Antiquing in Buffalo
It could be a 1850s stone jug, a Buffalo-made rocking horse, a LifeSavers container-turned coin jar or a 250-year-old trunk.
All of these seemingly unrelated items can be found for sale in Buffalo’s many antique shops.
Buffalo has long been a destination for those seeking decades-old furniture, lamps and trinkets. The largest concentration of antique shops can be found in the city’s Allentown neighborhood along Elmwood Avenue and Allen Street, Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo and in the suburbs of Clarence and East Aurora.
Buffalo’s important geographic location and prominence in American history make it a rich market for antiquing today, said Guy Andriaccio, Jr., owner of Buffalo Wholesale Antiques on Hertel Avenue. Many of the items owned by Buffalo’s wealthiest families back when the city was the eighth largest in the country are still in the region.
“There’s a good vein of things that have been passed down from generation to generation,” Andriaccio said.
In addition, Buffalo’s proximity to the East Coast cabinet makers of the 19th century meant antique furniture found its way easily to the Queen City. “It was easier for that stuff to make it from New York to Buffalo than New York to Los Angeles,” Andriaccio said.
There are many different types of antique shops in Buffalo. Many, like Buffalo Wholesale Antiques, sell a variety of furniture, cabinets and lamps from the 19th and early 20th century. Others, like Antiques Allentown on Elmwood Avenue or Coo Coo U on Hertel Avenue, focus more on products and furniture collected from the mid-20th century. Some sell mainly one type of product, like the Antique Lamp Co. on Hertel Avenue.
One local antique shop owner specializes in Buffalo-made merchandise. Frank Scheuttle, owner of Silent Voices Material Culture Gallery, said he prefers to purchase collectibles with local ties.
“To me it just makes sense that you boost the area where you live,” Scheuttle said.
Among the odds-and-ends in Scheuttle’s store are a 19th century stoneware jug from Buffalo’s own J. Heiser Company, a 19th century Buffalo-made rocking horse and a metal sign advertising the now-defunct Buffalo Enquirer newspaper. Scheuttle also sells paintings and drawings of the Queen City.
Further down Hertel Avenue, the Antique Lamp Co. and Gift Emporium is filled to the brim with lamps of all shapes, sizes and ages, including a basement full of old lamps waiting to be restored. The owners of the store, John and Sue Tobin, opened in 1997 after John had worked as an electrical engineer and Sue as an art teacher.
“He always talked about doing it. He always wanted to do it,” Sue said. Now, John is the area’s only full time professional lamp restorer.
Local antique dealers have had to adapt due to added competition from eBay and other websites, but they still keep plugging away.
The walk-in traffic Eisenhardt receives by being located in the Allentown antiquing district has helped him continue to sell his vintage 20th century merchandise, such as a circa-1970 Panasonic television, designed to look like a space helmet, or a McDonald’s restaurant ash tray.
“People don’t want to hit just one shop,” Eisenhardt said. “The more shops, the more shoppers.”
But whether it’s pottery and metal ware created at East Aurora’s Roycroft Campus, or a furniture piece from Buffalo’s Kittinger Furniture company, Eisenhardt said Western New York’s past will continue to make it a prime spot for antiquing.
“We have a rich history of fine things being made in Buffalo,” he said.
Antique Lamp Co. and Gift Emporium
- 1213 Hertel Avenue
- Buffalo, NY 14216
- Phone: (716) 871-0508
Vintage lighting is the back bone of our business! The Antique Lamp Co. and Gift Emporium has floor lamps, ceiling fixtures, and table lamps, dating from the 1800's to the 1960's in Art Nouveau, Art…more
Antique Man
- 234 Allen Street
- Buffalo, NY 14201
- Phone: (716) 883-2121
Largest Selection of Rock LPs in Buffalo! Thousands of VHS and DVD movies, Music CDs and books. The building is as interesting as the sundries inside. You could browse for an entire day and not…more
Antique World & Marketplace
- 11111 Main Street
- Clarence, NY 14031
- Phone: (716) 759-8483
We are NY's Largest Market! Hundreds of dealers set up both indoors and outdoors. Offering antiques & collectibles including furniture, jewelry, clothing, toys, etc. New & Used merchandise, trade…more
Antiques Allentown
- 146 Elmwood Avenue
- Buffalo, NY 14201
- Phone: (716) 882-9535
Antiques and collectibles.
Arthur's Antiques
- 141 Elmwood Avenue
- Buffalo, NY 14201
- Phone: (716) 885-7808
Unique antique shopping within the quaint Elmwood Village.
