On a Whim

Stopped here for the second time as an out of Towner and had the same experience– good customer service and a good selection of antiques as well a faux antiques and shabby chic décor. The store had air conditioning which was so refreshing and although we didn’t buy anything this time — I will be staying a customer because of their pleasantness.

Love this shop… found a piece for my bedroom, but was not the color I wanted… I’ve painted furniture for more than forty years, and I can tell you the dealer who painted this piece knew what they were doing… the piece had actually been sanded, primed, 2 top coats, and sealed… I had to use my belt sander to get the paint off before I could repaint… I could tell a few of the drawer glides had been reglued perfectly… the structure was super solid… if you r looking for old furniture redone right, I do not know anywhere within 100 mile radius that does it any better…

This place is precious and the polka dot silo is a Leesburg icon! Yes, its overpriced but so fun to browse. This makes me want to buy so many things that I do not need!

This store can get over crowded very quickly and it seems like everyone is walking on top of one another. Yes there are some antiques and it leans on the pink side (ultra-​girly!) of shabby chic but I think it’s overpriced and with many stops — I have yet to buy a single thing. In addition, you can walk in and out of the store without anyone greeting you or asking if you need help.
So with all that being said, check it out while you’re in the area and then check out the store behind it — Rust & Feathers — and you won’t be disappointed!

The owner is quite unfriendly, which has been mentioned several times by others. I wouldn’t waste my time shopping here simply because of that. There are so many other cute shops in and around Leesburg with friendly people. As far as purchasing Annie Sloan paint… wouldn’t bother. Check out Van Gogh and the local rep is amazing and very friendly!

Been to this store numerous times and was a loyal customer!
Purchased Annie Sloan paint and picked up the wrong color. Never opened it and I called to ask to exchange it. The owner Donna said «its a different vendor shop within the store» she put the Annie Sloan vendor «Terri“on who hemmed and hawed and drew a big sigh. Needless to say I said «clearly its a problem and hung up.»
In my opinion thats not good customer service…
Really liked the place but I will not be back

I would not have visited this store if they didn’t have Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. The owner (an older woman, I believe) is always quite unfriendly, and the furniture is mostly already refinished and very overpriced for the quality. I went today, because I needed paint and wanted to go to Lucketts Store, which is nearby. They don’t accept Amex (very annoying) but since I rarely carry cash I only had enough to purchase a sample size. You guessed it: The color I needed was sold out. Ugh.
They’ve added 2 additional antique stores in the same area since I last visited. The one towards the rear seems to be clean, spacious, carefully curated, and as we left, the woman called out «thank you for coming!» NICE TOUCH. The other store carries a knockoff Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, so I asked at the register if anyone had tried it. Does anyone in two out of three of these stores have a pulse? Seriously.

Adorable. Fun. Festive. Friendly. And a dog behind the register? What more can I ask for? Several buildings in a very walkable area. I bought several items and stopped only because of the space in my car. Will return soon!

Great store with lots of variety! On a Whim is one of my very favorite stores to shop. They have several vendors with a good mix of style, genre and prices. To the right of the main entrance, there is a lone room that houses many vintage dresses and accessories (amazing!). The outdoor covered section is my favorite area. There you will find painted furniture, salvaged doors and windows. The owner and her granddaughter are both very friendly and I adore their companion Mr Beazley. Oh… and they carry my favorite paint in a variety of colors — Annie Sloan chalk paint. Go with some friend and ENJOY!

I LOVE this store! I actually popped in here «on a whim» to see whether they had any vintage desks in stock. I found several writing desks, pedestal desks, and all in different styles from shabby chic to eclectic. My daughter discovered an adorable pink night stand with a crystal knob that I plan to return for. We also found a great french country chair that I will use with my new farm table desk as well as a sturdy and beautiful french country bench. I couldn’t be happier with my finds at this store and the prices are excellent too. Since we just purchase a house, I know I will be back here for more furniture. I almost thought about not posting so I could keep this place a secret, but how can a pink polka dotted barn ever be a secret, lol!?!
Last tidbit, delivery is on par with other shops in the area ($ 70 with Zoltan), and Donna at the front desk is super friendly with kids. She asked my permission and then gave my little ones two cookies.

