Destinations & Things To Do

Designers Reveal the Secret Places They Find Their BEST Vintage Deals

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3 months ago

April 10, 2025

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When it comes to uncovering the finest antiques across the country, interior designers have the inside scoop. These experts know exactly where to track down one-of-a-kind treasures that add character and charm to any space. Whether your style leans toward timeless pieces, vintage gems, or eclectic finds, these little-known spots have something for everyone to discover. From the vibrant markets of Nashville to secret shopping hubs in New York, each destination offers a unique opportunity to uncover must-have decor items and collectibles worth bragging about.

In this guide, we tapped designers who know how to do more than just shop—they reveal strategies for negotiating prices, finding authentic pieces, and exploring beyond the surface to uncover antiques brimming with history and personality. No matter where you’re located, these nine destinations will inspire you to plan a road trip. Let the treasure hunt begin!

Nashville

Local designer Mary Kathryn Wells often frequents both Gas Lamp and Patina in search of antique gems. She was thrilled to score the game table below at Gas Lamp for a client. “Look at the legs on that baby,” says the founder of Mary Kathryn Wells Interior Design. “I can’t remember exactly what we paid, but I do remember it was a remarkable steal—maybe we paid a few hundred dollars for it?”

Mary Craven Dawkins

Designer Mary Kathryn Wells found this game table at Gas Lamp in Nashville.

Laura Lubin, founder of Ellerslie Interiors in Nashville, enjoys shopping at Preservation Station. “They have a fantastic selection of beautifully restored items, from antique lighting and mantels to doors and hardware,” she says. “For one of our projects, we sourced a 150-year-old reclaimed mantel for a client’s study, adding a touch of historic charm to the space.”

Lebanon, Tennessee

Kristin Keyes, founder of Kristin Keyes Interiors, will travel to Lebanon, about 25 miles east of Nashville, to shop for American antique wooden pieces. “Many are handmade,” she says. “I purchased a beautiful 1920s clawfoot pedestal table [seen below] for a song last winter, and it’s now the darling of the client’s dining nook. They immediately assumed it was haunted, and who am I to disagree?”

Mary Craven Dawkins

Designer Kristin Keyes bought this 1920s wooden table in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Cookeville, Tennessee

A bit further away is Cookeville, which Keyes describes as “a hidden gem full of retired professor types who have collected interesting pieces from all over the world.” An hour and a half away from bustling Nashville, prices are a bit lower here. “I purchased a gorgeous hand-knotted Bokara rug from a retired professor who had picked it up on a trip to Pakistan in the ’90s,” Keyes says. “I literally still dream of the other rugs she showed me in her basement. I should have bought them all.”

Mary Craven Dawkins

Designer Keyes found this hand-knotted Bokara rug in Cookeville, Tennessee.

St. Simons Island, Georgia

Sarah Storms, founder of Styled by Storms, has been traveling from New Jersey to St. Simons Island to work on a large client project, and she frequents thrift and salvage stores in nearby Brunswick while she’s in town. “With so many resorts, you can find amazing, amazing pieces in multiples,” she says. “At one location we found two Henredon inlay end tables in near perfect condition for $75 each and the much-sought-after brass art deco peacock fireplace screen for $60.” Of course, Storms says, you’ll want to come equipped with a vision. “Like at most salvage places, you need to be able to see past the dirt and dim lighting for your treasure hunting,” she says.

Round Top, Texas

Many designers make the trip to Round Top, Texas, year after year to enjoy the fall, winter, and/or spring antique shows. “Attending one of the semiannual antiques shows in Round Top is bound to produce a healthy bounty for any collector,” Will Hunt Lewis, owner of Hunt & Bloom, says. “Round Top is unique in that there are so many different venues rife with exhibitors of every ilk—from trinkets that cost a dollar to priceless pieces of furniture.” Lewis has exhibited at four Round Top markets but enjoys doing his own shopping while on-site too. “The last time I was there, I was digging through a dusty, hot booth in a field that seemed to have nothing promising when out of the corner of my eye I spotted the most beautiful French ceramic plates, just like some that I had seen on my last trip to Paris,” he says. “I raced over and, just as I imagined, turned the first one over to see a piece of masking tape with $2 written on it. I asked the vendor if the stack of a dozen plates was $24 to which he replied, “No, it’s $2 for the stack.” Jackpot! I obviously didn’t even try to negotiate and grabbed them up quickly.”

