|
|
|
The entrance to Golden Rule Antiques on McMurray Road
|
With spring not too far away (hopefully), it will soon be time to start thinking about family day trips, spring cleaning, and maybe a little redecorating. Why not combine all three into a South Hills-area day of antique shopping?
Let’s start in Heidelberg, where you will find antiques and collectibles from many generations at the 20-year-old Heidelberg Antique Mall (412-429-9222), one of the largest antique shops in the area. The store showcases fine glassware, furniture, primitives, clocks, lighting, silverware, toys, linens, pottery and more in a 10,000-square-foot showroom.
It’s so big it actually has two locations on the same street. The blue building at the corner of Collier Avenue and Washington Avenue is familiar to many for its stone statues in the front lot. Further up Collier is the other location at the site of the former Moose Club.
Owner Carol Butter originally was the proprietor of the Butter Churn in Crafton. She also was affiliated with the former Bridgeville/I-79 Antique Mall.
With easy access to I-79 and the Parkway West, the Heidelberg location is frequently visited by tour groups.
Carol’s daughter, Rachel Blank, maintains the website www.AntiqueResource.com, which highlights names of antique stores throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania, along with information hours, types of merchandise, locations and telephone numbers. She also runs a side business designing websites for local antique stores.
Carnegie Antiques (412-429-8990), at 423 West Main Street, Carnegie, survived the flood of a few years back and is open on Saturdays only from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. The store showcases Victorian furniture, pottery, chandeliers, crystal glassware, Depression glass, and retro-heirloom quilts.
Heading down Washington Avenue into Bridgeville one will find a historic building at the corner of Washington Avenue and Station Street that once accommodated a meat market, a school of dance, and a drug store with an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. This building now houses Accentique (412-221-1388), owned by sisters Madeline Cotter and Ida Mannering. They attend auctions and estate and garage sales to stock up on antiques, used furniture and collectibles.
Sometimes the old furniture that comes through Accentique ends up in Painted Treazures (412-257-5030), another store in the same building. Self-taught artist Debbie Nietsch adds her own creative flair to the furniture to produce a new look, giving it a unique design for homes.
Owned by Carolyn Alescio, Roosters and Lace (412-221-1910), in the same building, specializes in wreaths and silk flower arrangements made by Alescio. She also carries unique accessories — “shabby chic” as she calls them — and tea-service related items, such as cups and teapots.
Antiques on Washington (412-849-8239), opened in October in the historic Murray House (circa 1830), 423 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville. Owned by Bert and Susie Cherry, the store offers an eclectic mix of Victorian furniture, primitive antiques, architectural salvage, store fixtures, dressers and tables. Antique collectors for more than 30 years, the Cherrys also feature two manufacturers of farm tables, kitchen islands and reproduction chairs. The store is only open on weekends from noon-5 p.m.
Antique Edison (412-257-8926), at 301 Murray Avenue, Bridgeville is not a retail store but does buy and sell vintage record collections, particularly jazz, blues, hillbilly, LPs, 16” transcriptions, and pre-and post-war 78s, radios and phonographs, trains, and sheet music.
Taking I-79 into Peters Township, Golden Rule Antiques (724-942-3071), at 211 East McMurray Road, is located in a historic schoolhouse setting.
Continuing south along Route 19 are almost a dozen shops within a five-mile radius. Annabelle’s Antiques (724-746-5950), at 51 West Pike Street, Canonsburg, carries curios and “fun junque.” They are known for their objets d’art and a large bargain basement.
The Antique Center of Strabane (724-745-8445), at 2510 Washington Road, Rt. 19, Canonsburg, is owned by a mother-daughter team leading a collection of 40 dealers featuring 18th-to early 20th-century furniture and accessories, quilts, rare books and maps, paintings and stoneware.
Antique Junction (724-746-5119), at 2475 Washington Road, Rt. 19, Canonsburg, was established in 1984 and offers wares of 28 dealers, including a wide range of collectibles such as primitive and Victorian furniture, textiles, dolls, paintings, pottery, Oriental rugs, silver, glassware, and lighting fixtures.
Architectural Emporium (724-746-4301), 207 Adams Avenue (Pike Street), Canonsburg, has 8,000 square feet of space to display restored lighting fixtures, architectural antiques and mantles, stained glass, wall sconces, garden statuary, ornamental iron, early Victorian gas fixtures, and hardware.
Canonsburg Antique Mall I (724-745-1333), 145 Adams Avenue, comprises 22 dealers offering stained glass, beveled glass windows, furniture, jewelry, glassware, and more. The Canonsburg Antique Mall II (724-745-1050) is located at 99 Weavertown Road in an old schoolhouse filled with clocks and furniture and small accessories.
Old Show Antiques, formerly located in an old movie theater at 500 Pike Street, near the Meadow Lands, is now officially closed. It still, however, sponsors the Washington Antiques Fair, formerly the Antiques Fair at the Meadows. Relocated now to Falconi Field, the extravaganza uses the entire outdoor parking area plus a large paved plaza near the food concessions. The 2007 schedule will be held on the last Sunday of each month from March-October, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Admission is $3 per adult; children 12 and under are free.
Rt. 19 Antiques (724-746-3277), at 2597 Washington Road, (exit 45, I-79, Canonsburg), has 23 dealers offering an eclectic assortment.
Stonebridge Antiques (724-745-7414), 24 West Pike Street, Canonsburg, is known for its elegant linens, paintings, glassware, silver, garden pieces, medical collectibles, vintage decoratives, and Victorian furniture.
Tri-State Antiques (724-745-9116), 47 West Pike Street, Canonsburg, showcases 1800-1950 modernism, vintage Heywood-Wakefield furniture, beaded and mesh purses, art deco and more within 20,000 square feet of space. Owned by Kathy Burch and Edward Grzybowski, the store was originally called Grandpa’s Whiskers Antiques. It has been in the Pittsburgh area since 1983.
Where The Toys Are (724-745-4599) is a collector’s dream for children of all ages. Antique and collectible toys and games cover every inch of space at 45 West Pike Street, Canonsburg. Owner Phil McEntee compares the experience as similar to going through an old-time variety store that was so much fun to visit in the past.
Opening at the end of December were K&J Attic on Millers Run Road in Cecil Township and Oakwood Antiques on the corner of Craftmont and Noblestown Road, at the edge of Green Tree (by Bishop Canevin High School).
There are many other antique stores throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania, including those in Crafton, Castle Shannon, Sewickley, Evans City, Butler, Valencia, Scenery Hill and others. You could take a road trip for an entire weekend and probably not get to them all. But you won’t be sorry for the unique experience. You never know what treasures you’ll find!
