YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – When it comes to tourism in the greater Youngstown area, what’s old is new.
Antique shops and malls have become a magnet for day-trippers to the area, says Megan Magnetta, executive director of Explore Mahoning, the county’s convention and visitor bureau.
Explore Mahoning recently began publishing a brochure of the county’s antique shops, and it quickly became the No. 2 most requested brochure from the bureau’s website, ExploreMahoning.com.
Magnetta took the helm of the bureau last year and announced its new name and website in January. It previously used the moniker Youngstown Live.
Antiquing is a trend that seems natural in an older part of the country like the Mahoning Valley, where many vintage items can be found at estate sales. It’s an especially popular activity for women, Magnetta says.
Shops and “malls,” in which multiple antique vendors rent space, can be found throughout the county and the region.
The term “antique” refers to vintage objects of art, decor, furnishings, dishware, clothing and other well-preserved, unique and occasionally offbeat items from the past century or so.
“We have 18 antique shops in our county and what’s really nice is a lot of them are kind of clustered near each other, so you can go to four or five of them within a short distance,” Magnetta says. “That brings in a lot of people from Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and we’ve been doing digital ads in those cities and Canton.”
Explore Mahoning’s antiques brochure, titled “Hidden Treasures,” includes a map that shows the locations of each shop or mall and a list of nearby places to dine.
“[We are] a great little day trip kind of place for antiquing,” Magnetta says. “That’s why we tried to focus on those clusters, and then say, here’s some places for lunch right around them. It makes it a full day, or even an overnight, for women’s trips.”
Each shop or vendor has different specialties.
“You might see one that has Fiesta ware, and then one that has furniture, or glassware,” Magnetta says, often under the same roof.
Mr. Darby’s Emporium
One particularly huge draw for lovers of vintage goods is Mr. Darby’s Emporium, a vendor mall that recently moved to a massive space at 7836 Market St., Boardman, that was formerly a Joann Fabrics location. The 25,000-square-foot store is in the shopping center in the southwest quadrant of the intersection of U.S. Route 224 and Market Street.
Mr. Darby’s was previously located about a mile south of its current site, on Market Street near Western Reserve Road. The new location is more prominent and much better, says Bob Neapolitan, who owns Mr. Darby’s with his wife, Karen.
“We expanded when we moved, and we have tons more people coming,” he says. “Saturdays are ridiculous.”
The new location, which opened in March, has stalls occupied by over 100 vendors. The Neapolitans also acquire and sell vintage goods at Mr. Darby’s.
The couple got started in 1996, at first selling items on eBay. They would handle estate sales for banks and descendants, selling everything as a yard sale and keeping a cut of the revenue.
They opened their first brick and mortar store in 2011.
Neapolitan credits his wife with turning their business into what it is today. “She is the one who made it so desirable,” he says. “If you do a Google or Yelp search for things to do in Youngstown, we usually come up number one or two, or sometimes three. That’s a big reason why the landlord came to us and wanted us to move in here.”
The Full List
In addition to Mr. Darby’s, the county’s other antique shops and malls are:
- Antiques at Ellsworth, 10985 W. Akron Canfield Road, Canfield.
- Big Daddy’s Antiques and Collectibles, 14250 W. Akron Canfield Road, Berlin Center.
- Blue Heron Antiques and Fine Gifts, 26 N. Phelps St., downtown Youngstown.
- Consign & Design, 11 W. McKinley Way, Poland.
- The Cracked Crock, 361 Lisbon St., Canfield.
- Home Again Consignment, 7689 South Ave., Boardman.
- The Joshua Tree, 4416 Market St., Boardman.
- Karey’s Vintage Store, 6655 Stutz Drive, Canfield.
- Land Lion Antique Mall, 489 N. Pricetown Road, Lake Milton.
- Lou Berry’s, 4949 Market St., Boardman.
- Meander Hill, 20 N. Turner Road, Austintown.
- North Jackson Antiques and Uniques, 106 N. Salem Warren Road, North Jackson.
- Piney Creek Primitives, 110 W. Pine Lake Road, North Lima.
- Retro Ohio, 4170 Market St., Boardman.
- Terrytown Antiques and Gift Shop, 10086 N. Market St., North Lima.
- The Western Reserve Antique Shop, 9200 Youngstown Salem Road, Canfield.
- Wizard of Odds, 10966 Mahoning Ave., North Jackson.
The antique store culture extends throughout the Mahoning Valley.
The city of Columbiana alone has at least seven: Columbiana Vintage, 111 Columbiana Plaza; Magnolia & Co., 8 S. Main St.; Olde Clutter’d Corner, 103 S. Main St.; Main Street Shop, 33 S. Main St.; The Rustic Birdcage, 13 E. Park Ave.; The Wish List, 1520 Columbiana Lisbon Road; Salvaged with Grace, 14 E. Park Ave.; and Pewter Peddler, 25 S. Main St.
Most of them are clustered along the leafy city’s Main Street, which has become a mecca for browsers searching for that certain knickknack that would look perfect in their home. The street draws folks from near and far every weekend.
Trumbull County also has its share of antique shops, says Beth Carmichael, executive director of Truly Trumbull tourism bureau.
The list includes Sprinkle Kindness Thrifts and Gifts, 5000 E. Market St., Howland; Church Mouse Thrift Shop, Fieldview Acres Mercantile and Broad Street Vintage, all on Broad Street in downtown Newton Falls; and Extending Grace, 18 W. Liberty St., Hubbard. Some other Trumbull options that can fit the bill include Unique Treasures & Gifts, 295 Elm Road NE, Warren; Second Chance Antiques, 2502 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren; and Galleria of Arts and Antiques, 179 S. High St., Cortland.
Pictured at top: Bob and Karen Neapolitan in their Boardman antique mall, Mr. Darby’s Emporium.