Bring a friend, take your time, and grab a hot or cold drink while you browse: that is the pitch C. Middleton Antiques and Uniques makes to shoppers walking into its South 17th Street storefront in Lincoln, and it is a good summary of the relaxed, multi-dealer shopping experience the store is built around. Inside, a roster of antique dealers each specializes in different corners of the past, which means the sales floor covers an unusually wide range for a single stop: furniture running from primitive farmhouse pieces through Victorian formality to mid-century modern lines, antique and vintage jewelry, vintage clothing, china and glassware, and decorative items spanning primitive American style to European imports.
The store leans into its dual identity, part antiques, part one-of-a-kind finds, hence the name. Collectors of American art pottery will find pieces from makers like McCoy, Shawnee, and Roseville alongside vintage toys and games, advertising memorabilia, old hand tools, and outdoor and garden items. There is also a dedicated corner for works of art, books, postcards, and photographs, the kind of paper ephemera that rewards patient browsing. Furniture buyers get particular attention here: the shop notes it looks for quality antique furniture in every wood type and era, and when a piece needs some extra care to look its best, the dealers work to restore it while preserving its original character rather than over-polishing away its history. Several of the shop’s dealers also work with Heirloom Traditions paint products to repurpose furniture pieces into something new, appealing to shoppers who want to take on their own refinishing projects at home.
One detail sets C. Middleton apart from a typical antique mall: it sells its own house-made products alongside the antiques. The shop carries an exclusive private label of teas and handmade lotion bars, plus what it describes as a secret recipe for cleaning stains out of aged fabric and textiles, a formula aimed at bringing heirloom linens and handiwork back to display condition. It is an unusual pairing, antiques and home goods, but it fits the shop’s overall philosophy that buying old and buying well beats buying new and disposable. As the store puts it to browsers eyeing new furniture that is destined for a landfill, antique furniture holds character and quality that mass-produced pieces do not, making it as much an investment as a purchase.
C. Middleton Antiques and Uniques keeps regular hours Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., staying closed on Mondays, which makes weekday afternoons and weekend visits the easiest windows for a relaxed browse without a rush. The shop has been a fixture of Lincoln’s antique scene for well over a decade, building a following among shoppers who appreciate the range, from big furniture pieces down to small decorative accents, all under one South 17th Street roof. For anyone furnishing a home with pieces that have real history, hunting a specific pottery mark or toy from childhood, or simply enjoying an unhurried afternoon of browsing with a snack in hand, C. Middleton Antiques and Uniques offers one of Lincoln’s most varied antique mall experiences, where the furniture, jewelry, pottery, and handmade teas share the same welcoming space.
