COLLECTIBLES : Antiquers Tired of the Same Old Things Can Try Outside O.C.

Local collectors know that the old-town areas of Orange, Garden Grove and Fullerton are the places to go in Orange County when they want to spend the day antiquing.

But if you’ve seen all that’s here and want something a little different, there’s a lot beyond the county line. While there are thousands of antique shops in the Southland, certain areas have emerged as definitive antique districts, each with its own specialties and distinctions.

The following areas are good for a day’s worth of browsing and buying, according to Frank Donadee, president of the Southern California Collectors Assn.

Melrose Place

Long before the television show, this short street in Los Angeles--off Melrose Avenue near La Cienega Boulevard--was known to those in the antique industry as the place to find high-end items.

There are about 15 shops, many of which show their merchandise by appointment only.

“It is famous for having real antiques, things that are 300 to 500 years old,” Donadee says. “It is very rare to find something more than 150 years old in other districts.”

He says it is the area’s proximity to Beverly Hills and other tony enclaves, where antiques come available through estate sales, that has helped the area keep its exclusive status.

“This is not for the casual browser . . . very few of them actually let you in the store,” Donadee says. “The merchandise is priced up to $10,000, $20,000.”

Redlands

Melrose Place may be the place to go for high-end items, but Outer Highway 10 is where you can find good stuff, cheap.

“What distinguishes this area is that it has the best bargains,” Donadee says. “You can find things priced very low, some things they are practically giving away.”

Ten antique businesses line the highway, near the San Bernardino (10) Freeway at Yucaipa Boulevard.

Pomona Mall

The Pomona Mall is a two-block pedestrian-only area from Garey Avenue to Gibbs Street in downtown Pomona. It has about 18 antique shops and five antique malls.

“Someone could easily park their car at 9:30 in the morning, walk around, and leave at 6:30 and not have seen all the shops,” he says.

The area is known for its Collectors Street Fair, held four or five times a year when there is a fifth Saturday in any given month.

“It’s been going on since 1984,” Donadee says. “There are 150 or more dealers who set up their shops. There’s a wide range of collectibles, from small thimbles to large armoires.

“The real sign of the event’s success is that other antique districts (in Southern California) won’t schedule something that day, knowing that everyone will be going to Pomona.”

Brinkerhoff Avenue

About a dozen shops are along Brinkerhoff Avenue in downtown Santa Barbara, all housed in Victorian or California bungalow-style homes.

It is the quilt sale, held each year in July, for which the area is best known, Donadee says.

“People come from all over Southern California for it; it’s a real tradition. It is the event that everyone knows about, that everyone plans for.”

Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach in San Diego County is the latest area to gain antique district status from the Southern California Collectors Assn.

About 10 antique shops, including two large malls, are on Newport Avenue south of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.