Marty and Barbara Wright share a passion for their family and their 19th-century New Castle home—and antiques. The couple became such avid collectors that they either had to stop buying or start selling, Marty Wright says. They chose the latter. Today, their business, Manor Antiques, is one of 18 vendors in Opera House Arts & Antiques in historic New Castle.
The Wrights, who previously had a New Jersey shop, have seen a lot of changes in the marketplace. Competition now includes eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Demographics affect the demand for particular objects. Gen Z, for instance, is hunting for ’90s fashions.
However, a brick-and-mortar store still offers advantages over a digital transaction. You don’t need to check the mail or meet a stranger in a parking lot, notes Jane Houtman, owner of Antique Alley of Bridgeville and Downtown Alley, also in Bridgeville. Your satisfaction is immediate.
Antiquing is also a pleasurable pastime. “We don’t use the word shopping,” says Christine Chura, owner of The Brush Factory on Kings in Lewes. “It’s an experience. When chaos surrounds people, they can come in, take a breath, and relax. Some stay for hours.”
An Antiques Evolution
The word antique comes from antiquus, the Latin word for ancient. Generally, an antique is at least 100 years old. However, an antique car is at least 45 years old. Meanwhile, vintage items are between 20 and 99 years old, while collectibles can be any age if they’re in demand.
Like the Wrights, many sellers enter the business because they’ve been collectors. “My mom was in the business, and I’ve been dragged around to an auction or flea market ever since I was a kid,” says Dave Songle of Milk Truck Vintage in Wilmington.
While restoring his century-old twin home near Rockford Park, he became acquainted with architectural salvage, now a large part of his business. “It’s like a disease; the stuff finds you,” says Songle, whose limited retail hours give him cachet.
Similarly, Lisa Vonderstuck of Brandywine View Antiques in Chadds Ford grew up going to flea markets with her father. “He said that if I wanted something, I had to sell something,” she recalls. Vendors offered her a quarter; she held out for more.
After high school, Vonderstuck started a cleaning business. Many of her customers were downsizing, and she developed a side hustle selling their items. She went into the antiques business full time after moving to Chadds Ford, where she’s had three locations. Today, Brandywine View Antiques is housed in a 5,000-square-foot brick building on Baltimore Pike.
Some vendors specialize. For instance, the Wrights are known for formal 19th-century furniture. Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan visited their New Jersey store to purchase period pieces for a movie.
Lisa Falzarano, owner of The Mercantile at Milton, is into vintage and vintage-inspired items, including beaded and mesh purses from the turn of the 20th century, as well as globes, maps, and objects related to Milton.
Melissa Clarke of Pretty Vintage sells vintage clothing, jewelry, and accessories. Her flagship booth is in Antique Alley of Bridgeville, where customers can purchase kitchen items, purses, accessories, and apparel from the 1950s to 2000.
Sites like eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace have had an effect. Houtman asserts, “eBay is always overpriced. Dealers use eBay as a reference and make an item less expensive.”
But it’s not all bad news. “We use Facebook Marketplace to bring people to the store,” she says.
Clarke sells rare or in-demand items on eBay. “I have shipped to New Zealand, Canada, and Belgium, to name a few,” she says.
For the most part, people want to inspect items in person, she adds.
Safety in Numbers
In addition to Antique Alley, Clarke’s vintage clothing is available at Milford Memories in Milford; Dusty Finds Antiques in Denton, Maryland; and Ole Vintage Finds in Harrington.
These shops have leases with several vendors, a business approach known as a collective. Chura prefers to call The Brush Factory a mercantile, since vendors include a produce and plant stand. These operations let sellers like Clarke place their merchandise in multiple spots without being present. (Some contracts require sellers to work a certain number of hours at the register.)
Ed Shockley has had booths in multiple shops in Sussex County and Chadds Ford. The Lewes musician got into the business while living in New York. He’s pulled back in recent years, partly because his specialty items—navigational tools and nautical objects—have increased in price at auction. Plus, he’s busy with his bands, including The Funsters.
The Brush Factory helps sellers with branding, marketing, and inventory. Chura is highly selective about her leases, and vendors must have quality products.
These arrangements also benefit shop owners, some of whom couldn’t afford the space on their own. “People are having a hard time finding real estate they can afford,” agrees Tonya Smallwood, who owns Lotus Lane in Bellefonte. Before buying the business, she leased space in a collective of 10 vendors.
It benefits the store owner to work with diverse vendors. “Everybody does something different,” she says. “One gentleman has woodworking and primitives. I love English vintage.”
In May 2024, antiques lovers Susan Pegram and her husband, Kyle Quillen, purchased Antique Alley of Millsboro and renamed it Black Cat Antiques. The 12,000-square-foot shop has three floors and 60 vendors.
“They mostly stay in their lane,” Pegram says of the vendors. “One person may specialize in military items; another might have glassware.” She and her husband, who live in a home built in 1873, sell Victorian-era antiques.
Collectives also appeal to customers. “I love the variety you find at the collectives,” says Eva Morrison of Milford. “I shop often at The Mercantile at Milton, especially around the change of holidays or seasons. There is always something new. I love the nostalgia of the unique vendor offerings.”
