Antique shopping in, around Houston

GUIDE Antique shopping in, around Houston

Houston has an eclectic mix of shops for everything under the sun, but our antique stores are something different. We made a guide of some of our favorites so you can start your maximalist journey this 2022.

By McKenzie Misiaszek

Going to an antiques store is the equivalent of poking around in someone’s medical cabinet, minus the bad ethics of the first situation. Just going somewhere to be nosy and pick things up to go “what is this?!” is so fun.

Creepy baby dolls, weird contraptions that can’t have any real use, taxidermy, ancient clothes and sometimes bones can all be found at random antique stores around Houston. While poking around and taking pictures with odd items can be fun enough, antique stores often have a lot of decor that can sometimes be surprisingly cheap. But best of all, whatever antique store you go to, you’re going to a small business that is selling older items, which reduces your carbon footprint.

Chymoons Vintage and Antiques

Right across from Mod Coffeehouse (the best coffee in Galveston) sits my favorite antique store in the Greater Houston area: Chymoons. The reason this shop is my favorite is because of the collection of vintage clothing items they have. No joke, I once saw someone buy a wedding dress there, and it was a cute dress. The range of coats, dresses, skirts and shirts along with normal antique knick knacks and glassware makes it easy to find something you’ll really like.

Not far from Chymoons is the main part of The Strand, which has at least half a dozen more antique shops. So if you’re already down in Galveston and in the mood to poke around some old stuff, this whole area is a great stop.

Red Queen’s Attic

Another entire little area filled with fun antique shops is downtown Rosenberg. The largest, and my personal favorite, is Red Queen’s Attic. A two story shop filled with books, dishware, rocks, jewelry, paintings and old toys is just fun to explore. There’s a whole room on the upper level filled with old glassware, and another with toys from the 80s and earlier – which is kind of creepy, but in a fun way.

I’ve purchased two very large crystal bookends for around $8 and still think about a very large painting of some silly looking dogs that resides in that shop.

Heights Antiques on Yale

Off Yale Street you’ll find an old brick building with huge windows filled with interesting items. Heights Antiques on Yale has such an eclectic mix of items you can wander the store for an hour without getting bored. Did you know that people taxidermy snakes? Because this place has a few, along with animal skulls and, you know, normal antique stuff.

When you’re done here you can drive a few streets over to 19th street to walk to a couple of the different antique stores they have in between vintage clothing shops and Boomtown Coffee.

Antique Pavilion

Right outside of Montrose is a tiny strip center of antiques. Dozens of antique dealers are located in this little shop, and while their items are more upscale than some of the other places listed, browsing is fun. With quite a few extravagant mirrors to take a cute picture in, old paintings and jewelry, this shop is a good place to just look around.

In 2022, maximalism is in. Filling your space with things that put a smile on your face and make you excited to be home is the vibe this year, and antique shops are amazing places to find items just like that.