Are you on the hunt for treasure?

If you are one of those hobbyists or enthusiasts who can’t imagine a better day out than hunting through stacks, racks, boxes and shelves full of knick-knacks, figurines, metal signs, dusty records, glass bottles, and vintage jewelry and clothing searching for that next item to add to your treasured collection, then the Cotton City Antique Mall is for you.  If 12,000 square feet of everything from antiques, to collectibles, to civil war items and furniture makes you break out in a cold sweat dreaming of all the treasures you can dig up, then you need to run, not walk, to Mobile and visit this amazing place.

I recently found myself in Mobile for my great-uncle’s 80th birthday celebration.  On the day before his big party, my brother and I decided to pay a visit to the Cotton City Antique Mall to see if we might find an interesting Civil War era item that my military history-buff uncle could add to his ever-expanding collection.

We pulled up to a parking lot filled with a motley of vehicles – everything from Harleys to a vintage and painstakingly restored 1951 red Cadillac convertible.  This place obviously attracts an eclectic clientele.

Walking into the mall is like walking back in time.  This is no arts and crafts store.  Every nook and cranny of this place is filled with vintage items dating as far back as the 1800s and beyond.  There is also an extensive selection of 1950s era items, including a particularly evocative and surprisingly life-size black-velvet Elvis wall hanging.  Wow.

We stopped at the front desk and asked the friendly woman behind the counter if she could point us in the direction of Civil War paraphernalia, something special we could give as a gift.  Without missing a beat, she lead us over to a glass case filled to the brim with dozens of items worn by soldiers during that war – everything from Confederate belt buckles to Potomac medals.

The selection was mind-boggling.  The woman was incredibly knowledgeable about many of the items, and suggested we look at the cap insignias worn by infantrymen.  These gorgeous brass medallions worn on the hat seemed the perfect choice, and we settled on one fashioned to look like two crossed cannons that was made from brass and given to those in the artillery division.  The price was quite reasonable, and she even threw in free gift-wrapping to boot!

Uncle Norman loved his gift – it turns out a good portion of his collection is dedicated to Civil War era items worn by soldiers, so my brother and I were the heroes of the afternoon.  He even let me have the first piece of birthday cake.  We’ll certainly be back to the Cotton City Antique Mall before Uncle Norman’s 81st birthday party!

The Cotton City Antique Mall is located at 2012 Airport Blvd in Mobile.  Open Monday – Saturday from 10am – 5:30pm, and Sunday 1pm – 5:30pm.  Do yourself a favor and stop by, you won’t be disappointed!