Florida Antiquing

Travel Channel's top picks for antiquing in Florida.

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From fashion to furniture, everything old is new again in Florida. With a diverse population of transplants who bring their unique belongings with them, Florida is a unique destination for antique stores. If it’s retro, mid-20th-century modern furniture you’re after, West Palm Beach is a hotspot for finds (interior designers fly in from Los Angeles to shop here!). Looking for something Asian-inspired, perhaps a 400-year old wooden Balinese door that once decorated a temple? You may just find it along Orlando’s Antique Row. So empty out your piggy bank and follow us for a fun antiquing itinerary through the Sunshine State.

Orlando's Antique Row

Antique Row, near downtown Orlando, is one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it neighborhoods; roughly 10 antiques shops pack a big punch into little more than a city block along North Orange Avenue. The owners of Washburn Imports regularly travel to Bali, India and China to find 200-year- old stone Buddhas. For something English, hit the 25,000-square-foot showroom of A&T Antiques (1620 N. Orange Ave.), where you’ll find Victorian stained glass windows from the 1800s, as well as second-hand furniture from shops like Ethan Allen and retro American and European furniture from the 1970s. 1618 Something Different specializes in retro American and European furniture from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s -- things like cool boomerang-shaped coffee tables and “Danish modern” chairs.

West Palm Beach and Palm Beach

Hollywood stars like Cameron Diaz and Johnny Depp head to West Palm Beach for vintage furniture shopping. Browse James & Jeffrey Antiques for early 20th-century Italian chandeliers and fun garden ornaments such as pelican statues made from concrete. Objects in the Loft showcases rare mid-century modern furnishing finds like floor lamps and coffee tables and a huge selection of rattan furniture from the ’70s. If you’ve got serious money to burn, head to Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, where exclusive dealers sell museum-worthy antiques such as 18th-century English armoires and century-old Oriental rugs. Pop into Letitia Lundeen (10 Via Parigi) for antique porcelain from France and intricate 19th-century French and English engravings. A.B. Levy Gallery showcases rare Tiffany art glass and rare statues and figurines from the Japanese Meiji period.

Mt. Dora

Dozens of antique shops line the oak-shaded streets of this Central Florida lake town. At the Village Antique Mall, a collection of 60 vendors sell eclectic items such as American art pottery, Asian antiques and even vintage American fishing gear from the early 20th century. Antique lovers who thrive on options by the boatload go to Rennigers’ weekly antiques market. More than 100 dealers from across the country sell antique memorabilia, such as military collectibles, vintage dolls from the 1950s and 19th-century European and American armoires. Get into a hunting state of mind to weed through the thousands of items that spill out from the 40,000-square-foot indoor space onto the lawn. Given the selection, you may just find the perfect lampshade to go with an antique lamp.

Micanopy

With its oak-shaded streets, this sleepy North Florida town is one of those places it’s easy to say time forgot. Antique shops line the town’s slow-paced streets. For antiques, The Shop, a former drugstore with 3,500- square-feet of space, sells antique lamps, artwork with Florida beach scenes and holiday decorations like Christmas ornaments. For Florida vintage lore, head to Robert’s Antiques (208 NE 1st St.), a delightfully cluttered store with thousands of vintage Florida postcards, antique Seminole dolls and antique furnishings from estates nationwide. Delectable Collectables (112 NE 1st St.) showcases antique cameo rings with a woman’s silhouette and pendants of animals and abstract designs. Dakota Mercantile mixes modern and vintage European furniture for an eclectic take on home décor.

Browsing Florida’s antiquing districts can spark your inner creativity. You may just stumble upon an old antique table or chair to incorporate into your home decor in ways you didn’t formerly think possible.

Based in Cocoa Beach, FL, travel writer Terry Ward often heads to Orlando’s Antique Row for her own home décor inspiration.