The Original Treasure Mart

It’s Black Friday, and the malls look like a giant petri dish. I guess the Covid-19 restrictions placed on family gatherings didn’t apply to the shopping center the day after Thanksgiving. Rooster needed to go to Indianapolis for a Covid test before his scheduled surgery next week. We drove past the mall on our way out of town. On our return home, our daughter called and suggested we meet her and her husband at the Original Treasure Mart in Kokomo. Rooster set his phone’s GPS for 1201 E. Vaile Avenue, and we spent Black Friday at the Original Treasure Mart.

Why we’ve decided to take our adventure to the antique shop

Covid-19 closed museums in Indiana. Therefore, Rooster and I started visiting antique stores and junk shops. Rooster and I have a strong desire to look at interesting artifacts from the past. There are countless television shows that center around this activity. American Pickers is the first one that comes to mind. Members of our family have caught the bug.

After we took our daughter Marci and her husband Jeff to the Midland Arts and Antique Mall, they seem to have acquired an interest in exploring the exotic atmosphere of the junk shop and antique store. I believe Marci prefers these locations over the museum because she can purchase the interesting items she finds.

What we liked about the Original Treasure Mart

The first thing we noticed when we walked through the door is the Original Treasure Mart’s holiday decorations. Every booth displayed a Christmas tree, the smell of cinnamon clung to the air, and Christmas music played on the sound system. The atmosphere created an urge to buy stuff to put under the tree on Christmas morning.

There are 60,000 square feet in the three-story warehouse, and every inch of it was filled with unusual items. We wandered through all the booths in this massive structure and didn’t get within 6 feet of any other shoppers. There were many other people who were in the store due to the number of cars in the parking lot. We saw antiques, unique primitive gifts, furniture, old quilts, and an assortment of intriguing gift ideas.

Reasonable prices at the Original Treasure Mart

What we liked most about the Original Treasure Mart centered around the reasonable prices of the items they had for sale. If you will remember, we all thought the items at Midland Arts and Antique Mall were too expensive. The Original Treasure Mart wasn’t as upscale, but the prices were right, the booths were clean and well organized, and the selection of the items they had to offer was unique. You can find more interesting stuff here than you ever would come across at the mall. If you are into reusing and repurposing, this is the place for you.

Side note concerning the Original Treasure Mart

There are two locations in the city of Kokomo with Treasure Mart as part of their store name, so it is easy to get confused. There is the Original Treasure Mart located at 1201 E Vaile Ave, and the Treasure Mart Mall located at 116 W. Alto Road. I’m not certain why the stores have similar names, but I heard it stemmed from a disagreement between former partners. The store we visited was the Original Treasure Mart. Rooster and I will have to make a return trip to evaluate the other antique store.

In Conclusion

We spent a couple of enjoyable hours on Black Friday wandering through the Original Treasure Mart. I recommend stopping here before you make your trip to Indianapolis to the Midland Arts and Antique Mall. You might find what you’re looking for at a reasonable price.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!