Kirsten Bauer
Lakewood 400 Antiques Market opens its doors for shopping the first week of every month.
On the first weekend of every month, Lakewood 400 Antique Market opens its doors in Cumming. Continuing on its 40-year-old legacy, the center originally stood for the first 20 years at the old Southeastern Fair Grounds in Atlanta.
The Cumming location is over 75,000 square feet of indoor exhibit halls along with an outdoor veranda and courtyard. This space features over 500 indoor booths and 75+ outdoor vendors providing a vast selection of antiques, collectibles, vintage and boutique clothing, art and more.
The weekend event costs $3 for a ticket which allows access for the whole weekend. Children under the age of 12 get in free. Thousands of people visit every weekend that they are open, with many regulars returning every month.
North Georgia local vendors Katie and Dante Mercado of Pips & Suits have found community and success in this monthly market, selling at 19 of these weekends and counting.
Their love of vintage preservation, the thrill of the hunt when sourcing items and the sustainability aspect inspired them to repurpose and restore vintage clothing.
“This market has a very rich history, so it brings a type of legacy customer that has been frequently shopping at Lakewood for years. However, this last year we have certainly noticed an increase in a younger customer base,” said the Mercados. “For our booth, we attract the creative and expressive types who are always plenty of fun to work with.”
“At first, we chose to sell at Lakewood because we are local to the North Georgia area. Now, we keep coming back every month because we feel a strong sense of community with the other vendors, the organizers and with all of our regular clients.” -Katie and Dante Mercado, vendors with Pips & Suits at Lakewood 400 market
The Mercados sell an assortment of vintage women’s and men’s clothing, accessories and specialty items, selection curated completely by vintage lovers.
“Every month we plan a new collection to showcase depending on the season we are in. We have over 1,000 pieces of vintage clothing to put out, so we are constantly rotating our inventory for the customers to have something new every month,” said the Mercados.
The site also holds an on-site restaurant with breakfast and lunch items as well as a snack bar to enjoy while you shop.
Each weekend they have a drawing to win a one-year free admission pass and a Lakewood 400 tote bag. There is also tabling at the front of the market to raise money for the Vietnam Veterans of America.
“It’s cool to see all the different people that show up, talk to them, learn about their booths and stories,” said Charlie Townsend, current Athens resident who has visited the market three times.
“Take your time and really take it all in. If you need to do absolutely anything else that day, cancel it, you’re not going. Talk to people, that’s a big thing to get the full experience,” said Townsend. “It is definitely worth the visit.”
There are many booths with different collectables and impressive works, including a booth by the International Art Studio of Jim Heminger and Irina Nikolaeva with original oil paintings by a Ukrainian artist.
“Gallery quality art with antique market prices,” said Heminger. The studio provides a look at the artist profiles for the pieces they sell every month.