Star Center Mall Antiques

Some of our out of town guests like to go to Snohomish antiquing, so we hit the Star Center on December 24^th. My son found a book he wanted to buy, but when I looked it up online, I found it for one third what they were asking, including shipping, for the exact same item. At the front desk, the lady said, «our dealers are allowed to overcharge if they want to,» which, of course, is the American way! That said, as a guy in his 60s I’m always entertained at how much stuff I own or grew up with is now «antique.» At another place on first street, my son was able to negotiate a price he was willing to pay on another item. I like that attitude better: the absentee «seller» with non-​negotiable prices really has no business dealing junque. Take your smart phone or know your stuff: caveat emptor!

One of my fave places to antique. Have been coming here for years, but this is my first return trip in several years. There were a few empty booths, probably the most I have ever seen, but there is still something for everyone. Will continue to come back.

My husband and I spent the better part of Saturday afternoon shopping here, and with so many floors and dealers, it will take you that long. While the selection was pretty good, after finally deciding on what we wanted, we go to the desk and try to make some deals on what we had wanted. Nothing much, just an additional 10% would of been nice since we bought a bunch. Nope, the people at the desk wouldn’t even discuss it. So that’ limited what we bought to start with, then after we left, we checked online for a couple of the items we found, and was disgusted to see that these items were marked up over 200% to 400% from what you could find online!
Lesson learned, I will never purchase again from this place, its a total rip off! I understand profit, but this is way beyond that, it borders on fraud! { especially beware of the dealer with the toy’s and die cast cars on the bottom floor. Not the separate dealer with the door, }
For those who are avid antique and thrift store shoppers looking for good deals, this place is NOT for you, trust me!

The last time I was here was in August 2008 and it was great then it is even better now! They have an enormous amount of old stuff that well… it all tells a story. So here I am in there for let’s see 3 ½ hours and I have just started! As I am gathering things I ask myself do I NEED this item!!!
Or at least you like to keep yourself in check! The jewelry collections are awesome and although you won’t find a great bargain here the quality is very good. Many of the jewelry pieces are signed. In the downtown part of historical Snohomish there are many antique shops to browse and just a great place to spend the day if you can tear yourself away from this mall! If I wasn’t hungry while I was there I would of been there all day!
I’m not into the figurines or glass but if you are there is plenty of that.
Some great finds here and it is huge inside. I take a notebook & write down where things are so I can go back easily! Yes it is that big.
Plan on spending the day and wear some comfy clothes & shoes.

I need to bring a packed lunch when I go here. I can literally spend all day going through all the items on the three or so different levels.
The prices are similar to other antique stores, so it’s not exactly the place to find a bargain. I found a complete set of a certain dish design that I had started collecting from thrift stores, but had only managed to find a couple of plates.
This store really is magical, but so much of it is behind glass cabinets and counters that if you want to actually buy something (instead of just looking) you really have to work to hunt someone down. Then when you finally find someone to help you, you have to remember where it was you were!
They also have a good collection of broaches on the top floor. Some restored furniture and appliances (I loved the old green stove). And in the past they had a seller with some huge selection of excellent old photographs, but we couldn’t find his booth last time we went and it turns out he retired.
In summary, bring a lunch otherwise you might pass out before you finish looking at all the wonderful things in this store.

If you like antiques, including Victorian houses and buildings, and you want to do something fun, just head to Historic Snohomish. This riverside Victorian mill town is happily situated in the countryside and is to my glee, full of antique stores to peruse. One of my absolute favorite places there is the Star Center Mall. It’s has four floors of antiques and is one of the largest antique malls in the region. And they have actual antiques there. I once spotted two German porcelain figurines by Volkstead that were made ca 1765 (I looked up the mark). I know, you’re thinking, SHUT… UP! Well, I’ve also seen 18^th and 19^th century Meissen porcelain, 19^th and early twentieth century nautical antiques, 19^th century paper goods, they’ve got everything there. Oh sure, like all antique malls, you do have to sift through «one man’s trash» items but there is still more than 200 years of quality pieces to peruse and/​or buy. They’ve got plenty of staff to open cases for you there and they even have a book store full of reference books on Antiques and Collectibles and also books on pottery and silver marks. It’s your antiques and collectibles One-​Stop-​Shopping Center. The Star Center Mall always makes the trip to Snohomish exciting for me. Well, that and there is a Bank of America across the street. And, good places to eat in Snohomish plus, all the other antique stores there… What happened? It’s also easy to get there. You take the 164^th exit off of I-​5 and head east like you’re going to mill creek, 164^th turns into Seattle Hill Rd. and you stay on that all the way down the hill until you can’t go straight anymore because if you do, you’ll be in someones field. You take a left there at Williams Rd. and follow that past HWY 9 until you come to Airport Way where you’ll take a left. Follow that until you cross the river into Snohomish. Take a right on 2^nd St. and within blocks you’ll see Star Center on the right. Or you can look at the map. So there you have it. Be sure to bring your camera with you.