The Best Kept Secret in Godfrey - My Antique Store
By Ty Bechel
To those without a trained eye for antiques like furniture and glassware, a chair is just a chair, and a glass bowl is, well, just a bowl. But professionals like husband-and-wife duo Mark and Audrey Stewart, owners of My Antique Store, understand the value and rich history behind pieces like stone-top dressers or pink depression glassware sets. With 30 years in the antique business and over 10 different locations, business is still -in urban slang - poppin’. The Stewarts report 2020 was the best year in their entire history.
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With business going so well on the coattails of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Stewarts are no strangers to adapting to an ever-changing market. With restructuring their business model to meet customer demand, the pandemic seemed to boost a new online market.
“I got into the business when I was a teenager buying and selling furniture,” Mark Stewart said, “and my mom had me looking for glassware for her. I realized it was a lot easier to carry around glass than a hideaway bed.”
The broad antique shop has a 6,000 square foot warehouse with over 20 thousand items in its inventory. Glassware, which is a top seller, is said to have originated in Mesopotamia around 2500 BC, according to Britannica. However, the Stewarts have noticed that the trend to purchase glassware, stemware, crystal, and china has changed over the years.
“People are buying antiques to use rather than to just collect,” said Mark. And with such an impressive inventory, buyers can spend hours at My Antique Store looking for the perfect china set to serve their dinner guests.
Inventory includes select American & European China like Haviland, Lenox, Franciscan, Royal Doulton, Johnson Bros, Spode, Royal Worcester, Wedgwood, Flow Blue, Rosenthal & more. They carry fine crystal-like Baccarat, Steuben, Stuart, Waterford, Josair, Orrefors.
& Gorham. We sell Vintage Art Glass, Depression, Fireking, 50's & 60's glass such as Viking, Smith, and Blenko - as well as elegant glassware like Fostoria, Heisey, Tiffin, and Cambridge. They also carry milk glass, amethyst, crackle, carnival, and more.
The Stewarts don’t just sell glassware. Their abundant furniture inventory is also something to marvel at. The brick-and-mortar store has furniture from a 1900 mahogany flip-top game table, a mid-century slipper chair, to an Ethan Allen Baumritter hutch, and much more to choose from. They have art and pottery, and the Stewarts even bought four truckloads of toys to sell at the shop. Talk about variety!
Their inventory is constantly changing and they pride themselves on reasonable prices that keep customers coming back.
My Antique Store will also buy from consumers. If someone is interested in selling their glassware collection, china, or furniture, they can call the business phone number and schedule an appointment. The Stewarts will even do house calls under particular conditions. Though much of their business comes from online sales, the Stewarts have no plans to suspend foot-traffic business by switching solely online.
“We have become online pros and have shipped probably to every country.”
Whether looking for antiques for yourself or purchasing furniture or toys as a gift, My Antique Shop can meet any needs of everyone from the everyday consumer looking to find a piece to match their vintage guest room to an experienced collector. My Antique Store is located at 1007 W. Delmar in Godfrey. The shop is located in a great historical area along the Mississippi River in close proximity to the "Meeting of the Rivers" Scenic Byway, Bald Eagles, Civil War Sites, Bike Trails, Lewis & Clark Expedition Sites, Wineries, Museums & Interpretive Centers, State Parks, and additional shopping opportunities. They are open Monday through Friday, 10-5, and Saturdays 10-4. To learn more or browse their inventory, call 618-466-1616, visit http://www.myanituqestore.info or find them on Facebook.
This story originally ran in the Dec 2021 issue of The Prairie Land Buzz Magazine, which is distributed free each month to 11 IL counties. Find out more at The Prairie Land Buzz Magazine
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