Add some spice to your antiquing journeys. Ditch the freeway hustle. Skip the quick meals. Keep away from knickknacks. As an alternative, discover the quaint outlets, well-stocked vintage shops, native meals, and ambiance of a Nice American Principal Road in Frederick, Maryland.
Positioned about an hour from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, the town of Frederick is well accessible by a number of interstate highways and Amtrak/MARC trains. The prepare station is downtown and a straightforward stroll to the Principal Road space.
Whether or not you’re an avid collector or simply in search of a singular day trip, this charming city has all the pieces you want for the last word antiquing journey. So put in your strolling sneakers and prepare to find the experiences ready for you on Frederick’s picturesque streets.
Courtesy of Frederick, Maryland, Tourism
Highlight on Sensible Development
First, enable me to let you know about Frederick’s Great American Main Street.
The Nice American Principal Road Awards, given out by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, acknowledge streets throughout the nation which have been restored to their former glory and at the moment are thriving group hubs. Frederick, Maryland’s, essential road is an ideal instance of a Nice American Principal Road.
Courtesy of Frederick, Maryland, Tourism
As soon as a bustling middle of commerce and commerce, Frederick’s Principal Road had fallen into disrepair. However because of the efforts of native enterprise homeowners, metropolis leaders, and preservationists, the realm has been revitalized. It’s now dwelling to quaint outlets, eating places, museums, and exquisite historic buildings.
There’s something charming about strolling down their brick-lined sidewalks, having fun with the Colonial and Victorian structure, historic inns, eating places, and charming native outlets. Downtown Frederick exudes an old-world allure that’s merely irresistible. The encompassing Blue Ridge Mountains add to the attraction.
Courtesy of Frederick, Maryland, Tourism
A Flourishing Antiquing Setting
Antiques collectors usually recognize historical past, craftsmanship, the humanities, and tradition. Downtown Frederick provides all of those: museums, artwork galleries, reside theatre, public artwork, music venues, and high quality and informal eating.
Vintage shops, too, are a tourism magnet. In accordance with an economic impact study of journey and tourism in southwestern Pennsylvania, “for each greenback of expenditure created by the native antiques commerce, greater than three {dollars} have been generated in flow-on revenue results for that regional financial system.” Antiquing tourists spend on resorts, meals, fuel, leisure, and sightseeing.
Antiques fans are an engaged bunch. They’re additionally well-heeled: Child Boomers (nonetheless the first antiques purchaser cohort) maintain over 70% of the disposable income within the U.S. Customer spending in Frederick County in 2021 — within the depths of the pandemic — was $461 million, the very best it’s ever been. The Principal Road space fared properly, too, the 2021 Downtown Frederick Business Survey reviews.
Courtesy Frederick, Maryland, Tourism
The monetary well being of the town is straight associated to customer satisfaction. Almost 500 of the 675 evaluations on TripAdvisor gave downtown Frederick a 5-star score. Consultant of the evaluations is that this one from {Couples}:
“We so loved our journey to Frederick, MD. Heaps to see and do. Nice classic and vintage outlets. And so many meals choices too! Positively planning a return go to.”
And this assessment from sNoProblem:
“Pretty downtown with heaps to do. Eating places, historic websites, and structure. I liked strolling the streets.”
An Straightforward, Walkable, Downtown Antiquing Expertise
Antiques fans favor to buy in areas the place shops are clustered. They wish to browse, and vintage shops inside strolling distance of one another present many looking and shopping for alternatives. Town of Frederick claims ten antique stores, too many to get to in simply in the future. So, listed here are my high picks for a day of antiquing in Downtown Frederick.
Start on the customer’s middle at 151 S. East Road, the place you will get a strolling tour map and browse their guidebooks. You probably have a map, you’ll take pleasure in your walkabout a bit extra. Whilst you’re there, chat with the workers and watch the award-winning movie about Frederick, “A Flip of the Wheel.” Then head to East Patrick Road, the place you can find a cluster of vintage outlets.
At 24 East Patrick, you’ll discover Vintage MC. There you’ll uncover a well-curated assortment of classic Mid-Century Fashionable (MCM) furnishings, décor, rugs, drinkware, equipment — the checklist goes on. If you happen to’re explicit about having genuine MCM objects, you received’t discover a higher retailer than this one.
Courtesy of Frederick, Maryland, Tourism
Shut by at 39 East Patrick is Heritage Interiors, providing high-end furnishings, décor, and equipment consignments. That is the place to seek out gently-used objects on your dwelling.
If you’ve browsed Heritage Interiors, transfer to the subsequent block to Emporium Antiques, at 112 East Patrick. This place is large (“cavernous” is usually used to explain the shop), so enable at the least an hour to browse round. Emporium is a multi-dealer mall; presently, 130 sellers promote their wares there, so count on an expansive stock.
There are extra vintage outlets downtown (as you’ll see whenever you’re there), however I can’t cowl all of them on this quick article. I’d be remiss, although, if I didn’t let you know about my subsequent alternative earlier than signing off.
Not Downtown, However Don’t Miss This One
It’s not simply the bodily setting that makes Frederick distinctive. It’s the folks. The shopkeepers and restauranteurs take delight of their companies and are all the time able to share a narrative in regards to the metropolis’s wealthy historical past. Take into account Paul Berkowitz, for instance.
Paul and his spouse Joan personal Higher Frederick’s premiere vintage retailer, Great Stuff By Paul (GSBP). Positioned adjoining to — however not in — the Principal Road space, GSBP has been featured in dozens of nationwide magazines and newspapers, resides within the Martha Stewart Journal Prime 100, and is a Nation Residing Journal Prime 10 Favourite. Nice Stuff By Paul is recurrently featured on HGTV and has supplied interval props for 5 films. A half-dozen occasions up to now fifteen years, GSBP has been voted Frederick’s greatest vintage retailer.
The Berkowitz’s retailer stands other than the standard vintage mall hodgepodge. You’ll discover no brick-a-brack, china, or toys. As an alternative, you’ll discover 52,000 sq. toes — a whole metropolis block — of antiques hand-picked by Paul and Joan: furnishings, baskets, pottery, wooden, and steel. Paul recurrently travels to Europe and China on shopping for journeys and returns with container a great deal of antiques from every go to. Their web site proudly proclaims “The Whole World in a Warehouse.” Decorators and designers from throughout the U.S. store there, having fun with the distinctive stock and wholesale costs.
Followers of Industrial Chic will particularly like Paul’s retailer. He buys fixtures from defunct factories and repurposes them into bars, wine racks, tables, and décor.
I requested Berkowitz what impact the Principal Road revitalization had on his enterprise, if any. Provided that he’s been in enterprise for twenty-six years (pre-Principal Road revitalization), I figured he would have a singular perspective. “Positively extra buyer visitors,” he replied enthusiastically.
So whether or not you’re seeking to do some severe antiquing or simply wish to take pleasure in a leisurely stroll down a good looking essential road, Frederick is value a go to. Completely satisfied searching.
