Thompson’s Antique Center of Texas

Come to this antique store prepared to do a lot of walking as there are massive isle’s filled with
vintage goodies. They have a great furniture selection with most of the items in pristine condition. Pricing is on the high end which is typical for antique centers.

I’ve been here a couple of times since they moved to this location and I’ve left empty handed both times. Not for lack of trying though. I saw more things I was interested in on my 1^st visit when they first moved here, than I did during my recent visit. There are about 200 vendor spaces here, and most dealers know what they have and are looking for top dollar.
I think they are one of the highest priced antique malls in the Houston area, but they also happen to have the greatest variety too. There is just a lot of stuff to look at.
I come mainly when I have time to kill, which is less and less often each year. I am convinced I will buy something the next time I go though. Third time is hopefully a charm.

I am antique dealer in central Texas and I was in awe of the diversity of inventory in this once department store facility. I was looking for antique photos and vintage books to help with genealogy. I struck gold but not for my Houston branch but for my Arkansas branch. There are several vintage book dealers but what wowed us the most were the cases of antique toys and I mean antique not collectibles. There were cases of military items that blew us away, if you like antique signs or clothing there are amazing selections. Make sure you take your time and have time to take, it is worth it from furniture to small treasures. All I can say is if you go with someone, make sure you take your cell phone… my hubby, well HE got lost!

Heaven. I love places like this, I was in here for 4 hours. There’s so much stuff, and there’s vending machines towards the back– which was nice because I was seriously too entranced to notice I was dizzy after wandering so long on an empty stomach haha. Friendly employees and booth owners!

I don’t normally go to antique stores, but since my bf is a WWII buff, my coworker recommended going here for such items. This place is super interesting for browsing and spent an hour and a half looking at everything. Of course everything I wanted cost $$$. There were items ranging from china and furniture to artwork to handwritten post cards from back In the day to cowboy boots and taxidermy. Sections were organized for specific types of items such as Native American to black history to war antiques. We left empty handed but I may come back for one particular section that sold natural edge wood tables and other furniture called Wood Steelworks.

The old location was convenient and had a great selection of items. What a pleasure it was to browse and shop! Thompsons’s has undergone a transition, and not for the better. It seems the quality and selection has deteriorated and the new location is unseemly. No need to return.

This is my go to antique center when I am on the hunt for furniture and pottery. The place is huge and if you are a collector, it will take hours to see and touch everything. I have always left this place with at least something in my hands (usually a box or two!). The employee’s are all very friendly and are always willing to help.
The location is not that great (Northwest Mall), and we’ve seen some sketchy people walking through, but that is expected being that it is attached to a public mall.
If you are looking for quality at a good price, this is the spot!

Place is a little overwhelming. It occupies an old large box department store in an old mall. Takes a while to look around the place. It has a little bit of everything and some of the stuff isn’t entirely original so you need to look carefully. Some neat items I found were some old slot machines, plenty of good condition gas pumps, war memorabelia, old ice boxes, cast iron toys, neon signs, furniture, porcelain signs, vintage lures and guns, the list goes on and on. Plenty of unique items too like an old women’s bowling ball trophy with a lid that comes off that hides 6 shot glasses and a decanter with a pump to dispense the elixir of your choice.
Also saw an old coke, gas powered marketing go cart that was in fairly good condition minus the two deflated tires in the front. Not sure if the B&S motor was working but it was a neat little piece.
Stuff is a little overpriced but vendors are negotiable. During the weekdays you have to go through the sales people to negotiate with the vendors which isn’t ideal when trying to knock down the vendors. The good news is the sales floor people seem to have a good relationship with all the booth renters and they are willing to use their charm on your behalf.
Make sure you allocate plenty of time to meander through the rows. I allocated $$$ on price, but when negotiation is said and done you are looking at $$ if you know what you are doing.

I came here on a road trip to Houston, and I had the opportunity to check this place out.
Well, I didn’t buy anything, but didn’t look around everything (it was huge). Kind of wondering about the stuff though – there was German WWII memorabilia (including a $ 1300 armband-​looking thing). There was also other stuff – like a hand-​carved wooden basin thing (purpose?) or $ 50 stop signs that looked like they were probably stolen from around the Houston area. Wish I had a bit more time, it was a neat place.

I can’t believe this place has been in Houston for 20 years and this is the first time I’ve ever been!
My parents were looking for some rustic dining room furniture so I made the trip with them out to the antique center on a Sunday. I was immediately taken back by the the mere size of the building.
There are 12 aisles across this whole building, and not just tiny aisles. Think Sam’s or Costco size aisles. There are so many diverse pieces, it’s hard to know where to start. My parents had the greatest time reminiscing about all the things from their childhood. My mom even found several pieces of thing she has at home that she had no idea was worth so much money.
The goodies in here are ridiculous. I can’t really do it justice and I’m not about to list all that it encompasses, you’d be overwhelmed. I guarantee that anyone could spend at least an hour in here, if not way more!
If you like antiques or funky things, check this place out. It’s not just «old» people stuff, it’s got some really cool stuff!

Stopped in a few days ago and learned that the antique center is moving to Northwest mall in a few months. (June-​ish). Should be interesting, I think they’re moving into JC Penney’s old space, which will probably be easier to access than the current location.

How is this place not yet reviewed? How, I ask?
We stumbled upon the Antique Center while trying to find Persian carpets that we could afford. The big yellow building didn’t look from the outside as though it housed rugs, but after calling and confirming, in we went.
And… wow. This place is a treasure chest of American history and antiques. It’s like… the Ikea of Antique Centers– a huge warehouse like space with the goodies mostly arranged into individual mock rooms, so you can browse through and envision what you’d do with each. There are exceptions, like the rare coins display and the fishing supplies section– and although old books are scattered around everywhere, there is one main section. Essentially, if you collect something, you must come here. We found a display of old lighters for my sister, antique telephones for me, and old pens for my husband.
What a treasure chest.
We actually tucked this place away to bring family too when they visited, because both my and my husband’s parents love American historical artifacts (my mom more than anyone else I’ve ever met). It’s such a phenomenal, sneaky place to wander around that coming here is a cool way to show off the eclectic weirdness of Houston to visitors. I think my favorites are the medical tools and vintage apothecary bottles. Oooh human glass eyes!
And I actually found some of my old toys here. Antiques? Hmph!
Anyway, if you’re looking for a place to wander around and gape at a huge random assortment of old goodies, or you’re looking for the perfect antique table, come check this place out. I think it belongs in the ‘local color’ category too. Did I mention there’s a full (working) ‘50s diner assembled inside here? And a koi pond?
p. s. we didn’t wind up buying a rug here, and it was still worth the trip.