American Gothic Antiques

Great place to shop if you like being followed around by the store's ""security"" personnel as if you are some kind of common thief.\r \r While in their store one afternoon, I was looking around on the 2nd floor. I noticed a gray haired man in the same general area that I was in. As I moved along shopping, I noticed that he was moving in the same general direction as me. \r \r It didn't faze me until I was looking through a collection of refrigerator magnets and cards and he positioned himself directly behind me and acted as if he was waiting to look at the same thing. After catching on to his little game, I moved on and he ""acted"" as if he was looking through the same merchandise that I had just looked at. Probably checking to see if anything was missing.\r \r He went downstairs shortly after that and I overheard one of the store employees asking him if there was anybody upstairs. He said something to the effect of ""just one person"". They continued their banter and the lady made some snarky comment alluding to their ""smart alec"" dealers. Kind of strange, I thought.\r \r I proceeded to look through the first floor, and sure enough, he again appeared in the same area that I was in and followed me some more. I immediately left the store.\r \r First of all, if you are going to have people wandering the store watching customers, they could at least be DISCREET about it. It is your right to monitor store activity, but it was a real turn off to feel like I was being viewed as a common thief.\r \r If this is a general practice of yours, it's a great way to lose business, and judging from the 4 other customers I did see in your store while I was there, you can't afford to lose the business, especially in this economy. \r \r The 3 other antique stores that I went to that same day had a steady flow of customers, and I was not followed around by any of the store employees. There was a guy moving around one of the stores and observing people, but he was also asking customers if he could help them find what they were looking for. \r \r Perhaps the employees at American Gothic Antiques would benefit from some training in store security and customer relations.\r \r I will tell others about this experience. more

This has gotten to be one of my favorite shops for bargain hunting. As with most Stillwater shops, it seems the vendors try to price high, but there's enough lack of knowledge of values on their part that it's worth a weekly stop. An unbelievable bargain can be had at least once a month in my experience. Pros: Sleepers can be found. Cons: Many stairs. Fairly small shop. Stillwater parking problems. more

Great anitque shop. Well rounded selection. Desent selection of furnature, pottery, kink-naks and jewelery (both fine and costume). Staff is helpful and educated. Pros: Good service and selection Cons: Stillwater parking can be a challange, try a weekday. more