Mill Street Antiques, Cloverdale
Some antique stores just do it better. And none better than Mill Street Antiques in Cloverdale. Whenever I’m craving some cool old shit that I know will make my house look like a wildly awesome person with scary good taste lives there, I book it up to Mill Street. This is also where I buy Christmas gifts for every single person on my list each year—a strategy that has yet to fail me. (Right, guys?) And I’ve never been mad at a price tag.
Turns out Mill Street Antiques used to be located in a giant warehouse on, yes, Mill Street in Healdsburg. But they had to hit the road last year and move north to a strip mall in Cloverdale—because in Healdsburg, nothing proletariat survives. In a way, though, the downsizing has turned this shop into even more of a gem. It’s like all the filler had to be removed, so only the exceptional stuff remains.
We’re talking rad old glassware, kitchenware, furniture, rugs, books, music, wall art, tchotchkes galore, delicate jewels and other nightstand trinkets for the girlies, vintage clothing that would cost a fortune if a picker got a hold of them, and on and on. At the risk of sounding like a hoarder, it’s all the stuff you never knew you needed. Like, how could you stand in the glow of the giant wooden “Honey” sign from some forgotten farmstand and not buy it?
And at the end of your visit, if you still have a need unmet or someone left on your list, there’s a true emporium of an Ace Hardware store right next door, carrying loads more mad delights in home improvement.
