Lily Lace Antique Market opens in Maitland

Owners Connie Gilbert and Becky Morse combined 20 years of antiquing expertise to create Lily Lace Antique Market, a bright place to discover your next treasure. I sat down with Connie and Becky to find out what their new Maitland shop has to offer.

What inspired you to start this business?

Both of us had been dealers at other antique stores, and have also worked part-time at other (antique) stores. We decided we could pull it off ourselves and then when this location came up we went for it. We love the Maitland area.

What type of antiques do you sell?

We have Victorian, Shabby Chic, French, English, China and a lot of vintage that people use to decorate their homes. We have a lot of items that are great for adding a vintage touch to your home. We look expensive, but we’re very affordable.

Where do your antiques come from?

We depend a lot on serendipity — I’ll often shop some of the local antique markets. We also have over 40 dealers in here. For instance, one lady has an estate sales business and she has a space here. Others may have cleaned out their grandmother’s house. Our items are coming from a variety of places.

How is your store different from other antique stores?

Our concept (of having different vendors) isn’t different, but our style is. Our store is new, and it’s clean. It isn’t too junky — we have a more elegant atmosphere in here. We also have a variety of high-end antiques and then reasonably priced antiques.

How many items does Lily Lace have to offer?

We have thousands, but its constantly changing because dealers are coming in everyday.

How did you choose the name Lily Lace?

We both like the connection to Lake Lily, and the lace ties in with antiques.

Why did you choose Maitland?

It’s a great place for antiquing, and we wanted to capture the market we knew already existed. It’s also nice because there are four of us (antique stores) that are helping each other out. We’re always sending people back and forth between the other stores.

Lily Lace Antique Market is located on the corner of 17-92 and Lake Avenue, 160 Lake Ave. in Maitland. Store hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. For more information visit lilylace.com

What is the oldest or most interesting piece you have now?

I think some of our items should be in museums. We have a French cross that comes from a renovated graveyard in France — it’s a couple hundred years old. We have a 19th century tussie-mussie with mother of pearl handle. It’s a piece that would be used in a wedding for a bride to hold her flowers in. Our Victorian shell bell is hard to find. The ladies would have one of these next to them on their table and they would use it to ring their help.