Mall of St. Paul

The Mall of St. Paul is a gem of an antique mall for anyone interested in vintage items or antiques, or anyone looking for treasures of many kinds. I don’t live in the Twin Cities, but when we return to visit family, a couple of hours here is a must.
Nearly every time I’ve been in I’ve found something I liked and I often feel like I’m getting a bargain. The people who work there are friendly and patient while I ask them to unlock one cabinet after another. I just visited and walked away with two new finds and I’m thrilled.
Did I mention the great prices? There’s another antique mall nearby that is a bit more organized and a bit better curated, but also with notably higher prices. Me? I prefer the treasure trove that is the Mall of St. Paul. There are tons to look at and the reasonable prices make shopping here a joy.

No. No no no no no.
This is what TOO MUCH looks/​feels/​sounds/​smells like. Different vendors are playing different music, all at the same time. The lighting makes you feel like you’re looking at items in jail. Most vendors pretty much piled a life’s-worth of things– of all types, eras, and genre– into a 5×7 space and left it to you to sort through them. Prices and quality both vary wildly from vendor to vendor.
And the basement… seriously guys, that layout is just sketchy. It’s labyrinthine and claustrophobic and I found that when faced with choosing whether to appease my curiosity about a rack at the back of someone’s space in the danky dim OR getting back into the sunlight, I chose sunlight every single time.

The Mall of St. Paul is like the shopping equivalent of Mary Poppins’ bag: it looks reasonable on the outside and then all of the sudden you’re in a sub-​basement maze filled with old Corningware and you’re like, «How in the heck… is this the center of the Earth? Are you there Jules Verne? It’s me, Annie D.»
Mixed metaphors aside, if you’re looking for vintage housewares, you should definitely get your butt over there. It’s a little overwhelming, but it’s also fairly priced and hosts a whole variety of vendors that specialize in different eras and items, from board games to jewelry to mid-​century lamps to fur coats to cassette tapes. As with just about every antique mall out there in the world with the usual co-​op vendor model, some of the stuff is pure junk. And some of it is amazing.
I’d recommend putting your name on the list over at Blue Door Pub before you shop, because you’re going to need a beer and a burger after your thrifting expedition. I’d also recommend stopping at the other shops across the street if you have time, because you might be able to furnish your whole house from one corner. Maybe that would be a good challenge for an HGTV show.

I’m not going to pretend to know anything about antiques but it seemed like an over priced garage sale. This place is full of random junk.
If you are into records they seemed to have a good amount of those. They also had a bunch of old school board games which is kinda cool.
I did enjoy playing Super Mario Bros on the arcade machine and the gentleman up front was nice.
Bottom line there are so many better antique shops in the twin cities, that I wouldn’t waste my time coming here.

I had this place in my bookmarks of places to try. I found myself in the area so I decided to stop by. Little did I know it was right new to Blue Door Pub! Love that place!
So upon entering, you’re greeted with that old vintage smell. And right off the bat your eyes go in to a crazy mode of «where do I look first?»
This place is two levels, but I only had time to search the top floor. SO MUCH STUFF!
I know they generally have sorted things out around the store, but there is just so much that it’s really hard to go in with anything in particular to look at in mind.
I did not purchase anything on this visit, but it doesn’t mean that I won’t be back!
Overall, just a fun place to search around on a lazy day!

A St. Paul classic. Don’t forget to check out the basement.

My 1^st visit will NOT be my last! LOVE LOVE LOVE this place. I heard about it on My Talk 107.1… I’m a huge fan of Mall of St. Paul!

This is a great antique mall. It is much larger than it looks from the outside so set aside at least an hour or two to browse. There is a restroom available to customers so you really can take your time! The majority of the dealers have really good prices. You can buy a bunch of stuff and not break the bank. In fact, I rounded up 2 paper grocery bags worth of bakelite era jewelry and crib toys, millinery supplies, 1950’s fisher price, 1960’s doll clothing, rhinestone buttons, and a 1960’s pajama bag that doubles as a plush mouse friend and wall hanging for about $ 70 total. There are lots of wonderful collections tucked away in this mall that are so fun to look through! Also the staff members were very willing to run around to all the cases I needed unlocked.

Its said the store is wheel chair accessible, only th front door and certain parts of the store. 90%of the store is inaccessible by a wheel hair the store is not really that handicapped friendly.

There is sooooo much stuff here I spent hours looking! There is a lot of variety, you’ll probably almost always find something you’ve been looking for.
The only downside was parking, we did go on a Sunday and the bar was packed so it made it difficult to find parking.

While I never specifically head to the Mall of St. Paul, I do appreciate its existence. It has saved me many a long waits for BDP.
This place is jammed with all kinds of oddities. I love the basement area the best. It has old clothes, furniture, afghans, and haphazard floors/​ceilings. Seriously, watch your head and your step.
My favorite purchase was a cute, vintage kitchen table here for close nothing. I also envy the colorful afghans that my friend purchased. A little confused by all the Missoni for Target merch though.

