Islander Trading Post

This store is definitely worth stopping at on your trip down Periwinkle Way! Probably not the best spot for very young kids, but anyone over 25 will have a fun time finding things they remember from their childhood! The store is very nicely organized and the employees were friendly and didn’t make us feel uncomfortable at any time. I’ll be sure to stop here again if I come back to Sanibel.

I don’t understand how they possibly can get 4 and 5 stars. Although they do have a lot of merchandise it is very overpriced and the people working there were rude and unhelpful. Never bottom ask anyone if they needed help or even a simple hello.

Perhaps America’s best antique store. Rows and rows of neatly organized and tightly curated vignettes fill every visual orifice of this space. There is literally nothing one might collect that they couldn’t find here. We spent an unscheduled two and half hours wondering around this magical place, no one ever hurried us or had any pushy hard sell. More than 80% of the stores’ inventory is accessible; i.e. can be freely handled. However for the 20% tucked away from shoppers the staff was super helpful unlocking or showing us items behind glass, giving prices and background information. I could have spent our entire vacation in this store, and I dream of returning often.

This place is like an amazing little pop culture museum. Be prepared to spend some time perusing the many aisles and tiny rooms that are surprisingly tucked away in this gem. The owner has everything organized in categories and there’s shelves from floor to ceiling! Make sure to look up, because you’ll miss some of the amazing things hanging from the ceiling. I personally love how they play music to get you in the mood while you shop. While I was there, they were playing Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong and it really made me happy as I shopped! Their vintage toy collection is wonderful. There’s just so much packed in there, it’s hard to narrow down what my favorite is. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in town!

This place is amazing, I keep thinking about it!
Pretty much any type of antique you can think of can be found in this place (smaller things, not really furniture or that). And I’ve never seen an antique store so well organized! Prices are… not cheap, but pretty reasonable (considering they have EVERYTHING). There’s a whole aisle of toys from the past 100 years (I really regret not getting that California Raisins costume). Lots of other things are organized in sections (like my favorite — the World’s Fair section)! Many aisles are organized into «states.» I found something I always wanted — a Statue of Liberty paper weight (Pete & Pete, anyone?) in a «New York» section. My other favorite find: 90s Archie comics, the exact ones I read as a kid. With Lisa Frank and SNES ads on the back covers. $ 1 each! Perfect beach reading :)
Yep. Things from my childhood are in an antique store. Sigh.
The guys working there were super friendly. They let me keep my loot at the counter and helped me find/​browse a few things I was looking for!
If you are a curious shopper /​treasure hunter and find yourself on Sanibel, you must check this place… if you have an hour or two!

Jam packed with Antiques — and I like how they sorta set it all up, by trying to group things together while displaying them. Good collection of old records too. The salesperson was nice and tried to be helpful without me even asking. If I was more into all kinds of antiques, I could be there all day!

What a great store. The owners are a riot; funny and smart witted. I ended up buying a pair of beautiful antique rings from them. They worked with me on the price and were patient with me as I walked around the store wearing them, and then outside to see them in the sunlight.
Can’t wait to go back and find my next treasure at the Islander Trading Post.

This place is by far the coolest antique shop I’ve ever been to! We came here for the first time in May of last year and spent close to an hour there. There is just so much to see!
Not your average collection of boring granny quilts and all that nonsense… I’m talking cases and cases of pop culture. You could totally buy back your childhood in one sweep here.
We just went back to Captiva a couple weeks ago and my husband and I were both beyond excited to return here. Could say the highlight of our trip! Again spent close to an hour inside, but could definitely spend ALL DAY! We left with some goodies and the owners were willing to come down on some of the prices since we bought a few things. Who doesn’t like a good deal?
Definitely the coolest place to stop in Sanibel/​Captiva! Will be back many many more times!

Wow! What a great experience we just had! I feel like I walked into a time machine that took us back to the 40’s 50’s and 60’s! The owner has an incredible amount of items that for the most part are in great condition and at reasonable prices! My very first antique experience and I gotta say it was a GREAT one. I only wish she would allow pics to be taken of all the awesome items they have for sale.

Over priced and the staff is very rude.
A tip to the woman in the black top. Save your catty comments about your customers until after they leave the store.
My wife and I won’t be back

This is the most «complete» antique place I have ever seen. It may not be the biggest antique shop but it might be the most diverse one I have ever seen. Things are crammed in so leave your big purse at the door. Otherwise you’ll be freaking out about knocking things over. If you are a collector (particularly if you have multiple collections) plan to spend quite a while in there. I seriously cannot think of a single antique item where they did not have at least one if not more. If you have the time, you could easily spend several hours (if not all day) looking at everything. Prices weren’t too outrageous, either.

We’ve stopped at Islander Trading Post each time we’ve visited Sanibel. Yes, it’s a fun little stop, but is it the best antique shop you’ll ever visit? Not really. The shop definitely focuses on «smalls,» and crams a lot of them in there. I’m always worried I’m going to bump into something and the whole store will come crashing down on me – so I would definitely not recommend bringing your kids here.
My favorite part of the store is the very back room and the outdoor room. This is where you can find all sorts of beach décor. Although I really wanted to buy a few glass buoys to display, my husband didn’t want to pay shipping costs, so I came home with a cute little cast iron mermaid ($ 4) instead.
Although I don’t rank it as one of my all-​time favorite antique shops, we’ll definitely be back the next time we’re in Florida and still recommend it if you’re in the area.

This place is insane! We went in cause we thought it would be fun to check out some crazy antiques (they had some interesting stuff outside the store), but we never expected to find what we found!
Any type of small or big thing you can imagine, from soda bottle caps to rare LPs to old sheet music and tin sings, kitchen appliances, religious artifacts, anything, you will find here. No furniture here, though, but I don’t see a problem with that. What amazed us the most was how organized the place was. It might seem a little overwhelming at first, but after a few minutes you realize how everything has it’s own place and everything is perfectly labeled and tagged. I mean, words cannot describe how much stuff is in there.
From outside, it looks like a tiny house, but once you’re inside… My god, that place is HUGE! One room led to another room that lead to another space, fantastic!
The owner was there, so we had a nice chat with him. Definitely a life’s work! I really wanted to buy something (I was obsessed with the tin signs) but I didn’t have enough luggage space, but I’m definitely going back some time (hopefully in the near future) and taking a bunch of them with me.
You HAVE to visit this place if you’re in the area!

We are form europe and (sorry americans, no offence) are used to see lots of antiques and brocante. However, this place is adorable! We have a garage bar back in belgium (we are americanised europeans indeed) and we always like to buy some decoration there: coca cola collectibles, beer publicity plates, car registration plates, … The collection is infinite and the most friendly owners are always willing to offer you a good deal!!! Definitely worth the stop, even if you don’t want to buy anything!!!

Tons of great stuff! Lots of fun to look at! Organized sections/​drawers help. Must see if you like antiques!

lots of great stuff to buy. a must.