Antiquing in Cornish

Spend the Day Treasure Hunting on Main Street

In 2016, Cornish was chosen by Downeast Magazine as one of the sixteen most desirable towns to live in Maine. Halfway between Portland and the White Mountains, Cornish is the perfect place to stretch your legs — and go on an antiques-shopping spree. The small village, on Route 25, contains a half-dozen or so antiques shops, and there are many more scattered throughout the town. The focus on vintage treasures peaks the last Saturday in September when Cornish hosts both a large antiques fair and an apple festival. My friend and I fortunately missed the overflow of fair/festival crowds by visiting Cornish the week before, for a fun-filled day devoted to shopping for all things vintage.

Cornish Vintage Faire

We began the day at a place I’ve been wanting to stop at for a while now. The display of vintage clothing hanging outside on the side of a building caught my eye as we drove into downtown Cornish. I could see a 1970's era velvet dress with ruffles around the collar. It was almost identical to a favorite dress of mine from fourth grade. Think of the dresses that the Partridge Family girls wore on their TV show or think of Carol Brady and the Brady Bunch. Cornish Vintage Faire specializes in vintage clothing, accessories, jewelry, and to a lesser extent furniture, decor, and housewares. The 1820’s residence turned retail shop offers 8 rooms filled to the brim with period finds. I was drawn to the jewelry collections and found an enamel flower pin to add to my burgeoning collection. The shop is a nod to nostalgia and was a super fun place to visit. Please note that they are closed October 31 - mid April so be sure to check them out soon. You can also call for winter special appointments.

(In the blue barn)

Across the street from Vintage Faire, there were a couple of homes with lawn/barn/garage sales. At the home with the blue barn, we were lured in by items on display at the edge of the driveway. My friend picked up a wooden half barrel that was giving off some serious fall farmhouse vibes, and I hit the jackpot with a Wallace Nutting photograph in its original wood frame. My friend also found an art piece that she wanted because of the wooden frame. Definitely check out all the artwork / frame bins here. The homeowner was very nice and gave us a flyer of her upcoming openings for the rest of 2022.

(Garage at house to the right of Libby's)

A few buildings further down, right before we got to Libby's, another homeowner was selling an assortment of neatly arranged items out of her garage and driveway. I found a 1950's set of plates with an autumn theme that I just had to get. There was a good bit of kitchen items here.

Libby's Antiques

Next we were drawn to Libby's Antiques. Looking through the shop window we spotted a pair of skeletons seated at a table playing with an Ouija board and wearing vintage hats and fur cape. Owners Kathy Libby and her husband David Libby have been in the antiques business for over 40 years. Kathy has always had an eye for the unique and a knack for creativity, so when you step into her space you can feel the passion and effort that have gone into creating this business. The shop houses a combination of several vendors with collections of antiques and collectables. The seasonal vignettes throughout the store were creative and captivating and their attention to detail in creating individualized time capsules … grouping furniture, lighting and decor of each era into a thoughtful and cohesive curation was unparalleled. I fell in love with a mid-century chair with orange upholstery, of course it was my favorite color orange.  Unfortunately the price tag of $550 was a little too steep for my budget but there were plenty of other quality products at reasonable prices for us to view and purchase. My friend purchased an original signed watercolor depicting a Maine Coastal scene that engaged the viewer and drew you into the painting. We eagerly look forward to a return trip to this shop for the next holiday season.

The Smith Co.

This circa-1870 building has been a Model A dealership, a feed store, and a hardware store. For the past 22 years, it’s been Steven Smith’s antiques shop, chock full of all manner of tools and farm implements, vintage signs, sports and fishing equipment, ceramic jugs, wooden crates, barrels and boxes, even car hood ornaments. It was delightful to see how Mr. Smith used a vintage car hood as an awning for his shop and a toilet for a planter.

Evie's Downtown

Owner Cindy Libby calls Evie’s Downtown a mix of “traditional, vintage, shabby, a bit of everything, not all of it old.” The rooms are filled with ceramics, lighting, and furniture from several periods, including some for children, plus rugs, linens, vintage clothing, and antique toys. The mix of old antiques with new thoughtfully curated items provides a pleasant shopping experience.  My favorite item was an intricately hand beaded wedding gown from 1888.  It was truly amazing to view this dress and see how small in size the original wearer of the dress had been. Not only shorter in height than the average woman of today but also extremely narrow in the waistline.

Cornish Trading Company

We ended the day at one of the largest antiques businesses at the Cornish Trading Company. Forty vendor stalls occupy each of the building’s three floors creating an eclectic mix in this huge 1864 clapboard building next to the village green. The building has been a post office, general store and the old Masonic Hall and for the past 35 years, an antiques destination. Owners Derek and Lindsey McIntosh stumbled upon Cornish Trading Co, which was recently for sale, and fell in love with the place. The Trading Company showcases indoor and outdoor furniture, artwork, mirrors, area rugs, and hundreds of pieces of décor, all from some 40 plus vendors. At the start of each winter, the shop is emptied to make room for all-new merchandise the next season. My friend found a bamboo style side table perfect for her tropical-island-themed room. I was excited to find another Wallace Nutting hand colored photograph to add to my collection. I never leave empty handed when I visit this shop. 

All in all it was an enjoyable day to simply park the car at the village green and leisurely stroll through downtown, browsing at the shops. So much to see and too little time to see it all. We will be back to find more treasures.