Carter's Creek Station in Columbia, TN is another one of my favorite places to shop. Owned and operated by Linda Jones-Lloyd, it is a wonderland of the old and unusual. Every time I visit my grandmother in Columbia (which admittedly is not as frequent as it should be) I stop by this old country store in the middle of nowhere. My mother and I are often the only visitors when we're shopping (no worries though, they do alright) so it's as though you're exploring a place that no one else knows about. The shop consists of a 100 year old general store and "The Granary" which is across the street right on the tracks where they unloaded deliveries from the trains oh so many years ago. There are several rooms filled ceiling to floor with every era and kind of antique imaginable. Everything from fine Victorian furniture to primitive pie safes to mid-century modern kitsch are represented and affordably priced.
Generally speaking "The Granary" contains the over-flow merchandise or things that are maybe a little too junky (my favorites items, by the way!) for the antique store proper. I find it handy to have my digital camera with me so that is there is something without a price tag I can snap a picture and show it to Linda when I walk back across the street. (it beats awkwardly trying to describe it and where it's located in relation to other items) Linda, the owner, is a doll and as funny as they come. I once weathered a tornado in her shop and the entire time she was cool as a cucumber, cracking jokes and talking about the fortitude (or lack thereof) of the building we were in. She is often out of the store at auctions, estate sales, yard sales and the like, but not to worry the folks she leaves in her stead are just a kind and helpful and Linda is always available by phone to help price anything unmarked or find something she set aside for you. Once she gets a feel for items you may be looking for she often adds them to her shopping list and brings you back treasures from all over the Southeast. It is not merely her finds in the store, she rents booth space to several people adding to the eclectic flavor of the store.
There's almost always something I have never seen before at Carter's Creek Station. Things both sweet & traditional and that which is funky & bizarre. Over the years I have purchased an adult tricycle, countless furniture items, Indonesian Buddha heads, architectural findings, dolls, jewelry, men's ties, crocheted doll panties (yeah, you read that right!), the list goes on and on, but suffice to say that there's plenty to choose from and the price is always right. I challenge you to not find something you want to take home! I always find some treasure (more often than not several treasures) there every time I visit, not to mention that the bucolic setting and a profusion of eye-candy, make it a must see if you find yourself in the area.
Carter's Creek Station Antiques is located at:2984 Carter's Creek Station Road
Columbia, TN 38401
931-486-0405
Thursday - Saturday 10 am until 5 pm (sometimes later)
Sunday 1 pm - 5 pm
Monday - Wednesday by appointment call 931-270-0720 or 931-619-1072
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