Armstrong Emporium

I stumbled upon this place last Saturday afternoon.  I was quickly greeted by a friendly hello from one of the staff.  It seemed like this place was family owned and operated just by the way the staff was genuinely caring for one another's well being.  As I started speaking to them about the biz it was in fact a family business.  After brief conversations about the weather I carried  on browsing through the store.  The store was neat and organized in an easy to browse fashion.  They seem to specialize in small antique nick knacks because they did not have a ton of large pieces of furniture or other bulky items.  Many of the items were very interesting and I especially  enjoyed looking at the old magazines ads and articles.  The brands that were advertising in the mags many of them were still around 50-60 years later.  Brands like Lincoln, Dodge, Chapstick,  Old Style, and so many more.  Very cool time capsule type stuff.  The best part about Armstrong's besides being a family business for over 15 years was that fact that these people have very fair pricing.  They are willing to negotiate in order to make the customer happy.  They are not out to gouge you on the price.  If you don't mind dickering a little this is the place to go.  That is what makes antique shopping fun.  The piece can only be worth what you are willing to pay for it.  These folks don't mind getting rid of any of this stuff.  Stop by Armstrong's soon you never know what you might find to catch your eye here.
Mar 15th, 2015

Boo-urns! I think maybe I've been spoiled by really, really awesome antique stores in Reno when I was in college because this place just looked like a dump-truck pulled in and shoved off a bunch of stuff from the 80s and 90s. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm just not interested in looking at (or buying) VHS tapes from 1995.Apparently there are two Armstrong Emporiums, one on Main and another on Commerce. Supposedly the one on Commerce (just a block over) is supposed to bet better and bigger according to the owner.This one though is just a mess. I mean the stuff is just piled on top of things and there's no rhyme or reason to anything. If you want to go to an *antique* store and be able to actually find some gems I would suggest going somewhere else. If you want to browse around for awhile and possibly find something cool then this place may be up your alley.There was an awesome chicken cookie jar there that I had my eye on. But when I looked at the bottom it said it was Made In China. I was hoping it was at least made in America, some kind of kitschy Americana item, but alas, it was China-junk I could get at Wal-Mart. Sad experience.
Jun 23rd, 2011

This is the other location of Armstrong's. We've been to the other store many many times on First Friday, but we wanted to check this one out too. So, my friend and I went over there, kind of in an obscure location (the parking lot is the entrance- kind of odd). I don't think we would've found it on our own- good thing we got some help by the owner- she walked us through one alley and then we went to another- I know, it sounds bad. It was empty though, the alleys. This one is much smaller, much more organized, and not dusty at all. Items are usable, not junky. Very nice setup. I like that most things were grouped together- so much easier to navigate. I also did not get the feeling that I would break things if I bumped into something, either. BTW The owner told us that prices are negotiable. We saw lots of neat things- red goblets at $2 a piece, what a deal (I don't need anything for my kitchen though). My friend wanted a closer look at some things (glass covered case)- the owner was nice about showing her things. Jewelry was a little higher but since the owner said "prices are negotiable" I urged my friend to ask "What's the best price you can give me for this peridot necklace?" It was marked $70. First, she said, "$50." And my friend replied, "Will you take $45?" So, great deal for a pretty piece- has two chains (I don't usually see that- I'm a bit of a jewelry enthusiast). I was happy for my friend, because she's always searching for jewelry, but nothing really caught her eye at the other places. The owner said that she gets many pieces from the auction house and that it is open to the public. We told the owner we would come there first next time for First Friday, since she closes early (she told us that she doesn't get much traffic compared to the other store on Main)- she was nice enough to walk us there and reopen for us, specifically (the other store owners called her- they are family). And since we know that prices are not set in stone, it's certainly worth coming here, now isn't it?
Mar 6th, 2011

You know how some antique stores/thrift shops are fun to browse around in and others just feel like they are rooms filled with a bunch of crap?  I hate to say it, but this "Emporium" is leaning towards the latter.  In comparison to the other antique stores I visited today, this was the bottom of the barrel.I didn't actually set out to find this one.  I was around the corner at The House of Funk and spotted it on my way to the next stop.  Since I was there, I decided to take a chance.Most of the stuff was in piles around the place.  Everything was dirty.  There were a few display cases, but everything was just thrown in them on top of each other so it was almost impossible to see what they even had for sale.  As I walked around, the lights suddenly came on.  I didn't realize but they had the lights out, which would explain some of the inherent creepiness.The one redeeming quality of Armstrong's Emporium is possibly Armstrong?  I don't know who the man was who was in charge of the place, but I assume he was the owner.  He was friendly, although he told me that it is difficult to "feel life" out of the blue.  I am still trying to figure out what that means or where that came from.  I asked him a question about something I was looking for and he gave me a great lead.  One star for that.I am just glad that I didn't get dragged down into the basement to meet The Gimp.
Jun 25th, 2010