Antiques in Kensington, MD

“Fabio Lepre saved my heirloom! I broke my great-grandmother's antique rocking chair; it was clear the break was in a particularly tricky spot -- strange angle, lots of tension from the woven cane on the chair back. And when Fabio swung by to take a look, he was honest: It might require a complete undoing of the cane to relieve the tension. But first he'd try to do what he could. A week or so later... as good as new. I asked him how he managed to make it all work, he showed me the attached picture -- the chair with all these clamps and strings and cloths and rolled up newspapers... carefully assembled to hold the chair with the perfect amount of tension in the exact right spots. It was amazing. Fabio is a craftsman. I cannot recommend his services enough. And, if you have the time, make sure to visit him at his shop. Ask him how he does what he does. It's like your own private PBS antiques show!”

“They went above and beyond to restore two of my brass items. I was very impressed with their high standards, experience and expertise. I would definitely recommend this store.”

“Outstanding workmanship. Honest, forthright, superb craftsmanship. I've been working with Brian and Gallo for 20 years, on numerous vehicles - usually at least one or two of my old cars are in the shop at any given time. Without fail, each time, the cars come out as stunning works of art. Now, fair warning - this is NOT a place to go for cheap or economy (or for that matter, fast overnight) work. Brian is expensive - you must know that going in. But he also is very accurate in his estimates and his timekeeping and recordkeeping and billing. Usually, when I go there, I wish there was a vaccine for sticker shock - but I've developed a fair immunity over the years. Because - the results are worth it. All of my cars usually go into the shop as hopeless rust buckets - or otherwise as failed PO (prior owner) restorations (e.g., full of mud, bad paint jobs, shoddy mechanics, bad electrical, hidden rust). Gallo and Brian find all of that stuff and put the car back together the RIGHT way. In short, if you're looking for inexpensive, quick, fast-and-dirty, TV-reality car-flip el cheapo work, then go somewhere else. If you have the funds, the time, the patience, and the appreciation, then you come here for your restoration work. Put it this way - take a look at the shop. It's not fancy - they aren't taking your money and buying a bunch of fancy facilities and furnishings - it's a three-bay garage with a paint booth and a tented storage lot (graveyard?) out back, minimum frills, lots of work going on. And you can see the work being done - it's right there in front of you. You can see the time and quality going into each project. And Brian keeps extremely accurate records of each nut, bolt, part, etc. that goes into the restoration. The other plus - Brian outsources his upholstery work to the best in the business, Jamie over at Car Care Customs in Silver Spring. Jamie is the nicest guy in the world, and does absolutely astounding work (again, take a look at the no-frills shop on Garfield - fabric piled to the ceiling, sewing machines humming - all business). Fair warning - better get Jamie fast, since I think he will be retiring soon. But, back to Brian's place - I think I'm probably on my 5th or 6th project (more to come). I'm a huge fan of this shop and of the fine individuals who own and operate it. Has my bank account suffered? Absolutely - painfully. But has my garage benefited from their work? Without question. It never fails - once a car is done (and this may take years), wherever I go, that car turns heads and stops traffic. So, to the haters (the one-stars), sorry you feel that way - there are plenty of fast-fix, cover-the-rust-with-mud places, here today, gone tomorrow. The car restoration business is not for the faint of heart or the light-of-budget. You'd probably be better off going somewhere else. As for me, I'll stick with Murphy Brothers.”

“Adorable cozy little cottage nestled up in-between a row of antique stores. This shop is a great go-to for vintage tea sets, saucers, glassware, textiles, pottery, and even artwork. They also have a room dedicated to books and another to fashion items. All purchases go towards charity! Kensington has a street dedicated to antique retailers, consignors and upcyclists which goes by "Kensington Antique Row." More information can be viewed at: kensingtonantiquerow.com.”

“After about 8 years, I went back to Antique Row in Kensington while waiting for my car, having its annual oil filter change, a tune-up, and the brakes repaired and flushed at Quality Discount Tire and Auto on the industrial side of Howard Ave. There's still the usual antique fare, and I was very glad to see that two of my favorite, non-antique shops survived the pandemic -- artist Shara's shop (her cool, large and small wire and/or yarn sculptures are just outside the entrance to a small inside mall of different shops...hers is the first on the left) with her affordable abstract pallet knife figure paintings, jewelry, mixed media pieces, wire mesh sculpture and other lamp shades, painted glass light fixtures, etc.; and a home accessories shop a bit down the road. There's also another non-antique shop with women's clothing and accessories a little past those two shops along the street where I was also successful in purchasing a few items. And, I also browsed and bought a set of new red chopsticks and a delicate chopstick rest at an oriental art boutique across and down from Shara's shop...some beautiful lithographs, paintings, wood carvings, pottery, and other pieces from Japan and some other countries as well. And then there's the quaint gourmet-ish deli shop and market Karlee's with outdoor seating under a long white wood awning with hanging faux flowers and tiny flashing lights that twinkle along with contemporary but some years old soft rock and pop music. There's also outside heaters which were temporarily used during that recent early-afternoon chill. I had the pastrami with pickle chips and tasty dressing on ciabatta bread sandwich, which was delicious. Antique Row is a great little gem to enjoy for a few hours by yourself or with out-of-town guests who like antiques, artsy shops, women's clothing and accessories, and artisanal casual dining. Definitely worth a visit.”

“Beautiful vintage artwork here! With every turn there was so much more to look at. Kensington has a street dedicated to antique retailers, consignors and upcyclists which goes by "Kensington Antique Row." More information can be viewed at: kensingtonantiquerow.com.”

“Go-to retail shop for all things creative and DIY. Especially if you are one to look for inspiration in-person rather than on Pinterest, you should wander here to find your next project. Kensington has a street dedicated to antique retailers, consignors and upcyclists which goes by "Kensington Antique Row." More information can be viewed at: kensingtonantiquerow.com.”

“Margaret has created a lovely and accessible store. She finds great case goods as well as clever and traditional accessories for daily use. I love getting gifts here for weddings and showers. Vases, glassware, frames, art. Never disappoints!!”

“I'm not usually one to shop at antiques stores, but this one was great. The owner was friendly and seemed very ready to cut a good deal with me. The shop is small but they have a lot of nice glassware and I appreciated the lack of the typical dusty antique store odor. Nice place worth a stop.”