Exit 76 Antique Mall
Reviews
I go to Exit 76 religiously once a year. It's a long drive but worth it to me to find items that I can't find in my area. The staff is nice, although to be fair, not overly so. The prices are comparable to malls in my area. Some reviewers may be upset about pricing, but this isn't a flea market and you can't make "deals" and there are many people who refuse to pay the ticketed price just because they are used to doing business this way. Collectors looking for something specific can't help but find it in this hugs place and overall, it's clean, well, lit, comfortable and a joy to shop in.
When I first went to this antique mall, I loved it! I had always wanted to stop there when traveling along I-65 but never got the chance until back in June. I'm a vintage/antique jewelry fanatic and found tons of stuff that I napped up, spending over $400! When I went to check out, it was chaos. First, they had my stuff mixed up with someone else's stuff... so then I had to separate what wasn't mine. Then, he wanted to ring up the stuff that was from 'sale' booths in two separate transactions, which was fine.. until I thought the second total sounded a bit high, looked over the receipt and was double charged for over $100 which they refunded to my card. When I got to where I was going on my trip, I carefully went through the receipt and my items since it was such chaos to get rung out... and I ended up finding that I had something I wasn't charged for and was charged for something I didn't have... and it was about a $20 difference (in their favor, not mine). I called them up right away and they told me I'd have to come into the store. I wasn't about to drive 120 miles to get $20 refunded so I told them I'd stop back on my return trip in about two weeks. When I came inside, I went right to the register to talk with a manager. They informed me that they do refunds of this nature by check in the mail, which I thought was strange but was okay with it. I spent another $200 and went on my merry way.. but guess what? It's the end of August and still no check. Yes, it's just $20 but that was my $20 and the way everything was handled is unacceptable. I didn't bother to call and complain about the $20 because honestly it's just exhausting to deal with at this point. In the end I'd say that if you get to the checkout at this place and have a lot of things (or even if you don't) pay very close attention to everything and double-check it all yourself before you leave the store. And if they make an error, don't expect to get your money back.
Very stingy with their paper so bring your own if you buy anything breakable. They were not happy when I requested double wrapping so that my glass items would make it back to Texas. They close at 5:45 not 6:00 p.m. and I found that the smaller "mom and pop" shops in the area were far friendlier. With so many other shops available in that area, I will not revisit this one. Owning my own antique shop I have learned that friendliness and acting as if you appreciate people spending their own hard earned money in your shop is imperative.
I love, love, LOVE this place! I spent a few hours in this place, and my experience from those others here was totally different. I found many nice antique items to take home, the booths were well kept, the staff courteous, plentiful, and helpful. Antiques from Europe were highlighted in several booths, and as I do a LOT of antique shopping, I didn't see any "junk". I also didn't see a lot of flea market stuff, so I'll be going back again and again.
I had a terrible experience at this place today. Waited in a HUGE long line, only to be told once I was at the register that another 'red vest' needed to assist me...apparently you are supposed to get a number when you find something you like, so they can hold it at the counter for you...as there were no signs saying such while I shopped, I did not know this procedure. After showing the associate to the booth, she informs me I will have to get BACK into the long line (which is now even longer) and THEN I can pay for my items. I was standing right there at the cash register, no one else was standing there...and the lady would not check me out. I really was blown away. I walked out at that point, and they lost about a $200 sale. I did call to let the manager on duty know what happened, at which point I was actually badgered BY THE MANAGER. She informed me that I am the only person who has ever complained about not understanding their procedure. This made me laugh so hard, I had to hang up. I won't be visiting this place ever again.