Getting ready for the 'Antiques Roadshow' Akron stop? Here are some suggestions.

You don't have to dig too far to find treasure in Greater Akron.

Northern Ohio is home to countless antiques and collectibles shops chock full of treasures.

Some are big, like the Copper Kettle Antiques Mall in downtown Ravenna, and take quite a bit of time to browse.

Others are relatively small in space, like the secret garden antiques in Aurora, but still are filled to the brim with items that someone's grandparents thankfully couldn't bear to throw away.

The "Antiques Roadshow" announcement that it will make a stop at Akron's historic Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens on June 6 has sparked a renewed interest in everything old.

The deadline to enter the drawing for free tickets to be able bring two items in for an appraisal and perhaps an appearance on the PBS show's 2024 season is Monday.

To enter the drawing, visit www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/tickets/.

'Antiques Roadshow' details: 'Antiques Roadshow' coming to Akron's historic Stan Hywet Hall in June

Many lucky ticketholders will scour their attics and basements for family heirlooms.

Antiquer John Mack has probably a million or so items from which he could pick.

Mack owns Copley Circle Antiques, on South Cleveland-Massillon Road, which is filled from floor to ceiling with just about everything one could imagine.

And some things one couldn't imagine, like a groovy disco Christmas album.

He has picked up a lot of the items after decades of antiquing, but the shop also is home to 25 other dealers.

Every collector has a specialty, and for Mack it is antique signage.

But it wasn't a sign that earned him a televised spot on "Antiques Roadshow" when it visited Cleveland in 2015.

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He originally bought the curious metal teeter-totter toy that caught the eye of show producers for a grandkid. He paid $45 for the Mickey Mouse toy from someone looking to clear out stuff from a house.

What made this toy unusual − aside from it surviving the wear and tear of kids playing with it since the 1950s − is the fact that it never should have been made in the first place.

It seems the manufacturer made the toy featuring the famous mouse without Walt Disney's blessing.

Trademark-conscious Disney caught wind, and the toys quickly disappeared from store shelves.

Mack said the show's appraiser put a value of about $600 on the toy, although he later sold it for more than that.

Tips for making it onto 'Antiques Roadshow'

The trick to make it on the actual show, Mack said, is to find a rare or unusual item. Having a fun or unusual backstory, he said, doesn't hurt either. And better yet, the item should be steeped in regional history.

The show loves to focus on and feature items that help tell the story of the region where the episodes are being filmed.

Mack said a good example is a commemorative medallion that fellow collector Gail Cousino, who sells items at the shop, recently acquired.

The medallion features Frank Sinatra and commemorates his Oct. 26, 1974, concert that was the first event held at the Richfield Coliseum.

"I say, take something you are curious about," Mack said. "Take something rare."

As for Mack, should he be lucky enough to win another ticket in the "Antiques Roadshow" lottery, he already knows what he would like to bring. It is a pair of curious paintings he acquired from a home being cleaned out in Bath Township.

He knows nothing about the well-dressed man and woman featured individually in the oil paintings. The paintings, he believes, are from 1880 and feature a Bath Township couple.

But, like a lot of things, Mack said, the personal history gets lost over time. And, like a lot of family heirlooms, there comes a time when an item simply needs to find a new home.

"People come in here all the time and say, 'My kids don't want it,'" Mack said.

Places to find treasures in Greater Akron, including a Bomb Shelter

The Bomb Shelter on Bank Street in Akron is part museum, part art exhibit, and 100% cool.

It is all curated by founder and creator Kevin Royer and his staff. Royer likes to think of himself as the ultimate recycler and saver of all things Akron and its cultural history.

Everything you see in the expansive space of this old warehouse, which once was part of his previous business venture Norka Futon, is salvaged from old homes and businesses within five to 10 minutes of Akron.

They save what they can, make the necessary repairs and spruce them up a bit.

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The items, from furniture to knickknacks to books, are then strategically placed in the warehouse, which is open to explore.

Royer said he thinks it is important that the items have a sense of place.

So, a piece of dishware from the 1950s is displayed with a table and chairs from the same era.

Some items cost as little as a buck or two, while others can fetch hundreds of dollars.

"We don't want people to have to do a big dig to find things," he said.

Aside from collecting cars and, yes, a couple of his favorites can be found parked inside The Bomb Shelter, Royer said, he collects ceramic pink flamingos, of all things.

And those vintage Akron tire ashtrays too.

"I'm always amazed at what people collect and buy," he said.

Pocket Change Thrift and Antiques

Like The Bomb Shelter in Akron, walking into the Pocket Change Thrift and Antiques in downtown Alliance is a bit like walking into an eclectic museum.

