The smell of incense and the sight of clothing from previous generations and artifacts of the past greet anyone who enters an antique store. Collecting antiques has become more popular in the last few years, Antique Treasures owner Mara Metzger said. With multiple stores with different specialties, downtown DeKalb contains enough locations for the antique collector and can appeal to college students with possibilities for gifts and dorm decorations.

Antique Treasures

Antique Treasures, 218 E. Lincoln Highway, specializes in primitives: simple decorations. The store is owned and operated by Mara Metzger and Jeffery Metzger, Sr., who have been collecting antiques for over 20 years. Their products reflect simple rural life and include furniture and various artifacts from a typical farm house, Mara said. Other products include scented candles and jewelry.

Like many antique stores, the business started as a hobby for the Metzgers and grew to become a profitable career, Mara said.

“The jewelry and some of the artifacts are popular with students,” Jeffery said. “We also get art and photography students who want to take pictures for projects.”

Cracker Jax

Cracker Jax, 118 N. Third St., contains vintage clothing, incense, candles, jewelry and coffee. The store is literally music to the ears with older music playing in the background and incense is always burning. Going to antique stores is something fun students can do with friends, Cracker Jax employee Amber Thompson said.

“There’s something of every price range for everyone,” Thompson said.

Cracker Jax comes by its antiques through a variety of methods, including going to estate sales, purchasing collections from customers and going to yard sales and flea markets, Thompson said. If a customer brings something in and sells it to Cracker Jax, when that product sells, the customer gets some of the money back.

Cracker Jax offers additional services that the customer will enjoy like when a customer buys something, they can get it gift-wrapped for free, Thompson said.

Perchance Antiques

Perchance Antiques, 250 E. Lincoln Highway, shares its location with Ducky’s Formal Wear with the latter located on the ground floor and Perchance Antiques housed in the lower level.

On the lower level, Perchance has booths which vendors operate out of for a monthly fee, selling a variety of artifacts, including comic books, vinyl records, candles, soaps, primitives, older toys and smaller furniture.

“Some of the primitives we have are good for students’ dorm rooms,” Perchance Antiques employee Shannon Ghalager said. “Some of the stuff we have has a homey vibe and can remind students of things their parents or grandparents have.”

Poppy Seed Primitives

Poppy Seed Primitives, 255 E. Lincoln Highway, has more primitives that owner Sandy Spier obtained from private collections and flea markets. Like Antique Treasures, the store has a rural theme to it with farmhouse essentials including washboards for sale which can be used as decorations. Artifacts reflecting patriotism, including Uncle Sam memorabilia, can be seen throughout the store.

“We try to find things that are unique,” Spier said. “We generally come by these pieces naturally, given where we live, and it’s very fitting for the area.”

The inclusion of rural artifacts appeals to her customers, she said.

Other items in the store include decorative primitives like clocks and signs with slogans.