Bernie Christner's Antiques & Curved Glass
- 10715 Clarence Center Road
- Clarence, NY 14031
- Phone: (716) 741-2826
We have been in business in Western New York for the past 30 years. We operate out of a 9,000 square foot warehouse beside our home here in Clarence. We specialize in Oak, Victorian, 1920's,…more
Buffalo Wholesale Antiques
- 1539 Hertel Avenue
- Buffalo, NY 14216
- Phone: (716) 832-4231
Buffalo Wholesale Antiques sells a variety of furniture, cabinets and lamps from the 19th and early 20th century
Carl Slone - L'ete Antiques
- 65 Elmwood Avenue
- Buffalo, NY 14201
- Phone: (716)884-0211
Antique and collectibles. Hours available by appointment.
Clarence Hollow
- 10803 Main Street
- Clarence, NY 14031
- Phone: (716) 759-2345
The "Antiques Capital of Western New York," Clarence Hollow, located in a charming suburb 20 minutes east of Buffalo, is a wonderland for its historic allure and unique handmade gifts and goods and…more
Coo Coo U Modern
- 1478 Hertel Avenue
- Buffalo, NY 14216
- Phone: (716) 432-6216
Coo Coo U takes pride in discovering, and making available, one-of-a-kind, unique and whimsical items. They also have an extensive inventory of industrial, architectural and decorative material. Make…more
Courtyard Antique Center
- 10255 Main Street
- Clarence, NY 14031
- Phone: (716)759-1726
Discover one of Western New York's finest multi-dealer antique shops. For wonderful gifts, sought-after collectibles, unique home accents. 7,000 Square feet in eight rooms with 40 quality dealers.
Dana Tillou Fine Arts
- 417 Franklin Street
- Buffalo, NY 14202
- Phone: (716)854-5285
Established in 1966, Dana Tillou specializes in American and British art c.1800-1940 and period antiques. Mr. Tillou has been buying selling and appraising art and antiques for over 40 years.
Dirt Cheap
- 301 E. Utica Street
- Buffalo, NY 14208
- Phone: (716)563-3136
Wide variety of Furniture, Clothing, Jewelry, Accessories, Antiques, and more.
Harold's Curiosity Shoppe
- 63 Allen Street
- Buffalo, NY 14202
- Phone: (716)362-2552
A jam-packed, wall-to-wall, quirky store, with paintings, furniture, lampshades, plates and silverware, knickknacks, tchotchkes, LPs, and anything else you can imagine.
JM Gold Buyers
- 1484 Hertel Avenue
- Buffalo, NY 14216
- Phone: (716) 913-8549
Have you inherited a coin collection or jewelry and don’t know what to do with it? Look no further than J.M. Gold Buyers. Whether you have gold, sterling silver, watches or estate jewelry, we’re…more
Kelly Schultz Antiques
- 11145 Main Street
- Clarence, NY 14031
- Phone: (800)343-5399
With over 40 years experience, Kelly Schultz is Western New York's acknowledged authority on antiques and oriental rugs. As founder of Antique World, he has been the dominant influence in shaping…more
Meibohm Fine Arts Inc.
- 478 Main Street
- East Aurora, NY 14052
- Phone: (716) 652-0940
*Part of the Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway (www.wnyssb.org)
Muleskinner Antiques
- 5548 Main Street
- Williamsville, NY 14221
- Phone: (716) 633-4077
We buy and sell 18th and 19th Century American Antiques. Folk Art, Redware, Painted Furniture, and other antiques of merit.
Offbeat Emporium
- 507 Elmwood Avenue
- Buffalo, NY 14222
OffBeat Emporium reconditions and re-purposes secondhand furniture, housewares, and home decor then sells them at affordable prices.
Old Editions Book Shop & Cafe
- 74 E. Huron Street
- Buffalo, NY 14203
- Phone: (716)842-1734
As the name suggests, the focus here is on collectible volumes, although the selection of used books is also extensive. Located near the southern edge of downtown, it's a bit removed from the heart of…more
Premier Antique Center
- 11145 Main Street
- Clarence, NY 14031
- Phone: (716)759-0455
A high quality group shop located between Antique World & the WNY Event Centre.
Roycroft Campus Antiques
- 37 South Grove Street
- East Aurora, NY 14052
- Phone: (716) 655-1565
*Part of the Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway (www.wnyssb.org)
Silent Voices Material Culture Gallery
- 1495 Hertel Avenue
- Buffalo, NY 14216
- Phone: (716) 830-9906
Frank Scheuttle has an extensive background and history with both the academic and business aspects of material culture, art, and antiques. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in American Folk Culture…more
