The model these towns are trying to emulate is Snohomish, which in the last 20 years has transformed itself from an aging town, not quite on the way to anywhere, to a regional shopping destination with hundreds of dealers whose outlets range from the size of a single display case to an entire store. On weekend afternoons, the sidewalks of First Street are crowded with people wandering in and out of the stores, stopping for lunch and no doubt pumping money into the local economy. Vacancies in commercial buildings downtown are hard to find. The self-styled Antiques Capital of the Northwest may be a much more powerful retailing magnet than that. But before towns race to transform their vacant downtowns into the next antiques boutique, they should be aware of some hard realities.
Antique retailing is a tough business.
You'll find one community has lots and lots of shops for a while, but they gradually close. Ballard is a prime example of that phenomenon, she says. A decade ago, it was a hot antiques retailing area, but it has only a handful of shops today. The formula seems straightforward enough. Regan says he looks for towns that are close to major cities, making day trips possible.