Aunt Katie’s Attic

It was interesting looking around Aunt Katie’s attic. The selection was quite large, encompassing two full floors packed with all kinds of stuff. Clothing and kitchen utensils seemed to be the bulk of it, but there was really lots to find.
Unfortunately, the prices were far too high to even piqué my interest. There were «antique» blenders and baking sheets selling for 2+ times the price of their modern, new equivalents, and I’m honestly not really convinced they were much of an «antique» anyway. The rest of the store followed that same theme.
Overall, it was worth looking around, even if only to check it off our list. If they have another flea market outside, we might stop back in, but otherwise, I think there are a few better outlets in the area. Granted, we only went once, so YMMV. Judging by the other reviews, if you’re in the market for an antique shop with a big selection, it’s probably worth checking out.

Aunt Katie’s Attic gets the rare five-​star, worth-​the-​trip rating among used, thrift, fauxtique, consignment, and allied stores for a few reasons:
* Great store experience. The store itself is in the Old School No. 9 (hey, they’re LITERALLY Old School!), in the nearly-​now-​invisible hamlet of Hoffmans, which obviously has had a number of different tenants since school days and is just interesting by itself. Add in the wonder of going from roomlet to roomlet, where there are little grottoes of goodies artfully arranged — not so cluttered you can’t focus in, but not so spare you can’t find something nifty on your second or third pass through the area. The store cats are great.
* Super friendly staff. They have a freebie basket for kids, were tolerant of my fidgety one (even though he is fairly close to the proverbial bull in a china shop), they alerted me to some areas I might be interested in based on what I was asking about, and in general were able co-​conspirators.
* Curated stuff: they run the edge between kitschy thrift low-​end and genuine antiques, from cutsey plastic stuff (like the Tropicana Orange-​with-​a-​straw radio that I recall was a boxtop-​plus-​$ 2 giveaway thirty years ago) to fairly high-​brow furniture (they had some truly gorgeous display cases and tables) without sticking to one design center. It does, seriously, take hard work not to just put out every piece of junk out there you can find, but at the same time to have enough stock to appeal to a variety of tastes. They had some things I don’t buy myself that were really excellent — Fiestaware collections, what looked like a small but very nice selection of vintage clothing, cutesy display items and knick-​knacks, and that ilk. And, there were a few items of local interest, always a plus (we found a clipped photograph from a period magazine of the old library in Schenectady, for example, for $ 4 in a very decent frame, which fit into one of my kid’s school projects.)
* Decent pricing. In apples to apples comparison, I found a couple of items I’d seen on eBay recently that were priced about 15% higher than auction or buy-​it-​now prices but in really excellent condition. That seems about right for the can-​inspect-​it-​in-​person less than $ 100 item. And the higher-​end stuff (like some nice tables or items of furniture) seemed reasonable. You don’t expect flat out giveaway pricing but it’s not the kind of place that has become convinced you owe them full-​boat price because an item like that went for an exorbitant price once at an auction in Snootsville. Which brings me to…
* Willingness to dicker a little. I am not a constant grouser about prices, but when there were a few pieces that struck me as a bit too dear for the condition, they willingly made the first move in lowering the asking price, and as such it was a really good basis for negotiation — not tense at all, just a fairly quick and reasonable meeting of the minds about price for value. I contrast this to many other for-​profit thrifts or fauxtique places where it seems possible to mortally offend an owner by suggesting an item is a bit overpriced, like you are trying to steal food from the mouths of their starving children.
Kudos, Aunt Katie. Your attic is cooler than any room in *my* house.

I will not go back. There is a sign by the door telling you not to bring your purse in the store. I did and the woman at the door said, «did you read our sign? You can leave your purse in the car and bring in your wallet or leave your purse here at the counter. Sorry, not getting my money and not going back!

Aunt Katie is my favorite aunt. Her place is FILLED with mid-​century kitsch, including hundreds of 50s aprons, mod furniture, pink flamingos, all sorts of milky bakeware, not to mention the 92 year old pickle!!!
I bought a pretty rad 1920s straw Italian fedora for $ 16. Prices are great, parking is a breeze, and the staff are wonderful!!!

I have to start off by saying I’m not a «antique» weekend shopper like most of my friends, but i am starting to wax nostalgia for the old ways. Aunt Katies has a little bit of everything and whole lot of nothing you really need. I am a avid baker and cook, so when i got into cupcake making a few months back i notice all of the cooks/​chef use and old fashion ice cream scoop to measure out the batter into the papers, well after searching amazon, eBay, etc i ran across several at Aunt Katie’s when i was there one weekend with friends. Out of the few she had one was still in the org. box and looked like new. So i «scooped» it up, on this last trip when i checked in for the first time using Unilocal,i picked up an perfect Pyrex glass stove top coffee pot, i have found in some research coffee taste the best made in these slow brewing things. Well today i made a pot, i have to tweak what type of grounds and the right setting on my modern gas stove to make the Ultimate perfect pot, but i have to say what i made today was very very good. So if your around Schenectady area and want to drop in and say hello two her two cats and browse at what great grandma and grandma use to have in their house, Aunt Katie’s Attic is the place to be.

I have been in and around the antique business for over 20 year’s helping with many fun stores throughout the Region so I think I can say with certainty that Katies Attic is a must see, you never know what you will find. It is Disney Land for antique treasure hunter’s. Memories galore. I bought a table that reminded me of a better day and when I brought it home and found a place for it I could not have been happier. It is now where I sit with my granddaughter to do art. Memories I am sure in the past were made sitting at this table and memories are being made now thanks to Katie who I always enjoy seeing when I get out that way.

This place is a wonder if you love antiques! It is bright and colorful and has lovely pieces for your kitchen or bedroom or… hair! It is fun just to go into this store! And the ladies that own the place are soooo nice and fun! I DEFINITELY recommend Aunt Katie’s!