Christine Carney, director of design for Blackberry Farm Design, is equally enthusiastic about Round Top. “What used to be a fairly Southern event has truly exploded nationally,” she says. “You can find a bit of everything here, from precious 19th-century English antiques to the most beautiful midcentury furniture to your new favorite cowboy hat. The key is to get in early and get all of the good stuff.”

Denver

Designer Nadia Watts, who is based in Denver, returns to many of the same local antiques shops time and time again. “South Broadway offers loads of antique and thrift stores, so you have something for everyone’s budget,” says the founder of Nadia Watts Interior Design. “Black Tulip Antiques (also selling on Chairish) is a go-to for me; they offer a highly diverse inventory of European furniture, accessories, lighting, silver, and decorative arts.”

Watts is also partial to Eron Johnson Antiques, which is located in a sprawling 5,000-square-foot warehouse. “With inventory dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries and originating from over 40 countries, Eron’s passion for antiques is on full display,” she says. “Eron has a love of peculiar objects as well as exquisite antiques, so you never know what exciting treasure you will find.”

Palm Beach, Florida

While participating in the 2024 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach, Watts learned about many of the city’s incredible antique resources. “I have the best luck when I get to go on the hunt, and Show Pony Palm Beach is the ultimate hunting ground,” she says, describing the retailer’s many large warehouses “filled to the ceilings with treasures.” You can find pieces in many design styles, including Victorian, gothic, and midcentury.

Maine

Maine offers far more than just natural beauty, Lauren Sullivan, the founder of Well x Design, shares. “When you think of Maine, you might think of stunning outdoor scenery, blueberries, and lobsters, but I also think of antiques,” she says. “I have several objects and artwork in my own home purchased impromptu from antique stores dotted along the roads. Not only are they beautiful, heirloom-worthy finds, but these items bring back plenty of family memories of our trips to Maine and browsing antique stores with my mother and grandmother.” One of her favorite must-visits is The York Antiques Gallery in York, Maine.

Tristate Area: New York, Connecticut, New Jersey

When she’s in need of that perfect styling piece, Kerri Pilchik frequents Town Home in Ridgewood, New Jersey; Big Green Barn in Morristown, New Jersey; or the Fairfield County Antique and Design Center in Norwalk, Connecticut. “Town Home is my first stop because it is right down the street from my office and I like to support local businesses,” the founder of Kerri Pilchik Design says. “The owner, Michelle Feagles, has a great eye and is always scouring estate sales for special pieces.” Pilchik describes the Big Green Barn as “adorable,” adding, “Susan Brierly Bush, owner of the Big Green Barn, is great at curating pottery and baskets.” In Connecticut, the Fairfield County Antique and Design Center is home to a vast selection of dealers. “You can find something at every price point,” Pilchik says. “If you need a collection of green bottles, silver boxes, or vintage books, you’ll find it here.”

Alex Nino, the founder of Alex Nino Interiors, recently relocated from Brooklyn to the northwest corner of Connecticut and enjoys traveling to nearby upstate New York to visit Dutchess County’s Montage Antiques. “They have a spacious storefront with a mix of traditional, country, and midcentury finds that are sourced locally and internationally,” Nino says. “I particularly love their French antiques, my best find to date being an 11-and-a-half-foot-long wood dining table sourced from a chateau in Normandy for my own dining room.” Keep an eye out for its quarterly container sales in nearby Salisbury, Connecticut, too, Nino says.

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