I went to Cedar Rapids this past weekend for to visit a friend, and before I went I looked up a few shops I wanted to see and even mapped out my route. Let me tell you I was excited. Cedar Falls, where I live, has a few shops like Antiques on Main but I haven't been able to find stuff around here like I can in Cedar Rapids.
I had three stops on my agenda:
1. Treasure Chest Collectibles - They were having a "grand opening" to celebrate new ownership
3203 1st Ave SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
2. The Cellar Door & Stable on the Alley
2900 1st Ave NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 3. 1st Class Finds - I had gone here before, as mentioned in my last thrifting post
227 14th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
So I set off on my journey with high hopes and a little cash. I wasn't disappointed.
Treasure Chest Collectibles
The owners here are a little annoying, bordering on a lot annoying. I am not sure if they were just over-excited because they just came into ownership and were celebrating or if they are just naturally pushy, but I didn't appreciate that. The shop itself is great for nicknacks and collectibles, and there is some furniture but not a ton. It was mostly benches tables and dressers. I did manage to find a $5 rolling pin that I was pretty excited about. Here are a few pictures of some other things I found:
I did snatch up this adorable hand painted vase (supposedly Japanese but all I can read on the bottom is hand painted):
This place had awesome reviews online, despite looking a little shady. So I thought I may as well go for it. It is actually two shops that are connected. The owner of The Cellar Door (approximately 8 rooms in all) is a riot. He's very friendly and funny and wants to talk. He had a few good things, and quite a range from absolute crap to valuable items to things that looked brand new and modern. I thought some things were a little overpriced, but overall it was decent. I will say it was a little more flea-market-esque than most of the places I've been, but not overly so. A few finds below:
Attached, as I said, is what I assume is The Stable on The Alley. Just one room in the back, I liked this more than the several rooms of the cellar door. A woman worked this, and she was very laid back and nice. The stuff in this area was mostly nicer and better quality. I may be slightly biased though as I found the absolute best chair there for just 30 bucks.
She made great use of space too, you have to make sure to look up at the ceiling if you go here because she stores stuff up there that you can also buy, like some really great looking vintage suitcases. But the most exciting part about this side is that I found this fantastic chair for just $30:
1st Class Finds and The Copper Alligator
So I've talked about 1st class finds before, but when I went this time it was so different. It looked rather empty actually. It's a pretty big space, and a room that has previously contained mostly clothes and accessories had been emptied and filled with records and more furniture. I naturally inquired about this as the clothes were one of the most interesting parts there, and he told me that he had rented that room out to a couple of girls and they moved down into the Czech Village and the store was called the Copper Alligator. 1st Class Finds is pretty good for furniture, but stuff is snatched up quickly and it's not the best I've seen, but the Copper Alligator is wonderful for clothes, accessories, decor, and some furniture too. I love the small child shoes you can see below on the right; I wish I had someone to give them to who would have their little girl wear them. And sadly the other shoes shown were just about one size too small, that was a bummer. This store is definitely worth a stop.
Hope this helps with your next thrifting adventures as well!
Stay Lovely,
Katelin