The sign outside says the place is an "Asylum for Pickers."

Depending on the amount space left in your house, the sign can be interpreted as a warning or a sign that you are about to be tempted to buy everything.

Situated in an old J.C. Penney store on East Main Street that later was home to Mountain of the Lord Four Square Church, Pocket Change now is filled with the finds of Ed Albert.

He is a picker.

Albert said folks call him in to clean out houses of collectors in the region, and sometimes an old business or two. He, along with his crew, will go in and clean out everything from the attic to the basement to the barn out back.

"I buy whatever that person collected," Albert said.

About half of everything, he said, unfortunately usually ends up in a dumpster.

Newer usable items are donated to charity, but the antiques and unusual things make their way to Pocket Change.

Since the place was a church before he moved in, Albert said, he uses the spaces that were divided into classrooms to curate the items from a post office to an old general store to a soda foundation to an old blacksmith barn.

The basement resembles a fun church rummage sale one might have encountered in the 1960s − right down to the vintage comic books.

Albert said it's a popular destination for collectors and even folks who own their own antique shops.

Since the store's a bit off the beaten path, he said, he's able to keep his prices affordable.

And best yet, there are two other antique shops within walking distance of Pocket Change in downtown Alliance, and a pretty cool troll museum to boot.

Aunt Hannah's Antiques

Situated in downtown Barberton, Aunt Hannah's Antiques and Collectibles is home to an eclectic collection of stuff curated by Debbie Gerbec and her daughter, Hannah Baldwin.

They scour local estate sales and yard sales for the usual and the unusual.

The shop specializes in Victorian and mid-century modern, but Gerbec admits there's a bit of everything on the first floor of the former Marshall's Department Store.

The basement is home to wares of 10 dealers and a bit of local history.

The sandstone foundation consists of blocks from the former Barberton Inn.

And, if you look closely, you will find a signature on one of the blocks.

Gerbec said that, after some sleuthing, they believe it is the signature of Barberton resident Adolph Zvonar, who went off to war and died in France in 1944.

The shop on West Tuscarawas Avenue hosts some special events, including a "Picking in the Dark" event for Halloween, where shoppers venture through the darkened space by flashlight.

Gerber said the participants had fun during the lights-off event and found a few treasures; thankfully, she added, "nothing got broken."

I76 Antique Mall

A visit to the I76 Antique Mall off Interstate 76 at state Route 44 will hardly be a quick pitstop.

The place in Rootstown covers some 50,000 square feet occupied by some 400 dealers.

One can get lost wandering the aisle after aisle of booths and display cases.

And you can lose track of time, too.

The mall opened in 1998 as the brainchild of Phil Florence, who is considered one of Ohio's pioneers of a mall concept for antiques.

Florence built his first one in Chillicothe for some 17 vendors, then a much bigger one off Interstate 70 in Springfield.

The granddaddy of his malls is the one in Rootstown.

Manager Donna Boyer said the Portage County antiques mall − celebrating its 25th anniversary this year − has become a regional attraction and even a destination for travelers from out of state.

The convenience of having so many different vendors in the same space, Boyer said, makes it easy for collectors and casual shoppers alike.

And the large number of shoppers, she said, means the place is ever changing, as sellers are frequently bringing in new items to refill their booths and display cases.

"It takes a good couple of hours just to go through and look at everything," Boyer said.

Medina Antique Mall

This "Jeopardy" champion credits his trivia prowess to working at the Medina Antique Mall as a teenager.

What is Matt Amodio?

(And yes, I used what instead of who, because anyone who followed Amodio's epic run on the game show will remember that he always answered 'what,' much to the annoyance of "Jeopardy" aficionados.)

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Amodio said working at the antique mall along state Route 18 just east of Interstate 71 helped hone his knowledge and curiosity of all things common and obscure when he was a teenager.

The antique mall opened in 1997 and has some 500 dealer spaces inside a former 52,000-square-foot Edwards grocery store.

Owner Lance Gifford said the place is always busy.

"There's something here for everyone − that's always been our motto," he said.

More and more younger folks are venturing in, too. This is why they are open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays.

"It becomes date night here on Saturday nights," he said.

Gifford said it's always rewarding to see someone find a piece of his or her past or that missing item for their personal collection.

"All the items in here all had a previous life − now they are getting a second and a third life," he said. "We are saving these things from being in a landfill."

Craig Webb, who is always on the lookout for cool vintage metal noisemakers to add to his collection, can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron area antique stores to check out for 'Antiques Roadshow' visit