Discover the Hartville Antique and Thrift Trail with a new map and online shopping guide.
The Hartville Antique and Thrift Trail will take shoppers on a self-guided tour to 16 businesses that offer antiques and vintage, resale clothing and home decor, upcycled handmade items, and a wide range of collectibles and flea market finds.
Hartville is a unique destination for those who enjoy antiquing and thrifting.
“Each year at the Hartville Marketplace and Flea Market, we see close to a million guests looking for a large variety of items. Some are looking for fresh produce, some are looking for antiques and collectibles, and others are just looking for that unique find,” said general manager Seth Coblentz. “Antiquers have always called us a treasure hunter’s paradise because you really never know what you will find out here and the stories behind the treasures that are found.”
Trail locations are situated along the two-mile stretch of the West Maple Street corridor from Hartville MarketPlace & Flea Market to Historic Downtown Hartville. The close proximity of the shops and walkability of many locations in the historic downtown makes a visit to Hartville an ideal spot while gas prices are high. Planning an excursion and using the map to plot a route helps minimize mileage and save a little money while still enjoying a shopping adventure.
Thrifting and antiquing have long been associated with the Hartville area. A growing trend combines that pastime with traveling and collecting items while visiting different towns. The new trail guide emerged from an increase in the number of requests to the Chamber for a list of antique and resale shops in the area.
“Thrifting has continually grown. Some people make a business of thrifting, finding a great deal, and reselling,” said Hartville Thrift Shoppe General Manager Phil Stauffer. “There’s a trend among the younger generation to thrift shop for affordable, interesting, and vintage fashion, and practically speaking, parents use it as an affordable way to augment their need to clothe a growing family.”
The Chamber encourages people to visit multiple shops and locations on the Antique and Thrift Trail.
“There are shops on the list that are one to two years old, many that have been staples in the community for 10, 20, or 30 years, and the flea market has been in town since 1939,” said Discover Hartville tourism coordinator Megan Wise. “Hartville has become the perfect place to spend a day or two scouring the trail for those one-of-a-kind finds.”
The Hartville Antique and Thrift Trail map and guide were created by the tourism division of the Lake Township Chamber of Commerce. For more information, click here.
