Out of the Past Collectibles

One word– hoarder. This very nice woman has basically taken a hoarders dream and made it into everyone else’s antiques nightmare. I love antiquing. We go on little day trips a few times a month to little middle of nowhere towns and stop at every antique store there and on the way to/​from. I’ve scored some awesome finds and been to some pretty gross flea markets and antique malls all over the country! This place is just too much. Piles and piles of literally just STUFF, nearly all the way to the ceiling. The whole store is just one big room with little trails through what sometimes is just trash, (papers, magazines, old newspapers), that sometimes are nearly impossible to squeeze through. I thought it was hilarious how the owner follows you around like she is afraid you are going to mess it up. Classic hoarder mentality. She also knows where EVERYTHING is so if you are looking for something, just tell her and she will be able to tell you if she has it and where. I’ve never found anything in here but it’s worth a stop just to marvel and everything. Everything is overpriced also, especially since it’s filthy :/

I have been in Austin since 1978 and have hit every junk/​thrift/​antique/​vintage store/​mall/​event in town. I’ve been bartering/​selling/​collecting/​buying antiques collectibles since 1970 or so, have an excellent ebay rating, have had booths and/​or cases at 2 different local antique malls and for a while had my own online store. Even now, retired and physically slowed down, my favorite outing is cruising junk stores to high end antique boutiques– from the Blue Hanger to West 6^th, I love it all. If all the stores in town closed down and Out of the Past Collectibles was the only one open, I wouldn’t go there. Someone would have to cart me out of town now and then or I’d just have to go cold turkey. Could it be fun? Could you find something? maybe — as long as you see something in the first 10 feet or so cause going beyond that, down one of the aisles, is taking your live in your hands. Besides being as dirty as everyone here describes, and as disorganized, piled every which way, the perfect surroundings and breeding grounds it provides for spiders and scorpions gives me more pause than whether something might fall on me or not. And the owner, well let’s put it this way, she either takes one look at you and likes you — in which case you will get very reasonable prices — or she doesn’t like you and anything you want will be extremely overpriced plus she’ll sneer at you while quoting the price. I have a reasonable idea of the value of some items — after all, close to 50 years of dealing has given me some knowledge. I’ll also be the first to say that no one knows everything. But I have picked up several items in that store that were very well known to me, as well as their value. The owner consistently has quoted prices that were not just double, but often quadruple the going rate — and they were dirty and not mint condition to boot! And her and her son (who is more polite but is not as knowledgeable as he thinks) will stand there and bold face lie about items — saying they are this old or made by this person or of this material — and it’s not just lies, it’s some of the oldest cons in the antique trade. Now I do have a friend who is a dealer, and she has been shopping in this store for years, chats with the owner and has gotten some of the best prices on items! such good prices that she has made a hefty profit on turning them over (once cleaned and often refurbished a bit). So if you go there and get good prices — go for it, there’s bound to be some treasures in that rat nest. But if you ask for a price on an item you know you can get anywhere else for half or less the quoted price — forget it. Just go on down the street to the Antique Mall in the HEB shopping center — you’ll find better stuff at better prices!

Three words chaotic, disorganized and overpriced. The first aisle I went down I was asked to not look through by the woman owner who pretty much runs the show there. She was slightly rude at first then corrected herself. I am a professional picker. I know value when I see it. The stuff in this place has no value. I found an arms full of stuff I wanted to buy but when they gave me the prices I put the stuff back. $ 5.00 for military patches, $ 75 for a model airplane $ 5.00 for t-​shirts? No thanks. Even goodwill which is always overpriced sells t-​shirts for $ 1.99 they won’t even negotiate with you on prices.
The place is also borderline violating building safety codes with the amount of room you have to walk around. If this place ever caught on fire the whole block would go down due to the amount of junk in there. Stuff starts falling down as you walk past. Most of what they have is junk that people would either throw away or donate to goodwill. Stuff that you would have to pay me to take. Not sure how they have been able to stay in business for 18 years???

