Treasure Hunting

By Lisa Arnett
August 2026 View more Discover

Shop furniture, home decor, and more at these three vintage markets

Affordable Antiques & More

1508 N. Naper Blvd., Naperville

Gary Domzalski has a special fondness for vintage treasures and true antiques, worthy of the distinction if more than 100 years old. “I’ve collected my entire life—my parents did, too,” says the 73-year-old owner of this antique mall, where more than 90 vendors rent booths to sell their collections. After a career in publishing, Domzalski first opened the business in downtown Naperville in 1998 with his late partner, Dennis Hull. Three years before Hull died in 2011, they relocated the store to its current 11,000-square-foot location in the Tower Crossing complex at Ogden Avenue and Naper Boulevard. Booths here are packed with furniture, artwork, jewelry, handbags, sports memorabilia, and all manner of decorative items, from crystal candelabras and candy jars to tea sets and Tiffany lamps. “Our dealers put a lot of effort into their booths,” Domzalski says.

He’s grateful that the business will continue beyond his lifetime thanks to Gregorio Perez, a longtime dealer and store employee who is now a managing partner. “We are the last retail landscape in Naperville to provide an affordable business opportunity for [dealers] to sell their collections,” Perez says. “We love being able to give a nostalgic feeling to our customers. When people go through the store, they’ll see things…that they grew up with in the ’70s or from when they were a kid in the ’50s.”

Good to know: The store is known for hosting special events throughout the year, from seasonal sales to gold-buying sessions and appraisals in the style of PBS perennial Antiques Roadshow.

The Rustic Fox

1790 Towne Center Drive, North Aurora; 570 S. Schmale Road, Carol Stream

If not for the unfortunate demise of another market that shall not be named, The Rustic Fox might never have come to be. Martin Bernal, Lisa Asturrizaga, and Nicole Kolosowski all met as vendors in another space years ago. “That business ended up closing, and we were all put in a place where we said, ‘What do we do next?’ ” Bernal says. “Nicole did handmade signs and refurnished furniture. Lisa was all about home decor and vintage-type things. I am very much an antiques dealer with a more masculine feel. We thought: We make a good team and we all bring something different to the table. Let’s take everything we learned during our experience being vendors and start our own market.”

They opened their North Aurora location in 2020 and added a second location in Carol Stream in 2024. “A majority of our vendors have 9-to-5 jobs, and we are able to provide a creative outlet for them to sell every single day without having to be at a store,” Bernal says. Of the 200-some vendors exhibiting between the two locations, Bernal estimates that about 40 specialize in selling antique or vintage furniture and clothing, including Red Rooster Relics, Reworked Home, Aisle 13 Revival, and The Creative Type. “We have a brand-new dealer at Carol Stream, Matt & Livi, who have beautiful antique furniture,” Bernal says. “A lot of time customers will say, ‘Why did [someone] paint that?’ [Matt & Livi] are very focused on keeping antiques in their original finish and not repainting them.”

There are plenty of new goods for sale at both markets. “Yes, you can buy vintage furniture, but we also sell, for example, kids’ clothing and dog treats,” Bernal says. “These are things you might have otherwise bought at a big-box store and instead you can support a local, independent maker.”

Good to know: Both locations host expanded outdoor markets once a month: Aug. 2, Sept. 6, and Oct. 4 at the Carol Stream location and Aug. 15, Sept. 19, and Oct. 17 in North Aurora. “This brings together local makers, artists, bakers, and specialty food vendors who don’t want to be in a brick-and-mortar but just want to pop up and sell for a day,” Bernal says.

Warehouse 55

160 First St., Batavia

Mark Allen Shouldeen has worn many hats in his career, though all have involved helping homeowners perfect their space in one way or another. He operated a home store called Room 363 in downtown Naperville before closing it to pursue interior design full-time. He then started making signs out of old windows, which became so popular that he needed a bigger studio space to work out of. After finding a two-story space in downtown Aurora, he was inspired to start a much larger venture. “I used to run Washington Street Markets and had a big friend group of vendors, and I thought we could make this a full-time market.” And so, Warehouse 55 opened its doors in 2019. In late 2025, the market moved to the single-story space in Batavia where it now operates. “We have all the major vintage items—furniture, found pieces, accessories—but we also have an amazing kids’ section…and a lot of vintage jewelry,” Allen says. “We have vendors that travel six hours each way to vend with us.” Some amazing architectural finds have come through their doors over the years, such as a set of Parisian French doors that earned Allen a spot on HGTV’s Windy City Rehab with Alison Victoria. Allen’s busiest time of year is the second weekend in October during the market’s Vintage Christmas event. “People are blown away. It reminds them of their grandparents’ house growing up,” he says. “It’s crazy how many people come for it.”

Good to know: Warehouse 55 also has a second location in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood (1819 W. Grand Ave.) as well as a solid e-commerce presence. “We have an online store that vendors can control what’s posted so you can constantly see what’s new coming in,” Allen says.

Photos: Affordable Antiques & More; Rustic Fox; Warehouse 55;