10 Best Antique Towns in New England
New England is rich with treasure-filled shops and barns. Love the thrill of the hunt? Add these top New England antique towns to your list for future adventures.
By Necee Regis|Aug 03 2022|
The best antique towns in New England are nestled in regions rich with shops, barns, and yards filled with valuable objects and curiosities, just waiting to be discovered by serious and casual antique hunters. From vintage furniture to quirky collectibles, there’s something for every taste and budget. Remember: One person’s trash is another’s treasure, so your next fabulous find may be just around the bend. Here’s our list of the best antique towns in New England. Add them to yours for your next antiquing adventure.
10 Best Antique Towns in New England | Where to Go Antiquing
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Near the picturesque shores of Narragansett Bay, small shops and galleries along Routes 1 and 1A offer a variety of furniture, sterling, glass, old toys, paintings, clocks, watches, photos, and assorted memorabilia that are sure to satisfy most antique hunters.
Wells, Maine
This quaint coastal town along Route 1 in southern Maine boasts over 25 antique shops selling everything from fine period furniture, quilts, glass, and jewelry to hooked rugs and memorabilia. Some places host multiple dealers in one enormous space.
Woodbury, Connecticut
This traditional town in the lush foothills of Litchfield County is one of the best-known antiquing areas in New England. On Main Street and its surrounding roads, more than 40 distinctive dealers specialize in quality furniture, decorative arts, rugs, porcelain, paintings, textiles, ceramics, and other historic artifacts.
Antique Alley, New Hampshire
You’ll find everything from period furniture, fine china, and collectible pottery to vintage jewelry and memorabilia along Route 4 — often referred to as Antique Alley — where more than 500 dealers have set up shop in towns including Northwood, Lee, Epsom, and Chichester.
Stamford, Connecticut
South of highway I-95, old warehouses on and around Canal Street have been converted to multi-dealer consortiums. In spaces up to 40,000 square feet, hundreds — perhaps thousands — of dealers offer all-things-antique, vintage, and decorative. To see it all, comfortable shoes are recommended.
Bennington, Vermont
Nestled in the picture-perfect rolling hills of southern Vermont, the Antique Center at Camelot Village offers a trove of treasures for antique enthusiasts visiting this lively college town. Sprawled throughout two 18th-century barns, the 25,000-square-foot Antique Center showcases the wares of more than 200 dealers.
New Bedford, Massachusetts
You may be surprised to learn that this former whaling town — made famous in Melville’s Moby Dick — is home to more than 400 antique dealers, making it one of best antique towns in New England. Individual shops and warehouses with multi-dealer co-ops collectively offer 150,000 square feet of quality antiques and collectibles.
Putnam, Connecticut
Located in Connecticut’s northeast corner, this charming town might be small, but it’s home to more than a dozen antique shops. The Antique Marketplace, a four-story emporium showcasing more than 350 dealers, sells an eye-popping array of merchandise.
Chester, Vermont
In this tiny town in central Vermont — population 3,144 — you can stroll through vintage barns and shops selling country furniture, hooked rugs, woodenware, textiles, collectibles, jewelry, and coins. The Stone House Antique Center features more than 90 dealers in nearly 20,000 square feet of space.
Essex, Massachusetts
More than 30 antique shops, each with its distinctive style, are located within one mile of each other, making this former shipbuilding town north of Boston a popular shopping destination for serious collectors, dealers, and casual Sunday browsers.
Do you have a favorite New England town for antiquing? Where do you go to satisfy your curiosity for vintage items? What tops your list of the best antique towns in New England? Let us know!
This post was first published in 2015 and has been updated.
See More:
10 Prettiest Coastal Towns in New England
10 Best Summer Road Trips in New England
10 Places to Visit in New England in Fall
Thanks for including Chester, Necee! Isn’t the Stone House the best?? We bought almost all of our furniture for the new inn there (shameless plug: Karass Inn, opening soon!)!They are super nice there and have “Dealer Day” on the first Tuesday of the month, when you can get extra discounts. Happy to see Essex in there too, I once heard they had more antique stores per capita than any town in the entire universe??
I think Deerfield/Greenfield, MA are also antique towns.
Nantucket!
Don’t know why you had Stamford, Connecticut in this article, I would hardly call a midsize city an antique town.
Not sure Bo Mar Hall in Wells, Maine is open any longer. The owners sold it a while back and I do not know if it has reopened again. At least, it was not several months ago when I went by
Thanks for letting us know, Phyllis. That’s sad news! We’ll update the post.
Bo Mar hall has a new owner and is opening back up. It hasn’t opened yet, because the owner is still dealing with the town of Wells, but she is putting a lot of money into it and it will be soon!!!
I’ve bought my share of antiques at shop and shows over the years, but nothing compares with the thrill of finding a treasure at a tag sale or the Goodwill (where I often see dealers scoping out the goods!
Putnam, Connecticut has several very large Antique Shops, as well as smaller shops in their charming downtown area! Antiques Marketplace, Restoration 44, and Jeremiah’s Antiques and Collectibles are three of the largest. You could spend all day in just one of these shops!
Old Beautiful in Clinton, CT is a treasure trove of well priced American antiques. I discovered it several years ago, quite by accident, and return several times each year. The owner is knowledgeable and discerning.
