5 Great Antique Shops Hixton

tiny Wisco village is great destination for antique lovers

Tom Giffey, photos by Tom Giffey

School House Antique Mall, Hixton WI
School House Antique Mall, Hixton WI

Every small town needs a claim to fame – something to hang its identity on and to lure visitors to exit from the highway. For Hixton, that claim is being the Antiquing Capital of Wisconsin.

Mind you, I’m not sure if anyone in Hixton has actually employed this label, but I’m going to use it anyway. This tiny – population 433 – community in Jackson County boasts five antique stores. As far as I can tell, that’s more than the number of taverns and churches in Hixton combined. (In Wisconsin, that’s a feat!)

If you’ve passed Hixton while traveling on Interstate 94, chances are you’ve noticed the giant sign proclaiming “Antiques” on the side of a two-story brick building that looks like a former school building (because it is). Despite have cruised past this sign literally hundreds of times, I had never stopped in Hixton to check out the community’s plethora of antiques until a recent muggy Friday afternoon. There’s nothing quite like stepping from the oppressive summer heat into the cool air of an antique store filled with the must and mystery of thousands of objects from the distant (and not-so-distant) past.

If you’re interested in filling your home with unique objects, or simply want to travel a bit off the beaten path for a nostalgic afternoon, Hixton is well worth the 40-minute drive.

HIXTON SCHOOL HOUSE ANTIQUE MALL 

162 Elder St., Hixton • 10am-5pm daily • (715) 963-3500 • hixtonantiquemall.com A visitor could spend hours exploring this massive building, which was converted from an elementary school to an antique mall 20 years ago. Every part of the building – the gymnasium, the stage, the classrooms, and the hallways – is filled with items that are antique, collectible, or just plain interesting. With wares from more than 90 dealers, the School House Antique Mall is the largest and most eclectic of Hixton’s antique offerings. Searching for hefty beer steins? Hand-carved trolls? Lovingly worn hand tools? Collectible Elvis dolls? Loads of VHS tapes? You’ll find all that and literally thousands of other things when you embark on your affordable treasure hunt here.

COBBLESTONE COTTAGE 

135 Interstate Road, Hixton • 10am-5pm Monday-Saturday, 11am-5pm Sunday • Find it on Facebook • (715) 963-4438 • Cobblestone Cottage is both a gift shop and an antique mall where the booths feature an ever-changing collection of furniture, stoneware, framed items, textiles, and much more, all of it leaning heavily toward a farmhouse aesthetic.

School House Antique Mall, Hixton WI
School House Antique Mall, Hixton WI

MILLER’S ANTIQUES 

N8779 Highway 95 E, Hixton • 10am-5pm daily • Find it on Facebook • (715) 963-1100 • Even as a kid, proprietor Glenn Miller was scouring auctions and flea markets to build a collection of amazing antiques. All 2,200 square feet of Miller’s Antiques are chock full of vintage advertising, signs, stoneware, and other unusual items. While the store’s Facebook name may be @WisconsinJunk, there’s no junk here. Instead, you’ll marvel at a well-curated selection that features neon clocks, old-fashioned gas pumps, license plates, and automotive signs and miscellany that would spruce up any “man cave.” Miller also conducts periodic auctions of advertising memorabilia at the Monroe County Fairgrounds in Tomah. To learn more, visit MillersAuctionCo.com.

THE VILLAGE PEDDLER 

124 E. Main St., Hixton • 10am-5pm Monday-Saturday, noon-5pm Sunday • Find it on Facebook • (715) 963-2202 • Located right in downtown, the Village Peddler advertises that it offers “a little bit of everything for everyone.” Housed in a century-old building that was originally a hardware store, the Village Peddler specializes in primitive and repurposed items. And if you’re not inclined to make the drive, the Village Peddler holds frequent online auctions, selling everything from Depression glass to train sets. Check out taylorsonlineauctionservice.hibid.com for more.

THE PEDDLER’S WIFE 

101 N. Sand Prairie Road, Hixton • 10am-5pm daily • Find it on Facebook • (715) 963-0104 • As you might expect from the name, the Peddler’s Wife is a spin-off of the Village Peddler located on the other side of I-94. Housed in what was previously a restaurant, the Peddler’s Wife offers a unique spin on the traditional antique mall: In addition to browsing for vintage finds, shoppers can enjoy a microbrew beer or glass of local wine in what used to be a bar. When it comes to discovering treasures, the glass here is (literally) more than half-full.

Vintage Wares is sponsored by:

Hope Bargain Center
2511 Moholt Drive
(off Clairemont Ave, West Side)
Eau Claire

Vintage Wares is sponsored by:

Hope Bargain Center
2511 Moholt Drive
(off Clairemont Ave, West Side)
Eau Claire