Shop the shelves at Antiques and Old Books in Cheat Lake and see what pops out at you.
If you’ve driven through Cheat Lake, you’ve probably noticed a quaint little shop on the side of the road, unambiguously called Antiques and Old Books. This shop is home to a diverse collection—vintage books, fine art, American furniture, and more—curated by shop owner JoAnn Nicholson, a neighborly, knowledgeable Fairmont native. “I’ve been collecting since childhood,” Nicholson recalls. “I also had my own private lending library for children in the neighborhood—that was fun.”
Hundreds of books line the walls of Nicholson’s shop, and she says many of them have come from other collectors. “They’ll call, say they have a collection for sale, and then come to the door.” And like many of those who visit her shop, Nicholson often visits others’ shops in search of her next great find. “There are a lot of good local collections,” she says.
One of the many unique things about Antiques and Old Books is Nicholson’s collection of West Virginia history books and books by West Virginia authors. She keeps rarer finds in an elegant display case, while others fill a large shelf near the back wall. Nicholson has a variety of antique furniture, accessories, and stoneware for sale, but she says old books have always sold best—especially signed copies and banned books, which she neatly displays on a table next to the checkout counter. Of course, the widely popular works of authors like Edgar Allen Poe, Walt Whitman, and Steven King don’t typically live on the shelves for very long, either.
While shopping for books online can be quick and easy, it’s nothing like the experience you’ll have at a place like Antiques and Old Books. “People love to shop the shelves. They’ll come across a book they haven’t seen in years, and they’re so excited to have found a copy of it. I’m always glad for that,” Nicholson says. “Something may just pop out at you, and that’s what I enjoy about the experience.”
Want to see if anything pops out at you? You can visit Antiques and Old Books on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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