Stalking antiques in Salt Lake City - Brief Article

Sunset, Dec, 2000 by Kurt Repanshek

* Hunting antiques is one of my favorite sports. My stalking ground in Salt Lake City is a two- by eight-block stretch of downtown just south of Temple Square. There are roughly two dozen antiques shops in this district. In an afternoon pursuit, I can bag anything from mission- or French-style furniture to antique toys.

As a collector of books on national parks and Western discovery, I stop first at Ken Sanders Rare Books (268 South 200 East). There, in a back room doubling as a literary archive, I discover works by some of the 19th century's preeminent Western explorers, from Ferdinand Hayden to John Wesley Powell.

I hunt on. Two blocks east of Sanders stands Anthony's Antiques (401 East 200 South), where I find exquisite 18th- and 19th-century French furniture and some surprises: A massive papal throne roughly 300 years old is being restored downstairs; upstairs, workers unfurl a glorious 17th-century Flemish tapestry.

Several blocks west, I pore over American and European furniture, glass, and porcelain at R.M. Kennard Antiques (65 West 300 South). Almost next door, Brass Key Antiques (43 West 300 South) overflows with late-19th- and early-20th-century furniture, wood skis, books, and postcards. Playthings from the past fill Jitterbug Antiques & Toys (243 East 300 South): trains, trucks, planes, and more.

All that walking can hone an appetite, so I make a refreshing stop at Squatters Pub Brewery (147 W. Broadway), one of Utah's better brew pubs, with burgers, pasta, and gourmet pizzas. Another good choice, for a bowl of homemade soup and sandwich, is Lamb's Restaurant (169 S. Main St.), a Salt Lake City mainstay since 1919.