The Chic Guide: What is Ohio Valley Antique Mall?
Carly Faxon Martin, Co-Owner of Ohio Valley Antique Mall: Ohio Valley Antique Mall is the Cincinnati Area’s Largest Multi-Dealer Antique Mall. We feature over 550 individual dealer spaces, and span almost 2 acres under roof. Ohio Valley Antique Mall is a true shopping destination with something for everyone.
The Chic Guide: What’s the inspiration behind it?
Faxon Martin: Ohio Valley Antique Mall was modeled from another Antique Mall that went out of business in the area. In fact, a lot of our wall partitions and street signs came from the other Antique Mall. Paula, who is the business owner, was a dealer at the other Antique Mall, and once they closed their doors, she knew she had to find a way to keep the antiquing industry alive in the tri-state.
The Chic Guide: Who’s behind it?
Faxon Martin: Paula Faxon was a dealer at The Brass Armadillo for years and she fell in love with the creative and unique atmosphere in the antiquing industry. Once she heard that The Brass Armadillo would be closing, she knew that she had to do something to keep the trade alive. She felt as though she was part of a family of dealers at the other antique mall, and that she had to keep their spirits up by finding them a new “home.”
Paula’s husband, Barry Faxon, is a local business owner himself, and he took on Paula’s vision of a multi dealer antique mall in the Cincinnati area. Paula also persuaded Terri Spoerl into running Ohio Valley Antique Mall and helping with the startup. Terri was a former manager at the Brass Armadillo, and she was the perfect person for the job.
Barry and Paula Faxon purchased the contents of The Brass Armadillo, and obtained their new location within Woodridge Plaza off of Route 4 in Fairfield, Ohio. Ohio Valley Antique Mall opened its doors in January 2008, which allowed dealers to move their merchandise in before our Grand Opening in April 2008. Since 2008, Ohio Valley Antique Mall has become a local shopping destination and is 100% rented by dealers. In November 2015, Ohio Valley Antique Mall opened a 20,000+ square foot expansion, bringing their mall to 85,000+ square feet, and welcoming almost 150 new dealers into our antiquing family. Paula remains a dealer at Ohio Valley Antique Mall and she feels continually blessed to be able to provide a warm and welcoming mall for our OVAM Family.
The Chic Guide: What can readers find when they visit the mall?
Faxon Martin: There is so much to find at Ohio Valley Antique Mall (OVAM.) One thing we love the most is that our customers are truly enjoying their shopping experience when they walk through the doors. We play hits from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and the customers are always singing and dancing down the aisles while browsing the mall.
We also have a ton of people who take a whole day to visit OVAM. They come in with their sisters, girlfriends, out of town guests, and family, and they all come together and enjoy the nostalgia that can so easily be found in each booth or case. They discuss memories and we see older customers showing the younger generation how things worked or explaining why or how things were used “back then.” It’s such a magical experience for everyone to enjoy.
Customers can expect to find merchandise from 100 years ago, or 10 years ago. Each booth or case is really it’s own shopping experience. No two dealers sell the same things, so you can see one booth with homemade soaps and the next with beautiful furniture, then turn the corner and see sports memorabilia and vintage clothing. There’s so much to look at, people just genuinely enjoy strolling around and looking at everything!
The Chic Guide: What makes the Ohio Valley Antique Mall unique?
Faxon Martin: Antique Malls and shops always seem to have a stigma about being dark, dirty, and disorganized. Ohio Valley Antique Mall is big, bright, and very well organized. We have an In-Store Cafe that’s open daily for lunch, and we offer a personal shopping service for that item you just have to have, but can’t seem to find.
OVAM is the largest antique mall in the area, and is home to a lot of dealers who set up at local shows and antique markets. While those shows and markets are fun during the summer, customers follow them here to shop during the winter. We are only closed for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter, and we are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. We really pride ourselves on being able to provide those hours for our loyal customers.
The Chic Guide: Is there anything new on the horizon?
Faxon Martin: Although Ohio Valley Antique Mall is 100% rented, we do have a small turnover, where new dealers come into the mall. We love to bring in unique dealers who offer fresh merchandise. Our dealers work their space often, so we are always keeping things fresh and there’s always something new to see when you shop here!
Right now, we are gearing up for the holiday season. Especially with the Supply Chain Shortages. One of the best things about Ohio Valley Antique Mall is that our merchandise doesn’t come from China. It’s authentic and original, and we don’t need to wait for it to come off of a boat. It’s here! People are flooding stores to get their holiday shopping done, when in reality, shopping at places like Ohio Valley Antique Mall will likely have gifts for everyone on your shopping list.
The Chic Guide: Are you hosting or participating in any upcoming events?
Faxon Martin: We are hosting our Annual Holiday Preview Sale this November. That’s 15% off everything in the store from November 12-14, 2021. Our sales may not seem like much, but in the grand scheme of things, the merchandise in our mall belongs to our dealers, so getting them to allow the sales makes them all that much better. Our Sale Weekends are very, very busy, as customers fill their carts with holiday gifts, decor, and everything they need for that new DIY project.
Aside from our sale, we are just enjoying the holiday season. Our “busy season” runs from November until April, so we are just getting started! There’s also always dealers who are running individual sales. These sales can be up to 25% off, so be sure to look for the pink signs when shopping!
The Chic Guide: Where are you located?
Faxon Martin: Ohio Valley Antique Mall is located at 7285 Dixie Highway, on Route 4, in Fairfield, Ohio.
The Chic Guide: Where can readers go to learn more and follow along?
Faxon Martin: Readers can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