I’m sure there are better antique shops in the cities, but I typically enjoy this large — two floor — shop.
I’ve purchased a few small things here for projects — scrabble pieces for magnets, wood blocks for baby name plates, kitschy gifts and a few older jewelry items. Things are typically fairly priced; however, every now and then there is an overpriced item — as is the case with all «antique» stores.
The employees fluctuate on their friendliness… I’d have to say the main guy you see there all the time is typically not friendly.
Worth a stop…

We stopped in here last night while waiting for a table at the Blue Door next door. I generally like this type of shop. I don’t mind digging and I love old things, and I love the idea that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
This place is HUGE… really big. There’s a really vast selection of all things vintage, from records to dishes to books to clothes. It’s a really fun place to look around, and some of the stuff they have is really, really neat. I can see that they don’t take just anything — it’s not a junk store. Most of the items were in really good shape, clean, without cracks or chips, definitely able to be used in a new home. This would be a great place to pick up things for a the set of a play or costumes or even events where you need say, 20 mason jars or lots of different flower vases, etc.
I took a trip down memory lane in the area where they keep all the kitchen stuff. I saw a set of bakeware my mother once had, some old-​school Tupperware and a couple of items that were newer even that I certainly wouldn’t have minded taking home.
And while the collection is impressive, my biggest complait is that the store is just kind of musty. That’s not to say it’s not well-​kept. The items are obviously cared for. But many of the ceiling tiles are brown and stained with old water stains. I know it’s old stuff, and most of it is clean. But there’s something about this store that makes you feel like you’re inhaling dust, dirt or mold the whole time. I don’t honestly know if it’s the store space or the items stocked inside that make it feel this way, but I really felt like I could use some fresh air and a hepa filter by the time I stepped outside. I didn’t even go down into the basement because I was afraid the air would be even worse down there.
We also thought the prices were a bit on the high side … and everything is tagged by hand with a price of $XX.XX FIRM. I get it – you don’t want people who will haggle with you. The prices are set where they are. But I felt like it was kind of tacky to put FIRM on every single price tag. Just my two cents.
So I think in general, a fun place to shop and find some hidden treasures. But I wish they were in a newer, cleaner space.

I love this place. I have a soft spot for cool mugs and have found some of the most amazing mugs in this place. There is a large variety of things from records to jewelry to kitchen electronics and even furniture. It’s a short walk from my place so I just love to wander over and have a leisurely browse through the little nooks and crannies of this place. Don’t forget there’s a whole basement filled with stuff too! I find most of it is very reasonably priced as well. Even for someone who doesn’t think they are into «antiques», trust me when I say this place is great.

Step 1. Prep yourself with a Powerbar or Gatorade
Step 2. Browse through the intriguing maze that is the Mall of St Paul for a while
Step 3. Make purchases
Step 4. Enjoy a burger at the Blue Door Pub
This modest-​looking store is nothing but. SO. MUCH. STUFF. Lots of antiques but a lot of it is quite affordable as well. Lots of vintage clothing, particularly in the basement. The basement. Oh jeez. It’s equally enormous and a little spooky, but when you make it back alive upstairs, you get a good feeling.

Love this little haunt down from the Blue Door Pub. Tons of selection and with so many nooks and crannies, you could literally lose yourself in this shop. Eat first so you’re not searching for a meal and a good bargain at the same time or you’ll become dizzy ;)

Well years ago 2 of my favorite antique haunts closed up. Fortunately I found this place through my neighbor Rachael.
I have actually spent up to six hours at a time in this place. They have a soda machine & a bathroom for just such an occasion !!!
I found my yellow wall mount push button telephone there.
Awesome place with all kinds of awesome stuff. And the block the «Missouri Mouse Antiques»
Mr. Rik

I scored some really sweet Nemadji Pottery from the Mall this weekend. It’s not something you see everywhere but if you’re a fan you scoop it up.
Word to the wise — I didn’t grab it all.
The parking isn’t the best. I was just there over the New Year’s weekend and the snow was everywhere. I felt like I was parking in the middle of the road. Not the Mall’s fault I suppose but it would be great if they had a nice lot.

The Mall of St. Paul is quickly becoming my favorite antique store in St. Paul and is giving Sophie Joe’s on West 7^th a run for their money! This antique mall seems to go on for days and don’t forget that there’s a downstairs. (I’m not sure how many dealers are in this place but it is well stocked.) If you are looking for retro ’70’s or ’60’s glasswear to gussy up your place, you can buy it here. I felt like I was on the set of «Mad Men» when I feasted my eyes on a ’60’s cake saver and six little juice glasses. They also have a fine selection of clothes and costume jewelry, records galore, and, of course, loads of knick knacks.

My brother is a student at the University of St. Thomas, and I was visiting him one week and needed to kill some time while he was in a class. Because it was a beautiful day and I had nothing better to do, I decided to walk around the area until I found something interesting.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t find anything interesting for a while, so I instead decided to turn off the beaten path and just walk through the neighborhoods a little bit. Boy am I glad I did, because it led me to this Mecca of antiques.
The Antique Mall in St. Paul is a huge (seemingly endless, in fact) shop with loads of great pieces. Loads of knick knacks, jewelry, hand bags, and (my favorite!) clothes! Almost everything was in great condition and I seemed to find something new to catch my eye every way I turned. I go back every time I visit my brother to see what new pieces they’ve brought in, and I love them every time.
As I said, it’s off the beaten path a bit, but worth the find!