The Cottage

Visiting a place like really makes me wish my house was more awesome. When you walk into the store, you're greeted by beautiful vintage furniture and accessories, but this is more than just another antique shop.

At The Cottage, they pull the whole look together. Sure, you can get a beautiful wrought iron bed, but what are you going to put on it? The bed in a bag you bought from Target probably won't have exactly the right look. Luckily, the folks at The Cottage have thought about this. In addition to your antique bed, you can buy the perfect (brand new) comforter set to go with it.

In fact, in addition to the plethora of vintage finds, The Cottage also boasts a wide array of vintage-inspired decorations. You'll find signs, necklaces, bookmarks and other bits and pieces throughout the store. They are all beautiful and fit with the overall cozy, yet funky aesthetic of the store.

Many of the rooms at the store are staged to look like complete, fully-furnished rooms. This is helpful, as it allows the shopper to figure out how different pieces would look in his or her home. They can also see how to best accessorize that end table, or how wooden shoe molds can be an interesting decoration.

Not only can you buy furniture and home decor, but They Cottage features a beautiful array of seasonal decorations. Whether it's antique jack-o-lanterns or a new painted wooden black cat, you can decorate in style, and more importantly, set your house apart from every other one on the block.

As the owners say on their website, they can't stand "stuffy museum-like antique stores where nothing ever seems to change and nothing can be found for less than a kajillian dollars." While there are certainly expensive items at The Cottage, many are reasonably priced and some are downright cheap. Plus, they change their stock often, so there's always a reason to stop in when you find yourself downtown.

The entire store is warm and inviting, and makes a great place to explore, whether you're hunting for something specific, or just wiling away the time on a Saturday afternoon. Either way, chances are you'll walk away with something that will make your house just a little bit more awesome.