The Avid Antiquer: Yankee Peddler

It seems no matter what you collect, you can likely find it at Yankee Peddler Antiques.

China, silver, pottery, Civil War items, signs, oil cans, tools, ephemera, lamps, old toys and more are just some of the items you will find in this store that served as a hotel in another era.

The store is owned by Huntington residents John and Anne Peace and managed by Jack Murray, another Huntington resident. He has manged the store for the last 20 years, and keeps the customers smiling with his quick wit and guessing with his funny daily messages on the outside blackboard (one July he wrote "Closed Christmas Day").

"People come in and say, 'I've lived here for 40 years and I've never been in this place'.' I tell them, 'You've missed out on a lot of stuff.' That's why we don't have to say anything to entice or draw anybody in. They'll make it in eventually," he said.

By "we" Murray refers to the number of different dealers who display their items in the store. "It is a co-op. We all service the customer. We take their names and numbers if they want us to look out for certain things for them and we even send them to other stores if we don't have what they are looking for," he said.

Murray said the store has been in Huntington for 40 years, and is the oldest and largest emporium on Long Island. He and his son, John, who also manages the store with him, also sell items on consignment. "We set the price and then split it 50-50 with the seller," he said.

Murray has always been involved with antiques, even when he was working as the director of plant operations at the Nesconset Nursing Center.

"I always had a love for old things and junk since I was about 12 years old. I used to go to small, local antique shows," he said. He collects dice himself. "I started it with my son after we found some at a garage sale. I didn't realize he was paying attention all these years," Murray said.

The store really is a step back in time as you move through each different part of the store. Sports memorabilia, books, old magazines, old appliances, gum ball machines, glass bottles, and kitchenware abound throughout, There is even an upholsterer downstairs and a room of modern furniture designed by a local artist.

And speaking of artists, that is exactly who you will find on the top floor of the store. It is the home of the Artists in the Attic. "We rent out the rooms upstairs to 14 different artists, painters and photographers. They each have 24 hour a day access to their own private studio. They host a wine and cheese get together on the first Friday of every month to introduce themselves to the public. And there is a waiting list a mile long for the studios," he said.

Yankee Peddler Antiques is located at 1038 New York Avenue and it is open seven days a week from 11am-5pm. For more information, please call 631-271-5817.