This thrift store is a great spot in town that has reasonable prices as opposed so some of the other more «curated» ones in town. I’d say in terms of variety and off-​kilter objects, this one in particular has a fair mix, and I wonder if some of the reason is because it’s in a great neighborhood. It’s got more objects and selection than some of the others in the area, but isn’t quite as quirky or out-​of-​the-​box as something like Room Service or Uncommon Objects. I’d say in terms of quality, variety, and authenticity it’s similar to Top Drawer but a bit less curated.
I visited a bit before the Christmas season so it was a bit more mad than what I would normally imagine, but the deals were cheap – I found a pretty shadow box for only a few dollars and it was perfect for an event that I was envisioning. The cashiers were actually very kind, and the line speed was slow enough that I felt very comfortable paying with cash and coins instead of card :)
The parking lot is large enough to accommodate for a good number of cars, and if not, there’s plenty of street parking nearby. The selection didn’t blow my mind, but I would recommend this store for older home goods if you’re doing a city-​wide thrift sweep.

I feel kind of bad giving them 2 stars only because the woman who was monitoring the store while I walked through it was vey kind. But in the end, nothing in the store is very well organized and it’s hard to even walk around the place. I felt very uncomfortable walking around corners and clutching my purse worrying my extra width would cause an item to tumble to the floor. There were numerous times when I wanted to look at something but didn’t want to touch it for fear of accidentally sending an entire shelf full of piled items crashing around me. There were even some items that I felt were really just trash, and not very unique or memorable.
All that said, if you are looking for a comic book or a collectors toy, this may be a place to look through. I know absolutely nothing about comics or famous action figures, but there were certainly a lot of preserved ones in this store.

Piles on piles of antiques! I love to dig so this is a place for me, it is cluttered but I have to say the vinyl collection is to die for. The lady who I think runs the place helped me find the exact records I was looking for. She was very helpful, patient, and nice… if you’re looking for something specific in the piles of clutter, she’ll know exactly where to find it! I bought a couple records and a really cool stacked shelf today for a very reasonable price. They even helped me fit the big shelf in my car, I will be back for sure!

So… I echo what most of the other reviewers said. However, I did not find Linda to be rude… a trip, yes, but not rude. I AM mildly claustrophobic and had to take deep breaths… but I also have allergies. Take a deep breath, sneeze. Take a deep breath, sneeze. But let’s face it: if a person is going to be a hoarder, why not make a living off of it? She did have some of my Lenox Christmas china, but since prices aren’t marked I decided not to ask… didn’t feel like Googling what it would go for new. But that gives you a clue… beautiful china, the life size Wicked Witch of the West ($ 1,100?!), THOUSANDS of Hot Wheels, and Star Wars characters still in the box. It’s worth a visit, but my husband didn’t buy anything… and that’s a rare event… hence the three stars. Good luck… and be careful in there!

I love this place, and I love the owner (Linda), too! I found a lot of wonderful doo-​dads and collectibles. Tons of fun to go through the old Austin concert posters and vinyl albums. So much to look at! I’ve noticed a lot of negative comments the store, but I think they’re full of hooey. It’s a great place to dig around, and Linda checks in with you frequently to see if you need help looking for a particular item, or help getting to something you see but can’t reach. It’s an Austin original! And so is Linda!

It’s tough, because I want to give them five stars due to the sheer amount of cool stuff in this place, BUT and it’s a big but, it’s straight up dangerous in there. There are so many awesome things, and the owner is very eager to negotiate, which is also cool. I bought a John Wayne cuckoo clock today from her and I have no idea where she pulled it from.
There are piles and piles of antiques, vintage toys, posters, irons, clocks, china, lamps and pretty much everything I’ve ever sold in an estate sale all within about 1,500 square feet. I will definitely be back. If you are claustrophobic or have anxiety of any kind, I recommend taking your pills before you go. If you have allergies, forget it. If you love spending hours digging through stuff to find treasure, this is your Xanadu.

If you like being treated terribly for wanting to buy something old, dirty, and likely broken, Out of the Past is the place for you. The owner is a total nightmare and unbelievably rude. I went in looking for vintage cameras and was assisted by the owner’s son who is odd but nice. He showed me several items and set aside three I wanted to buy. All of a sudden, the owner came over to us, acted pissed off because her son was assisting me and when I told her I wanted to buy the items he set aside, she told me they weren’t for sale! Then she proceeded to tell me none of the things in the corner we just so happened to be in were for sale because she hasn’t gone through it yet. You’ve got to be kidding me, I said to her, but no, she’s not kidding, she’s serious. Everything about this place is a crap shoot, so if you have absolutely nothing else to do, live within walking distance, have money to burn, then roll the dice and check it out. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll let you buy something.

