I’m standing in a narrow path, flanked on all sides by shelves of antiques of all shapes and sizes. It’s cool and dim inside Uncommon Objects, the place to browse for antiques along Austin’s South Congress Avenue. What’s caught my eye here is a gigantic iron heart, probably at least three feet by four feet, hanging on display. Covering every surface of this wall hanging are tiny plates, each a votive holder. My eyes are wide, picturing this huge sculpture aflame with tens of flickering white candles, all glowing feverishly in a heart shape at the center of my living room wall. It’s $200 and ridiculously impractical, and worse yet, I have no means of transporting it home on the plane.
I’m already holding a vintage doorknob in one hand and a set of old postcards in another. The heart will have to stay. For the third time that day, I curse the fact I’m not a local.
Austin is one of my favorite cities anywhere, and South Congress is one of the main reasons why. From antique emporiums such as Uncommon Objects to funky duds at Electric Ladyland, the street’s offerings just defy categorization.
Uncommon Objects
When shopping on South Congress, I usually head to Uncommon first. It’s a good starting point to exploring the available wares along the street before heading downtown or grabbing a bite. And with all its offerings, it provides a good benchmark for comparing prices among merchants—and also serves as an emporium for the unusual, historic, and just damn cool.
“My love affair with Uncommon Objects began the first time I walked in and saw the coolest vintage movie poster in a large antique frame,” Austin resident and fellow shopper, Stephanie McGill, told me. “It was of the movie, Giant, and, like any good treasure, it was hidden in the back of the store. I felt it was just waiting for me to find it. And when I did, I just had to have it! Since then, I have found many other hidden treasures in Uncommon Objects, from antique lamps and silver vases to picture frames, glassware, and even jewelry.”
My favorite element of this store is how its quirky and offbeat items suddenly seem ideal, long-lost, and perfectly normal. The wares jostle together on shelves and wall hangings, with colors popping and textures inviting hands, all catching the eye. Why wouldn’t I want to hang that fifty-year-old optometrist’s eye chart in my kitchen, or bring back that antique typewriter to furnish my office? This pinup calendar from the 1940s would be a great conversation piece; that vintage cowboy shirt the ideal piece for my fall wardrobe ...
I usually find it’s a matter of picking and choosing, and lamenting the (small) size of my apartment. If I ever do get a whole house of my own, Uncommon will be furnishing a good chunk of it.
“I think what makes the store unique is not just what they carry, but how the place makes you feel,” says McGill. “When you walk in, you are simply transported into another world—one where a crazy mix of stuff all seems to go together and it’s fun and different. The name of the store says it all!”
Start shopping: 1512 S. Congress Ave., open daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursdays until 9 p.m. Take a virtual tour and get directions at UncommonObjects.com.
New Bohemia
It’s good to recycle—and especially so with clothes! Check out New Bohemia, one of the best places to find vintage clothing in a town that’s known for its consignment shops. Bargain hunters first get accosted on the sidewalk, where there are usually a few racks of clothes demanding attention. Whether it’s an irresistibly soft summer camp T-shirt, a killer pair of jeans, or a sparkly formal top, they’re usually selected with care, and are sure to lure you inside.
Once in the store, you may feel as if you’ve stopped by a friend’s house—if your friend ransacked her parents’, aunt’s, and grandparents’ attics, then hastily hung all the offerings out for the taking.
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