Jessica Sievering of Delmar appreciates when stores mix artisan items and gifts, such as the soap, candles, and artwork at Shore Marketplace in Lewes.
More Than Antiques
Sievering would be happy at Opera House Arts & Antiques. Owner Rodney Pratt runs an art gallery and framing service on-site. There is also a resident artist, and you might find local honey.
Customers at The Brush Factory might approach the counter with art, furniture, brand-new clothing, and a fresh tomato. “They’re thrilled. It’s a little bit of everything,” Chura says. “We have produce all week long. We have plants.”
She wants customers to imagine the possibilities. She groups multiple vendors’ wares in beautiful vignettes worthy of Instagram. She also creates a sense of continuity throughout the many rooms by ensuring there is a specific color—say coastal blue—in each. It’s not unusual for Chura to move one seller’s item into another’s area.
Merchandising has become a requisite for participating in many programs. The Opera House, for instance, changes its windows, and vendors are encouraged to create vignettes. “It adds another element,” Pratt says. “Customers can look and say, ‘OK, I can see what this would look like in my home.’”
Exploring the Circuit
Many antique, vintage, and thrift stores are clustered near each other. Consequently, customers can spend a day making the circuit. Grab a coffee in the morning, explore a series of shops, and do lunch in between, Pegram suggests.
Falzarano says the Route 1 corridor from Five Points in Lewes to Rehoboth is full of thrift shops. Admittedly, the stigma surrounding thrift store shopping has faded—and so has the value. “Everyone has started to thrift, and [items] are pretty picked over when you source,” Clarke says.
Happy hunting grounds aren’t limited to retail. The Wrights often buy pieces at auction. However, the pandemic affected auction houses; some have closed, Marty Wright says. Shockley would agree. He says that after COVID-19, auction houses invested in online technology to attract more bidders. The competition is now on the internet and in the room.
Wilson’s Auction in Lincoln is still in business, but it pays to review the list on the website. There’s an auto auction every Tuesday. The weekly consignment auction will have collectibles and furniture. In Rehoboth Beach, Emmert Auction Associates has been the go-to house for more than 30 years. Multi-estate auctions take place in the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center.
Clarke finds most items via private estates and word of mouth. “Typically, if owned by one person, the items are in excellent condition and have been properly stored over the years,” she explains.
What’s In
Antiques and vintage items go in and out of style. For instance, Marty Wright says the market for 19th-century furniture was depressed for a while. Chura agrees. “There was a time when nobody wanted brown furniture,” she says. “We didn’t believe that.”
Now a customer might purchase the mahogany sideboard instead of an entire set. “It’s good to decorate with old and new—mix it up,” Houtman says. “We tell people it’s better to buy good-quality antique furniture that you can repurpose and paint that will last forever, instead of cheap furniture made today.”
But should you paint? Wright says refinishing can influence a piece’s value depending on the period and country of origin. Talk to the seller before you pick up a paintbrush. That said, some prefer a gently used look. “I love chippy paint furniture and anything imperfect,” says Falzarano.
With furniture, it pays to look at the construction, another reason you should see an item in person, Barbara Wright says. Open the drawers to see how they’re assembled. The Wrights rarely buy drawers lacking dovetails, the joint between two wood pieces that forms a dove’s tail. A scribe mark, made with a sharp tool, guides the woodworkers who shape the dovetail.
Falzarano says that younger buyers are coveting midcentury modern furniture, décor, and lighting. Similarly, record albums are hot commodities. “It’s on fire right now,” Clarke says.
Because Black Cat is in the heart of poultry country, customers often ask about chicken-related ephemera, such as postcards. “It threw me at first,” Pegram acknowledges. “Every once in a while, a chicken feather floats in the open door when a truck passes.”
Vintage clothing from the late 20th century is huge, Clarke says. “As hard as it is to believe, vintage is anything 20 years or older, so the fashions of the 1990s and Y2K are technically considered vintage and are very popular now.”
Coastal décor’s popularity is a given at the beach. Chura has seen many customers leave The Brush Factory with starfish- and shell-emblazoned pillows, despite their vow to purchase non-coastal furnishings. Yet nautical objects also sell well in Wilmington. “A ton of people who live nowhere near the water buy [them],” says Songle, who has an extensive collection.
Before Your Browse
No matter what you’re buying, know something about it. The Wrights gained knowledge from books. However, experts and fellow sellers provide the most valuable information. Join Facebook groups dedicated to your interest, such as vintage clothes or antique dolls, Clarke suggests.
Many dealers will negotiate, and some collectives and mercantile stores are authorized to drop the price by a certain percentage. No one wants to sit on merchandise, Songle notes. “You’ve got to buy right and sell right.”
Leverage matters. If your heart is set on the item, you lose leverage. If you’re willing to walk away, you have more, Barbara Wright says. A cash buy will sweeten the deal. Few sellers offer delivery, so factor that into your decision. She had a customer from Colorado pick up a 19th-century sewing table.
The Brush Factory will hold items overnight, but don’t wait much longer. Chura disappointed the customer who called a year after seeing an object. It was long gone.
“If you love it, buy it,” Pegram says. “Otherwise, someone else will.”
