A tan wooden wine holder sits on the floor, decorated by a small layer of dust. A long dresser serves as its background. On the dresser is a red, egg-shaped cafeteria chair — like the ones found at elementary schools. Above the chair hangs a bright pink, puffy dress from the rafters of Father and Son Antiques.
The floors creak under feet as people shuffle through the dishes lining the bookshelves and dodge the array of things littering the floor — everything from records to lamps to clothes to kitchen supplies to books to art.
Father and Son Antiques is a four-level store that sells an interesting collection of things, according to Brendan Palmer, a senior in art and design.
“It’s like a hunt in the garage,” he said. “You never know what you will find in the next room.”
Kirk Adam, coordinator of the Kirk Adam Gallery on the second and third floors, said Father and Son Antiques acquires its items both locally and by traveling.
Heather Hardison, a sophomore in art and design, said the store is like a thrift store but with nicer old stuff.
Diana Fakhoury, a senior in art and design, said she wouldn’t call Father and Son Antiques a thrift store because its merchandise is better quality.
“It’s a really good place to go when you need to get a present and have no clue what to get the person,” Fakhoury said. “You just go in and mull around.”
Margaret Mason, a junior in industrial design, said she tries to go to Father and Son Antiques as often as she can.
“It seems like every time I go, they’ve opened up more rooms,” she said. “There is always new stuff.”
The furniture is well-made and pretty affordable, according to Campbell.
“They have cool ’60s and ’70s furniture,” Hardison said.
Mason said she has bought an old record player and usually buys her dresses for College of Design events at Father and Son Antiques.
Anyone could spend hours in the store, according to Fakhoury.
Father and Sons also has five rooms devoted to clothing, but has pieces scattered throughout the store including dresses from the ’80s, bathing suits from the ’30s and ’40s and shoes from different time periods.
Marie Fornaro, a junior in art and design, said she likes the sunglasses and clothes, but her favorite thing was the top floor.
On the second and third floors is the Kirk Adam Gallery, which exhibits art, mostly done by local artists.
Andrew Campbell, a freshman in landscape architecture, said he likes how Father and Son Antiques integrates art into the store.
“The gallery upstairs is really neat,” Fakhoury said.
The only complaint students have is about the prices.
Campbell said Father and Son Antiques is expensive for a thrift store.
“The only downfall is that most of the stuff is overpriced,” Fakhoury said.
She said she has tried on clothes before that she likes but were out of her price range so she couldn’t get them.
Also, students said they thought the place had a bad aroma.
“It smells old,” Mason said.
On the first Friday of every month, Father and Son Antiques stays open until midnight.
Mason said she thinks the store stays open late on First Fridays to attract the crowd going to the Fish Market to see the shows.
But other students like Palmer said they appreciated the later hours because they are more available at those times.
Even with the smell and the “overpriced” items, the staff at Father and Son Antiques is agreeable, according to Mason.
“The people who work there are really friendly,” Mason said.
Campbell said the staff members were helpful because when he was looking for the homeless shelter, they were the only ones who knew where it was and were able to tell him.
The atmosphere and variety of items are what make Father and Son Antiques a place students like Mason and Palmer said they like to go.
The best word to describe the store, according to Campbell, is eccentric.
