'This is history': Vendors reflect as Austin Antique Mall prepares to close after 40 years

As he walked around the Austin Antique Mall, Michael Conner pointed out the quirky and rare collectibles for sale at various booths. He picked up a brass bell, and, as he gave it a gentle shake, the bell let out a high-pitched jingle.

"This is history. Where are you going to find a 1937 Coca-Cola truck?" he said Monday, pointing to a dusty shelf scattered with items. "If you need a pin for your lapel, this is where you find it. If nothing else, you come here and give your kid a history lesson."

After operating for 40 years, the Austin Antique Mall is set to shutter in May to make room for an extension of Playland Skate Center next door.

Playland's general manager, Stephanie Dickie, said the decision was made not to renew the antique mall's lease and instead to extend Playland's existing facilities, though she did not answer questions about what that entailed.

"Playland has been operating since 1974 and will continue to be locally owned and operated by the same family for the last 22 years. Playland will continue to provide generational memories for many local families in Austin and the surrounding area," Dickie told the American-Statesman in an email.

The mall will operate until May 15, and then the approximately 90 vendors — some of whom have been in business since the mall opened in 1984 — will have to clear out their booths. Some vendors will retire from the business, daunted by the prospect of moving decades' worth of inventory, while others, like Renae Fried, who started working at the mall in 1999 while a University of Texas student, are moving their businesses elsewhere.

Fried is planning to reopen her booth, Midnight's Dream, at a new antique mall in downtown Taylor. Despite the Austin's mall closing, Fried said similar antique malls in Round Rock and Taylor are full or nearly full.

"Good vendors are just guardians of the items, trying to find another life for them," she said. "As long as people remember the past and once you have parts of the past, there's always going to be space for those of us who like to take care of it."

Since the mall's closing announcement, she said crowds have been filing through the 30,000-square-foot building. Stark white sale signs were scattered throughout the building, denoting significant reductions on inventory. Fried noted demand for antiques has only increased in recent years, with foot traffic and sales steadily increasing year over year.

The market for antiques and collectibles soared during and after the pandemic, partially due to supply chain issues and the accessibility brought by a move to online marketplaces. Revenue from domestic online sales reached $2.4 billion in 2023 alone, according to IBISWorld, an industry research company. Ninety minutes east of Austin, Round Top, a 90-person town in Fayette County, sees visitors swell to more than 100,000 during its big antiques shows, according to the event's website.

Down the narrow hallway from Fried's booth, Kimbell Conner began operating multiple booths, after several vacancies became available during the pandemic. Her three booths feature furniture, art and lighting, mostly from the 19th and 20th centuries. Her husband, Michael, a bond trader by day, said the business started out as Kimbell Conner's hobby, but now the couple spend their weekends at estate sales and looking for goods online.

On President's Day, a holiday at his day job, Michael Conner helped his wife tidy the booths and straighten out the paintings, chatting to repeat customers and looky-loos.

"I'll miss the people the most," Kimbell Conner said. "Every person who comes in has a unique story, and each piece brings them back to a certain time or place."

The Conners pointed to the mall's closing as further evidence that Austin is at risk of losing its charm, and that despite demand, mom-and-pop shops were still closing around town.

Closing the mall "takes a piece out of Austin," Kimbell Conner said. "I think it's very sad that we've gotten this way. People like the vintage and the old, but I guess it's just a changing economy."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Antique Mall to close after 40 years of business