Persimmon Lane

We were in Charleston, IL for a friend’s wedding and had hours to kill so we hit every antique shop within 10 miles. We started out at Persimmon Lane and blew our entire budget there. It was a waste and a let down to even hit the other stores because all we could think of was everything we coveted at Persimmon Lane that we preferred to spend our money on so we came back a second time at the end of the day and spent more than we budgeted for and have no regrets. If our car was larger, we would have bought even more. Now we have a reason to come down to Charleston again. We haven’t found an antique shop this great in three years, and the owners are the nicest, most helpful people you will find anywhere in retail. If you love industrial antiques, you will not leave Persimmon Lane without something cool.
We bought a complete transit with box, instructions, and even receipt from 1948. The original owner paid $ 100.00, and we paid $ 130.00 — 64 years later. We thought it was a reproduction, it was in such perfect shape. We bought two, identical load cells from a large scale for $ 40.00 each, and lastly, we bought a Tandy, computerized chess game for $ 15.00. We didn’t have room in the car for a giant, handmade, wood pulley for $ 95.00 that would have made an amazing coffee table. There were railroad spikes 4 for $ 10.00. If I had a better imagination, I would have bought them too. Persimmon Lane has an etsy page (very limited selection from their shop) and a facebook page (lots of updated photos of new stock) so I think I’ll be shopping online from them. My friend in Charleston will be getting a gift certificate from Persimmon Lane for Christmas, as he told me he shops there once a week. How I envy his access!