If I could give this place 0 stars I would! The owner is maybe one of the rudest people I’ve ever met in the customer service industry. Went all through the filthy store, nothing is priced except shot glasses which she tried to upsell me on when at the register. When I told her they were a dollar she replied back to me «says who?» I replied said you… it’s the only thing in here remotely priced. To boot, I was also bit by dust mites while looking for records. The place is filthy. The staff is horrible! I do not recommend this place at all!

I love this store, the staff are real sweet and cool, always helpful. I get pretty exhausted digging for knick knacks and records, think I’d better take a coffee to rev my engines next time around!

First time I went in there it scared the heck out of me, too. Second time I went I took some time to look at what she has, and I stayed in the area of dishes, china, art, etc. she has a whole section of old silver plate stuff, a section of Mexican art objects like crosses, various metal tins, lots of china and some of it really cute. I saw a stack of old framed photos and when I go back I’m going to look for a frame. There are a few prices but I expect to haggle when I buy something used even if it’s marked. If you have time and don’t mind getting your hands dusty, it’s a pretty cool place. If you are claustrophobic you shouldn’t go in.

Holy cow. Wow. I’m not sure how to rate this store because calling it an antique store or thrift store is just not right. This is more like an Austin sideshow attraction, some sort of Hoarding reality TV show episode, or maybe a sporting venue to see who will make it out alive.
We’ve all seen the TV show Hoarders, but I’m pretty sure this place would terrify even Matt Paxton. This is full blown Hoard, lock, stock, and barrel. There are paths one can navigate through a maze of rubble that literally spans from floor to ceiling. How has the Fire Department not shut this place down?! Honest to god, it gets a little hairy in there and in case of emergency it is a death trap!
There are, for sure, some fascinating items in the mounds and aisles, and mixed in is also total garbage like empty water bottles and containers of Advil, a rogue box of Kleenex, broken dishes, or some other item that got set down 1,000 years ago and still remains because nothing ever gets cleaned. And in fairness, I’d be real hesitant to touch or move much to clean, too, for fear that there would be a shitalanche and the pile come crashing down upon me. Interestingly, there does seem to be some method to the madness here as most items are organized in like-​piles/​mounds of items.
I believe the other reviewers when they say that the owners know where every item in the store is, because every item in there is precious to them, as evidenced by the prices. (BTW, there are no prices on anything, you are supposed to ask. When you do, it will be twice what it’s worth, give or take.) But again, this is more of a spectacle than a place to do serious shopping.
So if you visit for the entertainment value alone, I give this a 5! Purchasing anything here, a 1. Go for the fun and fright and you won’t be disappointed!

This place just straight up scares me. We checked it out as we were going to all the vintage shops in the area. I really don’t know how they are allowed to stay open because it is straight outta an episode of hoarders & looks like a fire & health hazard. There are mounds of junk piled ceiling high with the narrowest of walk ways. It feels like the walls of junk are closing in & will bury you alive if you make the slightest wrong move. I will say there is some vague attempt at organization, for instance a toy area with crap piled everywhere so maybe that would help you get set in the right direction for what you are looking for.
I walked out. I couldn’t take it. I was screaming «help me, I’m not ready to die» inside. For some reason my husband decided to stay & look around while I waited outside in the hot Texas sun, withering in the heat & fearing for his safety. He took awhile, but eventually found his way back out. He said he did find something that interested him but the price was too high for it. You know how it is… Hoarders think everything they have is gold & don’t want to separate with their belongings. The clerk gave the «this is worth x $» speech to him. We all know that actually right now it’s worth nothing buried in your junk collection but go ahead & hold onto that delusion.
I just wouldn’t ever return because I fear a mental break but I know hoarders will love it so have at it.

What a crazy, crazy store. There’s so much crap piled on top of other crap. No doubt you’ll find something great here if you know what you’re looking for — figurines, posters, books, china, a life-​size plastic statue of the Wicked Witch of the West…
It’s also a great alternative to the annoyingly curated «found art» stores in SoCo that charge $ 90 for an old afghan.
Unfortunately, many items are broken from just having been dumped on the floor or crammed onto the shelves. It’s kind of a shame. I’m no appraiser, but considering the treatment of the items, prices can be a little surprising too — you walk in and declare in a smug voice, «One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!» — But that only applies when you’re not paying someone for said trash, in which case, your treasure is also the storeowner’s.

