Best Antique & Collectibles Malls In Denver

If your idea of bliss is navigating narrow aisles overflowing with one person's "trash" in hopes of finding personal treasure, the Front Range has more than enough antique & collectibles malls to satisfy. Dozens of places are ripe for rummaging through dusty boxes and peering into glass cases clutching a magnifying glass for whatever it is one collects - salt shakers, Olympic lapel pins, trombones or a Louis XIV étagère. Here are some of our favorites.

Antique Exchange

1500 S. Broadway
Denver, CO 80210
(303) 777-7871
www.antique-row.com

Located in the heart Antique Row, this dealers' cooperative is known for roughly 20 quality shops, most of which specialize in furniture. You'll find beautiful pieces made of mahogany, oak, cherry and other distinctive woods in excellent condition. No fixer-uppers, no worn upholstery, nothing in need of re-gluing or refinishing. Additionally, you'll fine decorator accessories and tabletop items. Sure, there's one dealer who located a separate room filled with bric-a-brac, but by and large, this is the place to go for furniture that is ready for a home in your home.

Colorado Antique Gallery

5501 S. Broadway
Littleton, CO 80121
(303) 794-8100
www.coloradoantiquegallery.com

Opened in 1992, Colorado's largest antiques mall was carved out of a former supermarket, leaving 51,000 square feet of space for 275 dealers. Here military pins and patches share space with toy racing cars, original Barbie dolls with Asian ceramics and '60s retro lamps. One booth might be devoted entirely to blue and white household objects, while another sports only duck decoys, snowshoes, wooden skis and golf clubs. Other spaces have tables covered with country kitch, silver spoons or jewelry. Like most antique/collectible malls this place pumps in music. Remember the last time you shopped in a store where you actually knew the words to the songs? 

Hampden Street Antique Market

8964 E. Hampden Ave.
Denver, CO 80231
(303) 721-7992
www.hampdenstreetantiques.com

At first glance Hampden Street Antique Market seems a bit on the puny side, but the place is actually bigger than appears thanks to its clever use of extra rooms and nooks off aisles. Here the ratio of antiques to collectibles is reversed, with more of the former. Aisles are wide so there's plenty of room to maneuver through the vast collections of oak, walnut and mahogany furniture, fine silver, glass, paintings and china. Which doesn't mean you won't also find the occasional Muppet Pez dispenser, Queen Elizabeth II commemorative coronation plate or genuine U.S. Mint canvas bags once used to tote coins.

The Brass Armadillo

11301 West I-70 Frontage Rd.
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
(303) 403-1677
www.brassarmadillo.com

If Denver's collectible scene has an 800-pound gorilla, this would be it. At 49,000 square feet, The Brass Armadillo hosts more than 450 dealers and is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day (except Christmas). You can easily cover one or two miles depending on your navigational method among rows of furniture, glassware, clothing, paintings and other assorted knick-knacks. Glass showcases house the smaller stuff, from pocket watches, railroad spikes and costume jewelry to stuffed Garfield dolls. To get employees to unlock one of the secure cases, potential buyers ring a bell, so every few minutes it sounds like Tinkerbell is waving her wand on a different aisle. Serious collectors spend so much time here that the mall has an on-site café serving soups, sandwiches, brats and salads.