Making the Old New Again: Relics Antique Mall
Written & Styled By Alexis Loftis
Modeled By Lilly Templeton, Alyssa Roney, Desiree Doas, & Alexis Loftis
Shot By Jake Moreland
If you've ever needed a last-minute, one-of-a-kind gift, look no further than Relics Antique Mall, located at 2015 W Battlefield Rd in Springfield, Missouri! Relics is the largest antique mall in Missouri, sitting at 90,000 square feet. This antique mall is a personal favorite of mine and a place I recommend to everyone. With all that space, you are bound to find anything you can imagine—they truly have everything. Relics has over 600 booths containing collectibles, clothes, decor, and much more. There is something there for everyone.
This Relics Antique Mall was opened in 2010 and is their third location. This store is owned and operated by Beverly Robb and her husband. Mrs. Beverly told me their business started like a lot of people– an idea she had in college. Her friends and herself had a passion for antiquing and they loved collecting little things for their apartment. They just loved the decor in their apartment and realized that this could become much more than just collecting. Mrs. Beverly’s love of antiques paired with being a broke college student became a perfect combination to open an antique store. Relics also has an event center located on the west end of the mall. They put on a variety of events, from weddings to karate tournaments. This event center came to fruition a couple of years after the business opened.
In Relics’ labyrinth of booths, there are many fashion items! It’s a perfect place to shop for those
interested in vintage clothing. I asked Mrs. Beverly if she was more passionate about the many different clothing or if she was more interested in the vintage items from antiquing. She is definitely more interested in the item-based part, however, she does love and typically wears vintage clothes. She states, “Going back to the fashion aspect though, I mean, I do buy and wear vintage clothing. I love it! I have been doing that since college.” Leading into our conversation about the products in Relics, I asked her if she had noticed how there has been a shift in Relics’ customer base. She shared that she has undoubtedly noticed a shift and that since moving to this current location, she believes the mix between older and younger customers is about 50/50! Even i’ve noticed the more and more I go there the more I see people my age, everyone is getting in on antiquing!
One of my favorite aspects of Relics is the bargains. I have found amazing clothing pieces that would be hundreds of dollars online. You can also find such unique clothing pieces and decor at an affordable price, which is perfect for college students. One of Beverly's favorite booths is a dealer that has been with them since they opened. This dealer’s business motto is that “she buys low and sells low.” Every time you visit her booth, you are guaranteed to find a deal. If you ever get a chance to visit Relics, you will see this motto reflected in several of the booths. Moreover, if you want a little bit of extra money you can also sign up to be a dealer at Relics! They are running a waitlist now, but you can still ask to be put on the list. The booths vary in price and size, from as small as four feet by eight feet to as large as twenty feet by twenty feet!
Sustainability is also an important aspect of antiquing. The act of reusing is something we all need to practice to help the environment.,
“We were green before anyone else,” said Robb.
Robb believes revamping and reusing products is very important for her business. She referenced an image she saw that she shared on their Facebook page: a field of miles of piled-up clothes, some still with tags on them. Beverly voiced that she believes all those clothes wasted and damaging the planet is a crime and that if you buy used, you would be saving the environment.
We ended our conversation with some antiquing tips! A direct tip from Mrs. Beverly is to “buy what you like and don't wait to buy it, because when you come back it probably won’t be here.” Relics is an amazing business with an amazing staff. Helping the environment by promoting recycling amazing clothes and sustainable behaviors. Plus, you get a ton of rare items out of it! You should definitely stop by and experience it in all of its greatness!