How can you not give a restored pink and green polka dot barn five stars?
For all future brides who dream about «rustic» weddings this is your place for inspiration. Think of it as a real life Pinterest board. This antique design house has floors upon floors of old window panes, milk glass vases, vintage cake toppers, and a carefully curated collection of fifties inspired prom dresses (perfect for a bridesmaids –if her waist is a size 16).
Even if you are not headed for nuptial bliss, you can appreciate a day of antiquing in the country. No second guesses on whether or not you are buying a haunted tea cup at all, because all the pieces have been gussied up and styled for your viewing pleasure.
While most restoration pieces can go for several thousand dollars or more in the District, I found On a Whim to be very reasonably priced (and this is coming from a girl whose furniture was bought at Target).

We popped in here on the way to Lansdowne Resort to kill some time, and I was struck by the amount of pink paint that had been used. It definitely got my attention!
What I like about this place is there were some great old doors and shutters for sale, in need of a refurbish, but available nonetheless. There was also a lot of furniture which was nice. It didn’t seem like it was all antique though.
Inside, there are little booth areas set up but they’re so integrated you don’t notice it’s a booth. There is a mix of antique and brand new things, and while many people have mentioned they saw things at the store they’d seen at other stores for cheaper, I must not have been looking at the right things because I didn’t see any of that. What I did see that was mentioned before was old furniture painted to look antiquey or shabby chic, but if that’s how they need to sell it, that’s how they need to sell it.
It wasn’t a bad store, and I actually found some beautiful apothecary jars (that I didn’t buy, but I still am thinking about!), but not much else.
Also, there was a tupperware full of cookies sitting out in the middle of the store, and I tried one (which I shouldn’t have) and it was pretty stale. Seemed like they’d been sitting out all weekend with no cover.

Really the shop is cute, they have really done some nice things with old stuff. But mixed in with all of that is stuff from Ikea, Pottery Barn, Lenox, Michaels, Home Goods etc. I kept having to tell my friends to put it down, you don’t want to pay 10 bucks for something you can get that doesn’t have dust on it down the street for 5! We had a large group there (8) and everyone bought something but me, the assumed owner was quite rude. Apparently it was close to the time the shop was to close, the lady walked around us, not explaining herself and started turning off all the lights, ignoring us completely and not even saying, sorry we are going to be closing soon. How strange! After we got the hint, we paid for everything and went outside to take a group pic, we had family visiting from FL. Quickly I knocked on the window and asked the lady if she could help us with a picture. Shockingly she looked up and said in a not so nice way, «We are closed and I have things to do… blah blah blah» I turned and ignored the rest of her rant. Amazing we just spent a boat load of money in your store and you treat us like this?!? Terrible. None of us will be returning!

Another store that used to be fun. But now, filled with lots of «new» (modern) items. Not kidding, I was there a few weeks ago and I saw these little sparkly santa ornaments for 10.00 that I also saw at HomeGoods for 4.95. Also, I feel like they just slap paint over 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s furniture and try to pass it off as Shabby Chic. Overpriced to boot! If I like something, I will spend «whatever» to ensure that it ends up in my posession, but I have had no luck finding anything exciting there lately. I think the store needs to go back to its roots, because it was much better before!

This antique store is set up in a way that makes for easy browsing and is more organized than some of the other shops around. Still over priced because most of the items have been restored and refinished but still good for inspiration and a few key pieces. WIll definitely be going back to check out the barn where the bigger items are that are more «raw» and need some TLC. Those are the gems that I’m looking for!
The pink and black theme is endearing and I think the allowance of separate dealers makes for a better overall selection then some of the other options around.