Antiques and thrift in Washington

February 26, 2023 5:39 PM

I'm planning on taking a few trips from Seattle to smaller cities in Washington to visit antique malls, thrift stores, and other businesses of that general type. Any particular recommendations within a 4-5 hour drive/ferry of Seattle? Bonus if it's in a picturesque location we can spend the night at or otherwise enjoy. (Previously)
posted by BlackLeotardFront to Travel & Transportation around Washington, DC (7 answers total)

Anacortes is Washington's most beautiful city (according to, uh, me) and has several antique and similar shops. The San Juan Islands ferry terminal is here, and a great launching point for further exploration. Tons of great restaurants, especially downtown, as well as beautiful parks, marinas, whale tours, kayak tours and rentals, and more.
Antique-y shops:
-Alley Cat Antiques
-Home Sweet Home Antiques
-Elizabeth's Cottage By The Sea
-The Johnson Manor
-The Predecessors does estate sales and always has interesting things
-Marine Supply & Hardware does what it says on the tin, but has lots of interesting and old bits for sale
-Boxes and Bears has puzzles, board games, treasure/keepsake boxes, "secret stash" books, that sort of thing

Thrift shops:
-Thrifty Kitty supports the local cat rescue!
-Red Door Thrift Shop is operated by Christ Episcopal Church, and the proceeds help fund community programs
-The Soroptomist and Kiwanis thrift shops are both run by local service clubs

Accommodations:
-The Majestic is everyone's go-to recommondation for a reason, right in the heart of downtown.
-The Nantucket Inn is a very charming colonial; it's full more often than not
-Ship Harbor Inn is not what I'd call a luxury stay, but it's comfy and clean, at the top of the hill by the ferry terminal but still just a few minutes from downtown.
-Salish Inn is newly built and your basic "let's just stay at a hotel" if that's what you're looking for.
posted by xedrik at 6:25 PM on February 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Anacortes is wonderful! My regular place is Snohomish--there are so many stores and I love Victoria Village the most, along with I think it's called Red Rooster (or it might be Remember When...there's such a plethora of shops that I can never recall the names). There's also Star Center Mall, which is enormous. Lots of nice restaurants, too, you can take a nice stroll by the river, and you're super close to tons of other activities. I went to a really nice spa here right before the pandemic, as well.

I've never stayed overnight but a few of my friends have and there are some lovely B&Bs, they've told me. You can lose entire days here and barely scratch the surface.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 8:01 PM on February 26, 2023

Response by poster: I have probably passed through Anacortes...400 or 500 times in my life and only on a handful have I ever stopped. Always worried about the ferry! But thanks for setting me up with a good reason to actually stay and investigate.

I have also passed through Snohomish but never really stopped. Glad to have a few recos for when I do.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:36 PM on February 26, 2023

Port Angeles is the other way along the peninsula. You'll find many antique stores in and around the route into Port Angeles.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 2:20 AM on February 27, 2023

There’s that giant antique mall in Thorp that you can see from I-90. It’s been over 10 years since I went inside so I can’t speak to the quality.
posted by matildaben at 8:36 AM on February 27, 2023

When I used to drive south on I-5, I'd often make a stop in Centralia, WA and/or Chehalis, WA to visit the antique & vintage stores there. The last time I passed through Centralia, the big antique mall had closed but there were still two or three other stores; Google seems to indicate that another, smaller antique mall has since opened in Centralia.
posted by mhum at 12:45 PM on February 27, 2023

Port Townsend has an antique mall (conveniently named The Antique Mall) and a variety of thrift shops. It is very enjoyable in terms of view, food, and general vibe. You could stay in a castle or converted officers' quarters or downtown in great elegance at the Bishop (to name a few favorites; there are other places to stay!), catch a movie at the Rose Theatre or if you're lucky, at its Starlight Room, and check out the excellent coffee at Velocity and Better Living Through Coffee.
The downtown is full of cute little stores, selling cute little things of decorative value, some antique, some new. If you make it uptown (a short walk up a steep hill; or along a not-too-bad sidewalk; or up some stairs) you'll find more thrift shops and purveyors of interesting things. And there's Finistère. It's a good idea to book ahead there.

There's much more to do and see and eat in town and around it. But if your mission is thrifting and seeing sights a couple of hours from Seattle - this fits the bill.
posted by Shunra at 6:34 PM on February 27, 2023