The idea of having a hobby or just doing something for pure enjoyment has been lost over time, due to an emphasis on phone use and watching television rather than finding a different source of entertainment. Nowadays, people disregard entirely the solace and happiness that having a hobby can bring, whether it be knitting, hiking, photography, or even antiquing.
Antiquing is something that has yet to break through to younger generations, but it should be valued. Think of antiquing like thrifting, but with more history and quality behind each item. There are no major antique store chains, but instead, each shop is owned by someone who has a passion for collecting, history, and preservation of the past. Thankfully, Flemington has two of its very own antique stores right on Main Street.
The first antique store on Main Street is Ye Olde Antique & Curiosity Shop, located right near the intersection of Mine Street. With a 4.8/5 rating on Google reviews, the community uplifts this store immensely. Upon walking into the store, you are immediately bombarded with the sheer number of antique items they have on their shelves. From antique jewelry to vintage cameras, old war memorabilia, and even a bowl of antique marbles. This store just has tons and tons of stuff. The store spans two major rooms that go deeper and deeper into themselves; every nook and cranny is filled with items to be sold. There is truly something for everyone in these stores. Those vintage gold watches that blew up on TikTok? They have them. Vinyl records? Got it. Postcards and vintage ads for decor, or scrapbooking? Done and done. If you are looking for practical items like vintage buttons, keychains, children’s books, or glassware they have it. But even if you’re looking for outrageous items like creepy antique dolls, a giant vintage Coca-Cola fridge, a jukebox, or a pipe, they also sell those. The store seems crowded with items, but it is so cohesive and thematic that one would want to take pictures of everything. But even if you’re not planning on buying anything, my point is the store is gorgeous to look at and just walk through. The man working behind the counter was also ready to help, asking if we were finding everything okay and helping out other collectors find the specific items they were searching for.
Right across the street is Fat Farm Antiques. Although these stores both generally have the same idea, it is worth visiting both of them because they are wildly different from each other. Walking into Fat Farm, the woman behind the counter greeted us with a warm smile. This shop had specifically pulled out vintage Easter decorations and cards to prepare shoppers for the holiday. Depending on your personal style, vintage decoration can provide uniqueness to your space. While their amount of stuff is less than the other store in Flemington, Fat Farm does still display quality items. Their jewelry was unmatched, as most of it was authentic and accentuated with large gemstones. Every inch of the store is decorated with vintage advertisements and signs. So once again, if you don’t want to buy anything, just looking around is a wonder in itself. Fat Farm is also extremely active on Facebook, highlighting new items that they get in and highlighting their history. Besides a giant wall of fish hooks, Fat Farm also had lots of vintage silk scarves and old makeup. Overall, the store was filled with history, with a focus on New Jersey items.
While searching through these stores, my friend said, “I don’t get it. What is the point of all of this?” That is what I hoped to show you through these anecdotes. Hopefully, you saw that these stores highlight history and teach us to value items no matter when they’re from. Even just the experience of walking through each store, being observant, and taking note of the beauty of each item is something to be grateful for. It is indulgent to pick up an item that was used forty years ago and think about who used it, why they used it, and how it got into my hands now. That is the point of antiquing: to enjoy the little things in life and to think about how small we are. And how beautiful everything is. We, as a generation, have lost the knowledge to even understand why someone would pick up a hobby like antiquing, or why someone would waste their time on something that is just a pastime. But I think we should all give these small businesses a chance, and who knows, maybe you’ll become an antique marble collector or something of the like.
