouting for inventory. The pair delights in stumbling upon eclectic items for their store. “You can buy it, just because you want to!” exclaims Jim. “And then you hope you sell it! You know, it’s fun to do.” Pointing at a set of small cannons decorating the corner of the store, he remarks, “I mean, she wouldn’t let me buy those and take them home. So, why not?”
It’s clear from the store’s quality and warmth that the Montgomerys operate Pette’s Antiques with genuine enjoyment. “After 30 years,” says Pette, “we do it strictly because we love it.”
Each antique and consignment store along Highway 51 offers one-of-a-kind items. Perhaps even more extraordinary than the second hand goods the shops sell, though, is the genuine friendship between their owners.
In every store, the owner will likely recommend other nearby antique stores to shoppers. They speak highly of each other, and they recount spending time with each other off the clock. “We don’t feel like we compete,” says Kay Fagan. “What’s at Bloomingdales isn’t here, and what’s here isn’t at [Antique] Aly’s.”
Customers at any of the stores are sure to encounter friendly faces, fascinating history, and a little adventure -- and, of course, a trove of second hand treasures. And, if they pay attention, they might even see firsthand the love and community that make the second hand scene along Highway 51 so special.
