Adventures in Antiquing: A "Make-a-day-of-it" Trip to Hopkins and 50th & Xerxes

Just a heads up- this post might be geared a bit more toward local folks, but still fun if you appreciate a good day of antiquing or might head to the Twin Cities for some shopping- End disclaimer.

Did anyone catch last month's issue of Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine?  I don't typically read each issue but this one was hard to miss since it had a big ol' feature article titled "Where the Experts Shop: Insiders Guide to Antiques, Vintage, & Midcentury" on the cover.  I was so intrigued!

Now I consider myself pretty familiar with great spots for thrifting, antiquing, and vintage shopping around here, but this guide introduced me to some fantastic new options!  So, it was time to set out on a new antiquing adventure and thankfully I had a few fun coworkers that were game too! 

Now, since it would be insane impossible to try and hit all 65 stores mentioned in the guide we took a look at the "Make a Day of it: Shop by Neighborhood" section and decided on visiting the town of Hopkins and the 50th & Xerxes neighborhood of Minneapolis.  Here's a glimpse of our day including store photos and what I took home!

We started off bright and early in Hopkins, which is about 10-15 minutes from Minneapolis.  I was most excited about shopping here since I've heard about great antique stores but haven't had a chance to visit yet- and I wasn't disappointed!  Our first stop was Antiques on Mainstreet since it opened earlier than some other stores. (see entire list of antique stores in Hopkins here). 

Some of my favorites included those marble bookends, oodles of vintage gloves, and that display case FULL of dog figurines... I may start a collection of Shih Tzus and German Shorthairs someday.... oh yes, I'm going to be that kind of old lady... someday :) hehe!  But for the time being I'm going to forego that bold purchase.  Onto the next!

We popped over to Auntie M's Antiques located right next door.  I have to say, I thought this shop was quite delightful!  They had a lot of great antiques as well as some really oddball goofy items...

Yep, flying pigs, Hair Goes Latin 4 (anyone know what the heck that is?), old urine specimen bottles, and my personal favorite- this poofy wig of red hair.  I know some of you might think I'm nuts but I couldn't resist putting it on and once it was on my head I started talking with a Long Island/Jersey kind of accent and called myself Gloria.  Perhaps "Gloria" also collects dog figurines???

Before leaving Auntie M's, I found this gold wall shelf made by the same company that made my gold wall scones I found while thrifting and couldn't pass it up for just $7.00!

After making my purchase we went across the street to the Hopkin's Antique Mall.  They had a lot of great items but I think their assortment of antique lighting and jewelry was fantastic!

My other favorites were the vintage Barbie collectibles and of course I couldn't resist an old map from my home state Michigan.  I think I remember playing with some of those Barbie items at my grandma's, the green Barbie house for sure which came with colorful cardboard furniture.  Brought back memories (sigh).

That wraps up our Hopkins visit, I wish we could have visited more stores but we spent about three hours in those three stores alone, isn't that crazy?!?  In order to hit the other stores and stay on track with our timing we had to get moving to the 50th & Xerxes neighborhood.  But, I have to say that I really loved vintage shopping in Hopkins, so many great items and fair prices that gave it that good treasure hunt kind of feel. I will have to have another Hopkins antiquing adventure sometime this summer so I can hit more stores on the list!

Onto the 50th & Xerxes neighborhood!
We headed in to Hunt & Gather Antiques and Loft Antiques.  I've been to both before and they are always worth a stop to check out the new merchandise.  Plus, you can always count on Hunt & Gather to be beautifully curated!  The upper level had a classic/formal kind of vibe going on...

... and the lower level had a bright, outdoor-sy, summer feel.  I loved the rack of vintage ladies swimwear!

Over at Loft Antiques, we spotted lots of lovely higher-end vintage furniture surrounded by unique ceramics, figurines, lighting fixtures, plenty of vintage books, magazines, and other printed items- like that Paris Michelin guide book from the summer of 1959.  I picked up that guide book and started thumbing through it.

I loved all the old maps, images, handwritten notes, and a car rental ticket from September 23rd, 1959.  It even smelled old, like that good old-old book from a library kind of smell.  Yep, had to buy it for $5.00 and I hope to use some of the maps for a project... someday :) it's in the pile, ugh I know I have to stop adding!

I know that part of our day sounded quick, but that is where our shopping ended for the day.  By that time we were pretty hungry and wanted to pick a cute place to sit for lunch so we headed to Tilia in the Linden Hills neighborhood.  The food was amazing, so-so-so delicious, and since I had never been before I had to take a few pics to share!  I also got a group pic with my shopping buddies (slightly blurry, sorry!).

All in all, it was a perfect way to spend the day!  I highly recommend our little one day antique shopping itinerary to anyone else looking to do some shopping with friends.  It was just enough without being too tiring and Tilia is a great finale for an antiquing adventure :)

Any other locals check out stores from the MSP Magazine list too?  Where did you go?
What do you think of my antique finds?