Everything Old is New Again

Autumn is the season for a lot of fun events and activities, and I’ve always enjoyed getting a little antiquing in at the same time the leaves are turning and the snow is getting ready to fall. And one thing about an area like Carson that is so strongly in touch with its history is that there is no shortage of shops where you can browse the entire gamut of antiques, from the high-priced serious furniture and collectibles on through to the nostalgic campy and kitschy items. If you’re looking to road trip around town and around the valley in search of something new (to you) to add to your own collection, here’s a sampler of places to put on your list. Photo at left: Pixabay, Rudy and Peter Skitterians.

First up, if you’re an antiquer who is serious about the hobby, or sport, or habit or whatever you like to refer to it as, you probably need to check out Hanfin’s Antiques, smack-dab in the middle of Carson City on N. Carson Street. They advertise more than 9,000 square feet of room, and there’s no wasted space. It’s the kind of place you can wander through for hours and still find new items tucked away around the corner. Just keep in mind, this isn’t the sort of place where you pop in for a souvenir. This is the kind of inventory that comes from all over the world and includes sculptures and large pieces of furniture. Photo at right: Wikimedia Commons.

Not too far away, Curry Street is the place to go to if you’re one of those people who values efficiency because the street is the antique-shop equivalent of ducks in a row. The line-up of stores here includes Due Sorella, also known as Two Sisters, a warm and friendly place that specializes in furniture and home furnishings under the broad categories of repurposed, farmhouse and even a touch of French countryside. If you’re already familiar with the shop, it’s worth noting that they are operating on fall hours as of October. Curry Street is also home to Aunt B’s Vintage shops (two locations!) for furniture, collectibles and gifts. Aunt B’s is the sort of place you’re likely to say, “Hey, we used to have one of those, and now it’s worth HOW much!?” but it’s also the sort of place where you’re likely to run across something that really would absolutely be the perfect finishing touch for just the look you’ve been going for … you know, an old record player or wicker basket or farm bucket or oil lamp or … well, you get the idea. Photo at left: Pixabay, Aurelie Luylier.

Popping back over to Carson Street on our way south to Carson Valley, let’s hit Kaleidoscope, where they’ve got a selection of vendors with wares that range from vintage and antique to Western décor of the new and used varieties. This is always a fun place to visit because it’s not like a lot of other antique shops where you can’t tell if anybody has actually paid any attention to the store in the past two decades. Nope, Kaleidoscope stays up to date with festive seasonal displays and decorations.

Then it’s a run down the valley to Genoa, a town that looks like it was built specifically to be the site of an antique shop. There’s Home in Genoa, which is a country home décor kind of place with a range of antique, vintage and contemporary furnishings, and the Dake House for old-timey farm equipment and such, but at this time of year, their big draw is the haunted barn. Next, let’s swoop back on over to Minden and Gardnerville and wrap up the tour with a couple of spots in town. Red Barn Antiques does carry some collectibles from the olden days, but I like this place more for their crafts and creations made from repurposed barn wood and such. And we’ll end the day at Cheshire Antiques right on U.S. 395 in Gardnerville. Nope, wait, scratch that. Here’s the revised schedule – we head home after Red Barn, and then come back tomorrow morning for Cheshire, because this place is an antique mall spread out over some 12,000 square feet with some 50 different vendors, and it's likely to be an all-day sort of visit all by itself. Photo at right: Pixabay, Ryan Gudmunson.

Yes, as always, there are places that I didn’t manage to fit into the blog, and, as always, the ones that were left out probably included your favorite. And, as always, I really do want to hear about it, so make sure to comment in the section below. Let’s get the word out about all of our area businesses and shop local this season.