Orange antique shops, a slice of vintage Americana

The city of Orange’s iconic plaza attracts locals as well as visitors. Shops selling vintage wares and collectibles are within easy walking distance in the pedestrian-friendly district. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

June 24, 2013 9:15 AM PT

Old Towne Orange is the antiques capital of the Southland, boosters say. Here’s a quick spin through some of the highlights of the charming shopping district.

An impressive array of more than 300 stained glass windows hang in the back of the store George II. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

George II owner Jeff Parris specializes in European furnishings from the 1800s and on -- such as these 20th century English clocks -- all set in an 1886 building. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Paul Gulino, an associate professor at nearby Chapman University, peruses vintage records at Mr. C’s Rare Records. The store has more than 400,000 pieces of vintage vinyl from 1946 to 1986. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Decked out head to toe in vintage clothing, Peter Hamilton works the register at Joy Ride. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Joy Ride owner Robert Houston shows off a collection of rings from the 1930s through the 1970s. Houston says the store sells “anything a man would have worn, carried on his person or decorated his room with from Victorian times until the 1960s.” (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Vintage shaving paraphernalia at Joy Ride. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Patches — military, NASA, Boy Scouts of America and more, $1 to $100 apiece — decorate a wall at Joy Ride. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Orange resident Jakob Lee and his friend Erica Colburn of Santa Ana peruse the men’s vintage fashion shop. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Crossing paths: Past meets present at Country Roads Antiques and Gardens, where inside 70 vendors have stalls of furnishings in three buildings. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Inside Country Roads Antiques & Gardens. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

The open-air area at the back of Country Roads Antiques & Gardens has concrete statues, watering cans, Adirondack chairs and more. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Dog lovers will appreciate the window display at Grand Avenue Antiques, where canine collectibles — prints, bookends, figurines and paperweights — are part of the draw. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

The vintage jewelry and accessories at Elsewhere include a 1940s floral broach. The store also carries cocktail dresses from the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s, plus an upscale collection of dresses, hats, bags, scarves and gloves. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

An unusual Victorian lion inkwell at Vault Fine Antiques, which operates in the 1912 Campbell Opera House building on Plaza Square. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

A gold, hand-painted brooch circa 1920 is signed “Lillian Russell” on the back. The piece is among the jewelry, art glass and early California paintings for sale at Vault Fine Antiques. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Manager Liliana Alcala writes up a check at Watson’s Drug & Soda Fountain, in business since 1899. Jo Burdict-Gottlieb, 79, right, has been a customer since she was a little girl. “My parents brought me here for the first time when I was just 4.” (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)