OVERVIEW
The Bloomington Antique Mall was originally a wholesale grocer in the 1900's
They sell a large collection of antiques such as furniture, jewelry, children's toys and more. They have more than 100 local merchants and over 120 booths.
The Mall was opened to the public in 1988.
HISTORY
The Antique Mall is not just a business, it's a part of Bloomington's history. The Mall is one of Bloomington's historic landmarks and goes back to the 1900s when it was a wholesale grocer. The store was used to provide food to the John R. Figg building along with many other businesses. The store was also adjacent to the Monon Railroad which is currently the B-line. They would use the railroad to transfer food across states.
As you can tell there is a lot of history in the antique mall, mainly because it is on the West Side Historic District, so there are many places around it that are also historic landmarks. Another of the landmarks are the Shower Brother City hall which was the Showers Brothers Furniture around 1960s.
In the 1980-1990 there were a lot of major renovations happening around Bloomington and one of those renovations was the Antique Mall. At this point the building had fallen into disrepair and it stayed like this for 67 more years. In 1987 the store was sold to CFC properties and within a year they renovated the warehouse to become an antique mall. But the Antique Mall was not the only major renovation that CFC did in Bloomington. A few years after CFC bought the wholesale grocer they worked with a couple other companies to renovate the Showers Brothers Furniture into a city hall. Both of the buildings are considered important landmarks to Bloomington.
The Antique Mall started out strong and had lots of customers so it was a sad day when the Mall had to close. In 2006 they had announced they were going to have to close. After The Antique Mall was closed for a few years CFC sold the property in 2010 to Greg and Denise Pence who are the current owners. Now the Mall has been open for 37 years and is a major part of Bloomington history and community.
ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY
The Bloomington Antique Mall is a vital part of the community. In fact, many employees have a personal link to it from their childhood. “I started working at the Antique Mall because I grew up coming here with friends and family,” employee William Wright mentioned.
Its 24,000 square feet is filled with a large variety of vintage collectables such as furniture, children's toys, decor, and clothes. It also has about 50 lighted jewelry cases. Their main mission is to liven Bloomington culture and keep antique stores thriving. It also has more than 100 local merchants, and all around 120 booths in its three stories. Because of this, it's a very popular store and has a lot of customers that vary from Bloomington residents to tourists. For example, the children from the Banneker Community Center occasionally visit as a field trip. To sum up everything said, the Bloomington Antique Mall is a very important place in the community, harboring nostalgia and a wide ranging collection of items.
We want to give special thanks to Bloomington Antique Mall employee William Wright for kindly responding to our email and providing valuable information for our writing!
WORKS CITED
“The Historic Bloomington Antique Mall.” Bloomingtonantiquemall.com, 2023, www.bloomingtonantiquemall.com/merchant.htm. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.
Pamela Keech. “The Antique Mall Is Back and Better - Bloom Magazine.” Bloom Magazine, 13 Feb. 2012, www.magbloom.com/2012/02/the-antique-mall-is-back-and-better/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
https://littleindiana.com/author/jessnunemaker, and http://www.facebook.com/LittleIndianaTowns. “Bloomington Antique Mall: 24,000 Square Feet of Antique Shopping Fun.” Little Indiana, 7 Apr. 2016, littleindiana.com/2016/04/bloomington-antique-mall/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.
lynae. “The Antique Mall Is Back and Better - Bloom Magazine.” Bloom Magazine, 13 Feb. 2012, www.magbloom.com/2012/02/the-antique-mall-is-back-and-better/.
---. “Preserving Downtown’s History - CFC Properties – Bloomington, IN.” CFC Properties, 7 Sept. 2003, www.cfcproperties.com/preserving-downtowns-history/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094516771957. “Bloomington Antique Mall | Renovated Building | CFC Properties.” CFC Properties, 2025, www.cfcproperties.com/gallery/bloomington-antique-mall/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
“The Historic Bloomington Antique Mall.” Bloomingtonantiquemall.com, 2025, www.bloomingtonantiquemall.com/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.