A husband-and-wife team spent years selling antiques out of booths in other people’s malls before deciding to open a place of their own. On February 1, 2014, they launched Water Street Vintage at 207 W. Water Street in downtown New London, Wisconsin, turning a longtime dream into a genuine brick-and-mortar store built around what they describe as creating a memorable shopping experience for loyal regulars and first-time visitors alike.
The shop has since grown into a substantial two-story space, now totaling roughly 15,000 square feet and housing more than fifty individual dealers. Inventory changes daily as those dealers restock, spanning vintage furniture, shabby chic decor, genuine antiques, repurposed and upcycled pieces, records, artwork, and jewelry, giving the mall a broad enough range that the owners say something of interest awaits nearly every visitor. Water Street Vintage has also become a regional source for Dixie Belle Paint, the popular chalk-mineral furniture refinishing line, with at least one shopper discovering the store specifically while searching for a local Dixie Belle representative and staying for the wider selection once inside.
The store’s location adds real character to the visit. New London sits along the Wolf River, and Water Street Vintage’s position near the riverfront and downtown gives shoppers a scenic backdrop rarely found at a typical strip-mall antique store, with visitors specifically citing the combination of river views and walkable downtown as part of what makes a trip memorable. The owners themselves draw consistent praise for their knowledge and enthusiasm, with reviewers describing their genuine passion as visible in how thoughtfully items are curated and displayed throughout the two floors.
As with any large multi-dealer mall relying on dozens of independently managed booths, the shopping experience can vary somewhat from one section to the next, and at least one visitor has noted inconsistent pricing signage across booths, along with occasional gaps in staff engagement during quieter shopping periods. Most visitors, however, describe spending a genuinely enjoyable couple of hours working through the inventory, often leaving with several finds they hadn’t expected going in.
Water Street Vintage keeps generous hours, open seven days a week, making it easy to fold into a New London day trip regardless of which day travelers pass through. For anyone exploring the Wolf River region of Wisconsin looking for a large, riverside antique mall with genuine owner passion behind it, Water Street Vintage offers a distinctive, memorable stop in downtown New London. Water Street Vintage is a 15,000-square-foot, two-story antique mall with more than fifty dealers in downtown New London, Wisconsin, owned by a husband-and-wife team since 2014 and known for its riverside location and Dixie Belle Paint retail.
