Trail of treasures

This is the first in a three-part series on the Antique & Thrift Trail and how it connects visitors to shopping in and around Hartville, Ohio. This article covers the trail’s origins; the second will feature several antique store owners’ perspectives, and the third will spotlight local thrift shops.

If you are looking for a day, two, or three to do some antique and thrift store shopping, the Hartville Antique & Thrift Trail is everything it promises to be, offering antiques, vintage and secondhand goods galore.

The trail was developed by the Lake Township Chamber of Commerce and Discover Hartville to promote the stores along the route and help visitors navigate the area. It encourages shoppers to scour the local flea market and explore more than a dozen antique, upcycled, thrift and consignment shops to find one-of-a-kind items. Stores feature a wide range of furniture, home décor, clothing, accessories, glassware, memorabilia, jewelry and more. While each store offers a variety of goods, some specialize in categories such as glassware or holiday collectibles.

“The idea for the Hartville Antique & Thrift Trail was developed in the summer of 2022,” said Megan Wise, spokesperson for Discover Hartville. “It was a direct response to a recurring need we saw from visitors. We were consistently receiving inquiries, both through emails to the Lake Chamber of Commerce and in online travel forums, asking for lists of antique shops or thrift stores in the area. We realized that Hartville’s well-known flea market is a significant draw for tourists, and the trail provides a natural extension for those shoppers. It isn’t just about shopping — it’s about giving visitors a full day or even weekend itinerary to explore the community.”

The idea of a tourism trail isn’t new, Wise added, but it has worked well in Hartville. One of the biggest benefits has been the communication, collaboration and coordination that developed among the shop owners. Many already referred customers to other shops, stopped in to see what others carried, and coordinated on Chamber- and Discover Hartville-sponsored events.

Promotion and growth

The Antique & Thrift Trail is a benefit of Chamber membership and part of Discover Hartville’s tourism efforts. “Our initial promotion was grassroots,” Wise said. “We began by responding to social media travel group inquiries with a link to the Trail page on our website. Over the past two years, the trail has grown primarily through word-of-mouth. Now, when people ask where to shop for antiques in Ohio, we often see Hartville recommended with a link to our map.”

Targeted promotions have included paid ads in Visit Canton’s annual travel guide and a partnership with Dina’s Days, a popular local thrift influencer who spent last summer exploring the trail and sharing her finds.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive. The Chamber’s Trail page is one of the most visited on its website, second only to the homepage. “We’ve heard from groups of friends, sisters and families from all over Northeast Ohio and beyond who have dedicated a day to thrifting,” Wise said. “A few months ago, a group even arrived in a limo, filling the trunk with their finds.”

Upcoming events

Vintage in the ’Ville at Hartville MarketPlace & Flea Market in August, a special vintage clothing addition to its Moonlight Market.

Love Our Community Thrift bin store pop-up inside Hartville MarketPlace through Labor Day.

Fall Shop Hop on Sept. 12-13, featuring many trail stores plus other local gift shops and restaurants.

The Hartville Antique & Thrift Trail includes A Niche in Time (230 E. Maple St., Hartville), Angelique's Vintiques (1122 W. Maple St., Hartville), Best Bib and Tucker (127 Mill St. SE, Hartville), Gwens Peculiar Treasures (114 E. Maple St., Hartville), Hartville Antique Mall (238 Kent Ave. NE, Hartville), Hartville MarketPlace & Flea Market (1289 Edison St. NW, Hartville), Hartville Mercantile (649 Sunnyside St. SW, Hartville), Hartville Music (142 Sunnyside St. SW, Hartville), Hartville Thrift Shoppe (938 W. Maple St., Hartville), Kimberlee Rose Antiques & Vintage (110 Prospect Ave. S, Hartville), Love Our Community Thrift: Hartville MarketPlace (1289 Edison St. NW, Hartville), Love Our Community Thrift: Sunnyside (1236 Sunnyside St. SW, Hartville), Modern Vintage (119 Sunnyside St. SW, Hartville), Rabbitwood Road (500 Prospect Ave. S, Hartville), The Corduroy Cat (106 E. Maple St., Hartville), Twice is Nice Consignments (841 Edison St. NW, Hartville) and Uniontown Antique Shoppe (13353 Cleveland Ave. NW, Uniontown).

For more details and a downloadable map, visit discoverhartville.com.