Cline’s Country Antiques

Well I am bummed! I barely slept last night because I was so excited about driving out here and grabbing some nice furniture. I was looking for a hutch, bar carts, maybe even a nice book shelf. Now, I’m no cheapo when it comes to furniture especially when it’s antique (made in America type quality) so I was expecting reasonable prices and decent type pieces. I was mistaken. I would say about 70% of what here is one of the following (1) rusted to the point of no return (2) warped wood and on the brink of collapsing or (3) just plain olé junk! I just don’t get it!
If you got the $$$ to buy unique items for a shop– this is your place but be prepared for high prices. Well now that I’m bummed time to go to some local thrift shops and get cheered up.
If your around the area check it out BUT if your like me coming from Raleigh (2 hour drive) think twice.

Surprisingly large and located in the middle of nowhere, Cline’s is what you would get if a bunch of neighborhood yard sales mated with a Goodwill furniture/​home goods donation pile and your local dump. There are treasures to be found in the mess, but be prepared to walk around a lot and to sift through a lot of things you DON’T want in search of the gem you DO want.
Wear sneakers. Not TOMS, not your cute smoking slippers, not ballet flats. Sneakers. Or better yet, wear boots. Not your cute riding boots from Nine West, but the hiking boots that you wear if you’re joining the cast of Jumanji and maybe getting trapped in the board game for the rest of your adult life. I wore TOMS because I had no idea what awaited me, and some fire ants took that opportunity to comment on my fashion choices by biting my ankles several times. I also didn’t feel totally safe walking through some of the areas because of giant wasps and broken glass, so long pants and sneakers/​boots would be a good idea here.
As other reviewers have noted, there is a sizeable section of mass-​produced cast iron/​metal items that could just as easily be found at Hobby Lobby or Kirkland’s. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, it just means that you aren’t necessarily getting a special deal on a cool find when you pick out one of those items. Keep in mind also that most everything here is outside 24/​7, so if it’s not weather proof you might not find it at Cline’s. They have a few trailers with questionable stairs leading inside that house big metal letters (mass produced in China, not authentic stuff from old diners and such) and other things are new but made to look old. There are also a few buildings full of wooden furniture, and that is where you should go hunting if you need something cool and old for your house that just needs a little love to be restored to its former beauty. I saw a set of kissing chairs, lots of bed frames and dressers, and an old billiards table. They also had lots of dining room hutches and some chairs, but I didn’t see many tables. Lots of old glass windows and garden trellises, a few old tricycles, and lots of garden furniture in need of attention. I’m guessing their inventory changes frequently, though, so it’s worth going if you have an afternoon to spare and feel like hunting for treasure. This will not be a short pop-​in-​pop-​out trip so definitely set aside a few hours if you’re going.
Nothing has prices on it, so take your finds to the front entrance and wait. Eventually, a man will appear as if from nowhere and arbitrarily assign prices to the things in your hands. I don’t know if bargaining is on the table, but you could probably give it a try. He only takes cash or «local» checks, no credit cards. Driveway and parking lot are gravel so maybe take your SUV instead of your sports car.

Wear your big girl boots to this place particularly after it’s rained since items are outside or in non-​climate controlled barns/​sheds/​trailers. A total hoarder’s paradise just ripe with treasures;)
I was putting together a mismatched dining set & went to Cline’s to rummage around & on two separate occasions, wearing my 3-​month-​old in a baby carrier, found the perfect candidates for reupholstering & staining. Yes, I carried the chairs by myself baby and all. Prices aren’t marked on anything, so you have to ask & knowing who to ask involves psychic talents or simply standing at the office door until someone takes notice of you. Each time I felt like I really had to work for my chairs & on one occasion had to load up my car in heavy downpour which was a bit treacherous child and all, but now I have two funky armchairs & a fun little adventure to show for it. It ain’t pretty, you’re going to get dirty & sweaty, but you may find something worth pretty-​ing up!

Mostly reproductions and junk
I would go back again with a friend and spend more time to find the real antiques and treasures, but most of what I saw during this first trip was repro and junk — –much of it you find at The Depot at Gibson Mill or other local antique malls. The vendors from these places obviously buy from Cline’s and then resell it for double or triple what they paid. Caveat Emptor!

Head out highway 49 for a while (perhaps a good while, depending on just where you are located) and you will come across a sign directing you to Cline’s. Cline’s Country Antiques, specifically. If you decide to stop, you may then be a bit puzzled, as while there are undoubtedly old items there, most of them are not what the majority of people think about when they go «antiquing». At least, I don’t think so, as I’m not much of one of those people myself.
This isn’t to say that the place isn’t interesting — it is pretty cool, and certainly worth a stop. You are just going to have to dig for a while to find much of anything worthwhile.
Up near the front you will see row upon row of what appear to be mass-​manufactured merchandise, generally well organized and for the most part of fairly decent quality (but probably not particularly old). If this meets your need, you may not want to go further, because the quality goes down a good bit.
The reason is that most of the place is outside — there is just so much of it that it would be hard not to be outside. There is simply nowhere to put it, and it would take so long to move it back inside. That, and the rest that is inside is in buildings that are on the verge of falling down.
If you venture past the first few rows of stuff, you will find several tractor trailers jammed with product (or something), building upon building with even more stuff, glass (much of it broken) strewn about, and a gigantic pile of items out back that has apparently been deemed un-​sellable. What is perhaps most interesting is that much of what is left seems itself not worthy of being sold. So what is in that pile must be really bad.
Should you decide to go and want to dig, you may want to wear long sleeves and pants, and even gloves, as some of the farthest reaches could harbor critters, and who knows what you will get into. They are only open Thursday through Saturday, and only accept cash and check. No credit cards here. Good luck!