The Butler’s Antiques and Uniques

Why drive two hours to Waco (know what i’m saying?) when you’ve got this little treasure right outside the heart of downtown?
When my girlfriends and I walked in we all whispered nostalgically «It smells like my grandma guys!» and were excited to start our hunt. This place has got everything– knick knacks, apparel, jewelry, baby items and clothing, quilts (my favorite!) tools, the works. Anything antiquey– they’ve probably got a version of it here. My only concern with the place is that they’ve got SO much, I was almost terrified to move, afraid I would knock something over. I would never take my kids. Not even in a stroller– wouldn’t fit!
Another exciting find? The back alleyway and what looks to be old barns or garages, houses tons of old doors, windows, bed frames, bikes, bathtubs, etc. GREAT project pieces. There was an old door with a crystal knob and see through window that I had my heart set on for $ 124, not too too bad if you ask me! I settled for a great old white window with separated panes for $ 24 instead. If farmhouse is your style, this is totally a great local place to hunt some goods for your house.

Oh my goodness, this place is awesome. I could probably spend 2 days there and still not see everything. The prices are very reasonable, and the employees are super friendly and knowledgeable, and very willing to help. The variety is amazing, whether you are looking for glass, silver, furniture, clothing, building materials, militaria, jewelry, they have it and lots of it. I literally am goo goo gaga over this place.

Watch out for the dog.
It bites.
Lots of fun junk but prices seem high for the state of most items

So much to see!!! The back ally has loads of old furniture that can be a refurbishing project for cheap. The indoor store is amazing!!! There is so much to see and buy! It is a hoarders dream. There is furniture, jewelry, and trinkets for all types and styles. The staff is very helpful and friendly. I would highly recommend visiting!

This place gets two stars because it’s pretty organized, as far as antique shops go, and because they have a good selection– if you’re into glass dishes covered in dust and hats with rotted-​off feathers.
Here comes my angry rant, though: I was staunchly ignored for the entirety of my visit (probably because I was wearing a t-​shirt and jeans and not the latest Rich Mom fashions from Chico’s). Even when I was within two feet of the sales associate standing behind the jewelry case, she opted to silently glare at me with suspicion instead of saying a simple «howdy.» To make matters even more awkward, a no-​holds-​barred Anti-​Obama Bitchfest began when one employee sarcastically wished another a Happy President’s Day. Steamrolling the basic rules of professionalism and customer service, the ancient cronies creaked and cackled about dictatorships and how they didn’t vote for that evil ol’ socialist anyway, stuffing in as many uneducated jabs as possible. That’s when I decided that The Butler’s Dusty Antiques and Standoffish Old People probably wasn’t my kind of place.
The singular sentence that was spoken to me came when I passed an employee while walking through the front door, who grouchily asked «Find anything fun today?» Madam, my hands are empty and I have one foot outside your threshold. What do you think?

Not impressed. Love my vintage and antique stores… love window shopping and just checking things out. I won’t be back here. The store itself felt dirty. What would it take to dust a little? They had some Victorian furniture, which isn’t popular right now, and a mannequin sitting on a sofa. Wow. I picked up a purse I thought was pretty cute. Looked like a purple leather clutch. They wanted $ 28 for it and it looks like it was blood stained. I could do better at Ross.

I’ve been in the middle of a huge interior design project at my new house for a month or two now and have been trying to acquire antique pieces very wisely and without having to file bankruptcy. I come to Butlers once every week or two, must of the time just to see if there is any new, old things to buy. I don’t know why so many people say they have bad customer service because they have always been great to me and very talkative and helpful. They remember my name and my sons name every time we go in. It’s a family owned business and they rent out some little rooms in the backyard to vendors. There is an overwhelming amount of antiques here, which can be good and bad depending on how much time you have. Jim the main owner is great and even took my boyfriend and I too his storage area where customers can’t go to see if there were any trunks we wanted (we told him we were looking for one). They always cut us great deals and I always get some great things. The only reason I gave 4 stars, is that some things are a bit overpriced, but usually if you know your stuff and talk to them about pricing, they usually make sure you go home happy.

I don’t understand how one is supposed to act in these kinds of stores. There is a big selection, but not really for what I was looking for (outdoor furniture or hanging ceiling lamps). While the inside is organized and has obvious prices, the backyard was full of broken, beat up furniture strewn about with no price tags, to the point that it is not even clear what is for sale. Then, in the back room, tables and chairs are stacked everywhere, once again making it impossible to tell what is for sale or what is just broken.
This lack of clarity would be fine if the staff were a little more helpful, but they don’t seem like they really want to sell anything. I was checking out an antique bench and trying to find a table to go with it while the owner was digging in the backyard. She never asked me what I was looking for or if I needed help, and then was very hesitant to bargain when I asked her the price of the bench. She said it was $ 75 and that table I was looking at was $ 35. I asked if she could do $ 100, and she said yes, but then added tax to the sale. I said I meant $ 100 including tax, and a man who worked there overheard me and suggested I buy some boxes with a board over them for that price. I found this to be a little ridiculous since the lady had told me I could pay $ 100 to begin with. I ended up not buying anything. Both pieces would have needed so much work anyway, I figured I could do better on craigslist.

Overpriced. Sounded like the lady at the store was not interested in selling stuff at all. I mean, who will buy an «antique» broken item that appeared to be a trash someone really wanted to get rid of for 2−3x price of what you can get for new. not good customer service either. very disappointed.

I think what makes a store or resturant a step above everyone else is the service. With that being said this place is top notch. I was looking for a somewhat unusual item that they did not have, but instead of telling me to have a nice day and come back to see them, they opened up a newspaper and showed me all the antique stores in the area with a map! These people sold me on service not items! So without a doubt i will be back, not to mention they had a great selection of items :)

Love this place. So many things to look at, and it’s all packed in tightly into a cool little environment. The staff is super nice and helpful, and talkative too if you’re in the mood. Definitely check this place out.

Antiques stores are strange places for a number of reasons. Among these reasons are the fact that the things within once belonged to someone else. Each piece has a story, illustrious or not. You see, it’s happening again. This is how I get dragged in to these places and end up surfacing hours later with nothing to show for it. I could spend hours upon hours dreaming up tales about the things I find in antiques shops. I digress.
The Butler’s is packed to the gills with antiques. If you’re draggin’ a bit of extra wagon, watch your backside because you’re sure to knock a vintage crystal sugar/​creamer off a table. I was hoping that since I was in Texas I might find some great ceramic talavera style drawer pulls in bright colors. No dice. What I did find, after having to dig through drawers in their dust workshop, were some great vintage/​reproduction depression glass drawer pulls. They were just what I needed for my most recent home improvement project. The saleslady quoted $ 2/​pull. In an attempt at shrewdness, I offered up that a few of the pulls were chipped (almost imperceptibly). She was on to me. She pulled out a catalog of reproduction/​replica hardware and told me ‘they go for $ 8 each in the catalog,’ fine. I was sold on $ 2 apiece.
There are some deals to be had at The Butler’s, but there’s also some overpriced junk. You have the info, go get your oldie’s and goodie’s but don’t be caught unawares.