Who collects antiques? I know a lot of people are into antiques and collect them, however, it was not something that interested me. My perspective has indeed changed after visiting the Gurnee Antique Center on Saturday. I can now understand why people do collect antiques and go all over the place to find that perfect piece. The furniture, art and other items were beautiful and really well crafted.

Even though I live in Gurnee, I had never noticed the Antique Center and didn’t even realize it existed. When I pulled up, I was surprised at how big the building was. I expected a small shop. When I walked in, I was greeted by a pleasant woman asking if there was anything in particular I needed help finding. I let her know it was my first time to an antique shop, so I was going to explore a little.

The Center is laid out so that you wind up and down rows of items. It is broken into sections with similar items. The first section that caught my eye was an area that had some old games. I especially liked an old foosball table they had on display. It’s interesting that after all of these years, the game has not changed. It’s just gotten more high-tech and bigger than the past. Many of the kids toys were fun to look at too. Again, there were many toys that were similar to the classic toys you see today for kids, stacking blocks, puzzles, etc. The craftsmanship of the items was generally wonderful and truly impressive.

Another area I spent a lot of time looking at was the jewelry section. There were so many pieces that I loved…and wanted! There were a lot of beautiful beaded bracelets and necklaces that actually reminded me of the type of stylish jewelry you see in stores right now. What is different about these pieces is that you know there is some type of history that goes along with each piece. This, I realize, must be one of the reasons people love to shop and buy antiques.

I enjoyed looking at the glass case that held all of the cameras. These were really neat to look at. The cameras were so big, I cannot imagine having to drag one of those old cameras with me anywhere. We truly are spoiled today with how little cameras have become. My camera is so small that I actually keep it with me all the time in my purse.

What there seemed to be the most of was artwork. Throughout the entire building, paintings lined many of the walls. There were so many that caught my eye, a lot of different styles and times.

I spent a lot of time at the Gurnee Antique Center. There is so much to see and I truly do have a better understanding as to why people love and collect antiques. I found myself day dreaming and trying to imagine who and how each of these pieces were used. So many of the pieces must have an amazing history to them, which makes shopping antiques all the more interesting and fun!

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