A Guide to the Best Antique Stores in LA

At JAC, Los Angeles interior designers, we strongly believe in an eclectic mix of furnishings and accessories to help give visual interest and wow factor to our designed spaces. Adding some patina along with new furnishings in any space is a good idea. And of course we are always on the prowl to find the right piece of furniture, art or accessory for our own spaces and all our projects, but scouring flea markets and antique stores near me can be a time eater and one really doesn't know if you're gonna score! Having been in the Los Angels design scene for nearly 20 years, we have gathered a short list of destinations that can definitely be your guide to some of the best antique and vintage stores in Los Angeles. Here are a few of our tried and trues antique stores in Los Angeles....

JF Chen Antiques JF Chen Antiques offers furniture and decorative arts from eclectic period pieces to masterworks of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. But don't let all that intimidate you! It is a 30,000 square foot collection of some of the best eye candy you will ever see, anywhere. Set in an old concrete bank vault in Hollywood, you could easily miss it as it has hardly any signage, save a very small silver plaque saying JF Chen. But if you are able to find it, shopping here is a real hoot as you’re likely to rub elbows with A-list celebrities looking to populate their Malibu homes with the best antique pieces in town.

Big Daddys Antiques Big Daddy's Antiques is another hidden gem in the middle of a warehouse district in Culver City, but behind its discreet front door is a treasure trove of antiques and vintage finds of all kinds. Whether you are looking for that funky one-of-a-kind antique piece, gold hardware or looking to create your own unique piece, Big Daddy’s is the place to be. They have their own set of designers, welders and furniture makers as well as antique and vintage finds of all kinds. Big Daddy's Antiques has been in LA and Aspen for 20 years so you know the kind of clientele they boast: set decorators, interior designers, a-list actors, landscape architects, photographers, event planners, as well as enthusiastic art & design lovers who flock to this indoor outdoor plethora of all things interesting, eclectic and desired.

The Mart Collective If antique shops intimidate you, this is the place for you. It's basically like an indoor flea market or swap meet, and the owners have been in the biz for over 20 years and are always ready to bargain on behalf of their dealers. It's the kind of place where you are sure to find something you love and for a price that won't break the bank. From vintage art and photographs to furnishings and textiles, it's a fun place to cut your teeth on antique shopping!

Rosemarie McCaffrey Antiques If you live on the west side of LA and are looking for the real deal, go see Rosemarie on Montana Ave- she sells hand-crafted European antiques from the 18th & 19th century, specializing in French and Italian country furniture. Rosemarie is particularly good at combining practicality and elegance. As a well-established interior designer, Rosemarie believes an interior should not seem contrived and her installations show that sense of old European charm with a twist. They also carry a wide selection of collectibles, chandeliers, lamps, pottery from Provence, as well as a large selection of mirrors. Full disclosure, when I was finally ready to give up my lovely French furnishings from the Paris flea markets, she bought them from me at a very fair price and I've been visiting ever since!

Obsolete Walking into Obsolete in Culver City is like entering a days gone by museum; captivating art installations featuring furnishing as well as fine art and loads of other interesting circus like antiquities. Each item is unique, striking and elegant. Look for items that are mainly American or European in descent and run the gamut from Victorian garden lanterns and last-century telescopes to armchairs from 1890s England.

Galerie Half Owned by Clifford Fong, this place is sparse and beautiful in its celebration of simplicity. Though it's pieces are mixed in style and era of origin—they range from the 1800s to the 1970s, with a sweet spot between 1930 and 1950—the space somehow does not feel eclectic so much as curated into one cohesive story. Galerie Half also boasts an impressive roster of celebrity fans, so don’t be surprised if Ellen DeGeneres beats you to that late 18th century bluestone-top table you’ve been eyeing.

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