Wells certainly has a huge variety of shops; if you are looking for period antiques of high quality, go to The Farm Antiques, MacDougall and Gionet Antiques (a group shop) or R. Jorgensen Antiques. Ken Manko Antiques is great for folk art and good Americana. There are lots of shops that sell a huge variety of vintage and antique items, so there is something for everyone.
Have been going to Punam for many years,but unfortunately it is but a ghost of it’s former self. The biggest dealer,Antiques Marketplace,has a formerly unheard of number of vacant booths,although adjacent Jeremiah’s newer ownership has brought a much needed upgrading to that space. Plan your trip for when both these mullti-dealer shops are open,and you can still have a good time. Also, the demise of the smaller antique shops has led to a restaurant boom; many choices.
Update on Putnam,…the “new” owners of Jeremiah’s Antiques mentioned above have since purchased the larger Antique Marketplace,and both share the same hours albeit in adjacent buildings…as of this date,they are the only two Antique shops left in Putnam,but the variety and quality of the dealers’ goods is of a generally higher standard than most group shops …you will need a couple of hours to do them justice..
I collect early primitives and antiques and accessories such as pewter, old books, woodenware, crocks. My favorite place is From Out of the Woods Antiques in Goffstown, NH. Have purchased several favorites there including a 19th century Paymaster’s wall desk, a sea captains desk with embossed leather inlay, a large leather-bound bible, and an early oil portrait. When we go to NH we also hit Twin Elms Farm in Peterborough, NH which carries farmhouse country, mixed with a variety of antiques and primitives, all beautifully displayed. Also love the Stone House in Chester VT, and the Antique Marketplace in Putnam, CT Lucky to live within an hour’s drive of Sturbridge, Brimfield, Putnam, Brookfield where you can find Walker Homestead and Hometown Antiques, and within a two of hours of the other places mentioned!
I have been to Twin Elms when visiting from Texas. It is such a great place with lots of treasures and goodies!
Although they are not all in one town,the shops on New Hampshire’s Route 101A are lined up in a fashion that makes them a great day trip. Starting in Amherst and going west,there are Antiques On 101A, This Olde Stuff,Treasures Antiques(just a block off the route) then into Milford there is Antiques On The Oval( Milford center) and the astonishing New Hampshire Antiques Co-op,which will blow most museums away! Continuing west into Wilton,there is another shop or two. Happy hunting.
This Olde Stuff has ceased operations, unfortunately…it was my favorite of the one listed..sigh..
the big chicken barn out of bucksport, close to ellsworth is the best.old and musty but great variety.
We visit the big chicken barn every July, I stock up on books and Art Deco items, comic books and art books for son and daughter, old car books for husband, we eat fresh seafood at the Union lobster house, shop at the Rooster bros, and many other shops, a very enjoyable day , and don’t forget the Creamery antiques downtown!
Seymour, Connecticut, a former industrial town in the Naugatuck Valley, has reinvented itself as an antiques center, and preserved much remarkable architecture in the process.
I will put in a plug for Habitat for Humanity Restore. So much of what people donate in New England are wonderful antiques. My round golden oak dining room table came from the Restore in Kennebunk, ME, which always has a great selection of interesting pieces. My other favorite Restore is in Newington NH, just west of Portsmouth.
Belfast, Maine has many great shops
Farmington, CT has a great privately owned antique shop that’s been around for over 20 years. ANTIQ’S LLC (antiq’s.com) should be a MUST visit destination. Just 30 minutes from Woodbury, CT off Interstate 84.
Antiques on Elm – Manchester, New Hampshire- amazing items!!! A definite must shop!
Brimfield Massachusetts: Brimfield antiques : 3 times a yea, May, July and Sept. BEST antiquing in Nee England. Miles of wonderful pieces. HGTV is often there with a camera crew. It’s so close by and absolutely magnificent! It’s for everyone. The expert to the novice. Its what New England is all about.
Just a quick comment…….Chester Vermont is a town run by women and the majority of the population are women. The town is picture= perfect and is kept that way on purpose. Three cheers to the residents and the retirees who live there.
Antique Alley in NH (Lee to Epsom) only has a FRACTION of the shops that were there a decade or two ago. Very few left.
The Antiques Mall in Lawrence, located in the old mills has thousands of treasures. canalstreetantique.com/
The Red Barn bear Darmiscotta is very clean and well organized and is a walk back thru time
At one point in time, Woodbury CT was named the antique capitol of CT. Not so much anymore. Many of the stores are no longer.
Sturbridge, MA has a TON of antique places
Hard to believe you did not include Brimfield, MA in your top 10. I guess its only because its not continuous operation????
All
To update your information, Camelot Village in Bennington, VT closed in 2020.
Queech Vermont antique mall is a great place to spend a few hours!
Bo-Mar is reopened and open-there yesterday while here in Wells, ME.
Antiques Alley on Rte 4 in NH is pretty much nothing anymore. I doubt if there’s more than 1-2 shops including Parker French. I am the “other” younger French sister. Parker French has not even got their story straight about my family’s famous antiques shows……
Sadly, most of the antique warehouses on Canal St in Stamford are now converted to residential spaces. There are still a couple of businesses, and while fun, I felt their offerings catered more to interior designers.