By Tom Hoepf – For Antique Trader
Stratford Antique Center, 400 Honeyspot Road, is the oldest group shop in Fairfield County, having opened in 1992. The big blue building which houses the wares of some 200 dealers stands on an ideal location along I-95. “You can see us from the highway … on the northbound side right before the exit,” said Jan Wynn, who started the the Stratford Antique Center with her husband, Ken.
She recalled when they first stopped at a group shop along the highway to Cape Cod, Mass,: “We went in and he said this is the way to go. You have so many dealers under one roof and it’s not just for a two day show and they’re gone. It’s a permanent business. ” They returned home to Stratford and found a choice spot not far from where they lived. “The building was here. We leased it for a few years and then purchased it,” said Wynn.
Despite changes in the trade and downturns in the economy, Stratford Antique Center maintains a full compliment of dealers. “We have a waiting list of dealers, which we had since we opened,” said Wynn, noting that collectors’ tastes changed over the years. “There are still a lot of people that want antiques from the 1800’s, but a lot more, the baby boomers, are looking for stuff from their childhood or what they can remember from their grandmother’s house,” said Wynn.