As a city, Houston is a mix of the old and new, but if you have a preference for the old, you may want to consider the many antique shops Houston has to offer. Not all antique stores have to be full of expensive items. Sometimes the most fun places to shop are those where you discover a treasure amid a a large arrangement of other unrelated items. This type of store makes for some of the best places in Houston to go antiquing for great finds and even better bargains.

Carolyn Thompson Antique Center of Texas
9950 Hempstead Road
600 Northwest Mall
Houston, Texas 77092
(713) 688-4211
www.antiquecenteroftexas.com

The Carolyn Thompson Antique Center of Texas has recently moved from its location on the West Loop feeder road to inside Northwest mall. With 150 different spots for dealers, walking into the Antique Center of Texas is like entering a giant flea market, and like a flea market, many of the dealers are willing to negotiate prices on the antiques they sell. They will even make purchases on site. So bring your antiques and your wallet and be prepared to find the perfect antique piece for your home or collection.

Heights Station Antiques
121 Heights Blvd.
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 868-3175
www.heightsstationantiques.com

Located conveniently on Heights Boulevard near Washington Avenue, Heights Station Antiques is hard to miss. Using an old carriage barn from 1895, this store will amaze you from the moment you first enter. The arrangement of the goods for sale requires a little bit of effort to dig through to find what you want, but the prices and selection make shopping here worth the effort. With over 5,000 square feet of selling space and a variety of vendors, this is a great place to spend an long lunch hour during the week or a weekend.

Wabash Antiques and Feed Store
5701 Washington Ave.
Houston, Texas 77007
(713) 863-8322
www.wabashfeed.com

If laid-back, country antiques are more your style, check out Wabash Antiques and Feed Store. This place is the definition of eclectic. They have hardware, garden supplies, pet products, gifts, a farmers market and antiques. Most of the antiques come from farms in the Mid-West, so you are likely to find things like wagon wheels, Dutch ovens, old farming equipment, butter churns and old tools. While you are antiquing, you can also browse through the other offerings this store has, and it’s just minutes west of downtown on Washington Avenue.

August Antiques
803 Heights Blvd.
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 861-3335
www.bensantiquegardening.com

Perhaps one of the most unique antique store in Houston is August Antiques. Unlike other stores, this shop on Heights Boulevard specializes in antiques from New England. Yankee transplants to Houston and those with an affinity for the utilitarian style of many pieces of antique furniture from that region will enjoy a trip to August Antiques, but furnishings are not the only thing they sell. Be sure to check out the collection of antique books, some of them from the 1700s and 1800s. There are also old radios and a large selection of religious items here. Be sure to check out the area called Ben’s Antique Gardening for old-fashioned items to add to your yard or garden.

Related: Best Thrift Stores & Flea Markets in Houston

Market Place Antiques and Collectibles
10940 Katy Freeway
Houston, TX 77043
(713) 880-3353

Those who want to have a wide variety of antique and collectible vendors to choose from should try the two adjacent buildings of Market Place Antiques and Collectibles, located on the Katy Freeway feeder road just to the west of Beltway 8. This place has vendors with large collections that look like they were pulled from their grandmother’s attic. Others specialize in a single item like stained glass or stamps. This location has one set of shops in a strip center, and just behind it is a second barn-like building with more vendors in an open space. Be sure to visit both. The Market Place can get very busy on Saturdays, so get there early for the best selection or go on a Friday or Sunday. The site is not open the rest of the week.

Related: Best Bargain Hunting in Houston

Crystal Hessong is a freelance writer and a lifelong, fourth generation Houstonian. She is currently covering Home & Life. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.