Did you know there are 61 PA stops on the antique trail? Here’s how to find them

As one of the oldest U.S. states and birthplace of the nation, Pennsylvania is a key destination for antique shoppers across the country.

But finding a good antique store can be difficult, especially if you’re traveling.

Pennsylvania Antique Trail is a guide to antique stores across the state, marking their locations, specialty items, and events. The guide has 61 stops in Pennsylvania, stretching from Erie to Lancaster.

Marcia Cole Huffman, founder of antiquetrail.com, started the guide in 2010 with her friend and business partner Bruce Pate. After retiring from her job at Boeing, Huffman spent her time traveling and browsing antique stores. She began helping store owners create websites, and the idea of a brochure and online guide to antiquing was born.

“I want to go to as many antique stores as I can on the way to where I’m going,” Cole Huffman said. “It bothered me there was no way that I could really tell where they were, so I decided that we should do a brochure and a map online we call the antique trail route.”

At first, the guide was only for Cole Huffman’s home state, Alabama, but in the decade since, the trail has spread to 26 states with nearly 1,400 stores.

Ann Lordi, the trail’s representative in Pennsylvania, joined last year helping to involve the antique stores in the Adamstown area. Lordi also works with Antique Capital USA, an organization of dozens of antique dealers along a seven-mile strip of Route 272.

Lordi said Pennsylvania is a destination for antiquers across the country, especially those in the South.

“We have lots of old homes, old possessions and the weather is favorable to preserving them, as opposed to the South,” Londi said. “And so people find in their homes, and their family’s homes, more antiques that are more valuable than in other states.”

During the pandemic, the antique trail team switched focus, running a free online store where members could upload their antiques for sale.

“My team worked harder than ever, calling all our members and teaching them how to upload their products to our online store,” Cole Huffman said. “So even though people weren’t going anywhere they could still buy from our stores.”

The website’s purpose is to make antiquing easier for store owners and customers alike. Visitors can map out trips to find the antique stores along their route, or search for items a shop might specialize in, like music, pottery or clothes.

“I love antiques because I think antiques are tangible pieces of history,” Cole Huffman said. “That is why I’m just a fanatic about the whole thing because we lose pieces of history, tangible pieces, every day. When an antique shop will buy the old things and resell them, it kind of recycles history.”

Cole Huffman said she hopes to continue to expand the antique trail with New York as the next state. Antique stores not yet affiliated with the trail can apply online or contact the representative in their state.

Antique stores near me: For those looking to antique closer to home, Conklin’s Corner in Philipsburg is a member of the trail. Bellefonte is also home to many antique stores including the Plaza Center Antique Gallery and Victorian House Antiques.

This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 11:24 AM.