Deals Worth the Drive

Southern Living, Apr 2005

Pull over for treasures in Arkansas at this antiques mall off I-40.

Road warriors speeding down the interstate find good reason to lift the pedal off the metal and stop for some shopping. Just 10 minutes outside of Little Rock lies Exit 142, home to the 1-40 Antique Mall. More than 6,000 square feet of 18th- and early 19th-century English, Italian, and French finds lead customers into a shopping sanctuary.

Unlike many antiques malls teeming with disorganized trinkets, flea market merchandise, and cluttered booths, I-40 sports decorative displays that showcase realistic ideas for the home. "We've just finished traveling 3,100 miles in three weeks searching for antiques," says coowner Georgiana Gunn, an interior designer for 35 years. She and her husband, Leland, a furniture distributor, combined their passions into an explosive shopping experience when they opened the store 11 years ago.

Hidden Treasures

Today visitors vie for the fanciful objects that could only come from a keen collecting eye. The generous offerings include leather-bound books sold by vendor Jim Rule. Gorgeously fringed in gold, they come signed and some date as far back as the 1700s.

For the World War II and Civil War collector, Leland stocks everything from helmets to daggers to doctor kits. "He carries the men things," says Georgiana with a grin.

But the women get their due too. Several dealers at I-40 specialize in antique textiles. French and English fabrics overlay beautiful pillows and accent any area of the home. Vendor/artist Zif Smith uses Italian fragments such as old framing to create beautiful mirrors ($475). Less expensive wares are the genuine Florentine trays ($10) and antique linens ($35). "We price things so that no one has to leave here empty-handed," says Georgiana.

I-40 Antique Mall: 13021 Long Fisher Road, North Little Rock, AR 72113; (501) 851-0039. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday.