ORANGE : Downtown Called ‘Antique Capital’

Nestled in the heart of central Orange sits a group of shops most people refer to as the Orange Antique Mall, but Katy Drumm, who manages one of the oldest shops there, has a different title for it--”the antique capital of Southern California.”

“We have more (antique) shops in a four-block walking radius than anywhere else,” said Drumm, who manages Orange Circle Antique Mall.

In fact, on Chapman Avenue and Glassell Street, the two streets that cross the traffic circle in the center of the city, more than 300 antique dealers are crammed into small spaces in four mini-malls and the street-front shops that overall make up the antiques center.

It’s the biggest concentration of antique dealers in Orange County, and likely one of the largest in the Southland.

Each of the four mini-malls house about 75 dealers, each with their own space, where vendors decorate their sections to fit the theme of their wares. Shoppers can browse in little rooms that look like dozens of grandmothers’ attics assembled under one roof, often getting lost in the maze of offerings.

Inside the booths, the goods typically are stacked from floor to ceiling, giving shoppers a wide selection to peruse for the perfect find, be it a charming collectible or a priceless antique.

There are racks of frilly petticoats and knickers in one and rows of sparkling rhinestones and silver filigree in another. Other booths reveal hard-bound children’s books and pails of old kitchen utensils. There are cigar boxes, jewelry boxes, bread boxes and tin cookie boxes.

Drumm pointed out that while some people like to casually lump all the goods together, there is a wide difference between mere collectibles and antiques.

“Antiques are anything more than 100 years old. A collectible is something that’s more like something that was a fad that was made for the era and now the molds are gone--for example, (items from) the ‘20s and . . . Art Deco,” she said.

Zoa Curtis, who works at the Orange Old Towne Antique Mall, explains the difference more simply. “A collectible is something that’s not real old.”

Curtis says her store gets all types of shoppers, from browsers looking at the interesting assortment to serious antique buyers.

Drumm called holiday shopping at the antique malls a “one-stop shop.”

“From a $2 item to stay within your budget to a $10,000 piece of furniture, we have a little something for everyone,” she said.