This shop has so much incredible items in it! When you walk in, you just do not know where to start. It is a real antique type shop. Piles and Piles of items! You can barely walk through it! You are scared to touch anything because it might break or might cause a chain of reaction for things to fall! Its really an awesome shop.
They have a huge selection of memorabilia! I am not an Elvis fan but for people who are, you will find some good stuff! They have a lot of Science Fiction toys in the back which delights my geeky heart! When I went, my friends and I spent hours in the shop just digging.
The shop is wonderful but the prices are ridiculous! I ended up buying about 5 small items that would not even equal up to $ 10 dollars but they would haggle down past $ 20. I purchased them because the items went perfectly with a cosplay I was creating. My friend ended up getting some bottles and some items for her cosplay and all of her items came out to $ 28. She herself did not want to spend more than $ 20 and ended up putting back 2 of the larges and most expensive (or what you would think would be the most expensive) items and they only knocked down the price my 2 bucks. Really!!! Its an antique shop for a reason and I get the whole «antique hipster» style is in and people are aware of it it but come on! Haggle with people! The pricing and non responsive like attitude just makes the place not worth going to unless I have to.

The place gets 2 stars for the selection — I can’t imagine you wouldn’t find something you like here. All of the people in my party did!
Here’s the problem: we all left with NOTHING. The owner is a wreck. I had a small stack of magazines and asked what the pricing was. She looked at them, said «Twenty eight,» and quickly walked away. I had to find her again to ask how the pricing worked (I only really wanted to spend $ 20, so I thought I might put a few away because I had assumed they’d be cheaper) and she told me «Twenty eight is how much they are» and walked away again. It pissed me off so much I just put them all down and walked over to Recycled Reads.
My family joined me and all had similar experiences that made them set their stuff down and walk away. My mom thought a grinch stuffed animal was cute, and asked for it for $ 5. The owner said $ 8 and walked away. I also saw her tell a girl that a poster was $ 200, but also walked away when she asked why.
I felt like I was getting sized up and taken for a ride. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else walked up with the exact same random stack of magazines, she would say $ 58 or $ 10. I absolutely hated how my family and I were treated. I really wanted those magazines, and I just couldn’t make myself hand my money over to this lady.
I didn’t mind the layout of the store, but it’s pretty intense and hard to find anything in here. I liked the selection, and many cool things were found, but I will NEVER be back.

If you’re looking for vintage toys from the 80s and 90s this is the spot! Linda usually always has some great Texas musician memorabilia as well.
She’s hard to haggle with but her prices are usually on the upper-​fair price.
I’d recommend stopping by when you have at least an hour or two to search through the stacks, there are gems hidden all over the place!

Please understand that Out Of The Past is for the true junkster, the person who loves to wade and pick through piles of old stuff to find that one treasure. The person who doesn’t mind dust, dirt, and poor organization — the person who gets a true thrill searching through stacks of random stuff to find some real goodies.
What you can expect to find: amazing vintage glassware (the best I’ve found in Austin so far), antique tins/​cans/​canisters, kitchenware, vintage/​antique jewelry, toys, action figures, Star Wars and Star Trek collectables, old posters, vinyl LPs and 45s, comic books, lunchboxes, dolls, antique clocks.
I was in heaven. If you love vintage/​antiques not just as a trend or to be involved in the latest novelty you will love this store as much as I did. I even found myself dancing along to the jaunty bluegrass music I was so happy.
It’s like getting to sort through grandpa’s garage as a kid — the hunt is as much fun as finding the actual item.
The owner has a pretty intense personality but I found her funny, helpful, and willing to give me a good deal. She helped me find the match to a pepper shaker I wanted.
I found a set of gorgeous vintage colored aluminum salt and pepper shakers and a 1994 Wolverine figurine new in the box — she charged me $ 13. More than fair.
Tips: nothing has a price tag, ask the owner and she will easily tell you the price. They take credit cards. Watch your purse or umbrella when you walk — it’s easy to accidentally knock things. Move slowly and take your time. If you are looking for something specific, ask the owner — she will find it.