Authentiques

My father started a tradition of shopping at Authentiques annually himself in the late 80s and has proudly sung their praises since… Now we’ve come here as as a family the past 4 and have yet to be disappointed in the selection of high quality, vintage-​looking blown glass ornaments. The staff is attentive and although the place is super tiny and easily crowded they do their best to give you personalized service. Pieces range from $ 10 – 20 in price and are highly worth the mini investment. It seems to me that the stock rotates slightly every year, until eventually certain ornaments are phased out (get what you love while you can). The most impressive of the Christmas decorations is certainly the old school illuminated plastic Santas and candles which remind me of riding through the streets of Brooklyn as a kid. In addition to all of the holiday décor they are a thrift store with trinkets, toys, and glassware that are price fairly. Conclusively, I am happy to see Authentiques thriving as it’s shoppes like this that keep the spirit of old New York alive.

what a great shop! it has eveything you could want if you are into vintage and retro home décor. and they have fabulous Christmas ornaments, i will be back

I’d say this is the quintessential place that «I almost don’t want to review and give away this wonderful secret,» but it’s really a tad too expensive for me to realistically do any hoarding anyway, so here goes…
Happened upon this little gem of a shop just wandering around Chelsea while Christmas shopping and looking for a place to stop for a bite. The lovely, informative proprietors have been there since the 70s — ask a simple question about one of their items, and be prepared to listen to a long (yet informative) tale.
This place feels like someone went ahead and curated eBay for you, wading through acres and acres of crap to find the few, precious and authentique (sorry) items they proudly sell here. While their clear emphasis is on Christmas items, they also have an incredible selection of vintage glasses, housewares and assorted ephemera (emphasis on 50s-​70s items, but going back further in some cases).
Whether you are desperately searching for a cocktail set inspired by a rewatching of Mad Men, looking for that perfect, unique gift for Mom, or just want to get off of a cacophonous 21^st Century Manhattan street and feel like you stepped back in time for a little respite wandering around your (fabulous gay) grandfather’s attic, do yourself a favor and pop in here.

This place has a nice selection of Christmas ornaments. I went here last year, and this year. I will never return again.
Last year, I went in and bought two ornaments. I was the only customer. To ring up my credit card and put these two ornaments into boxes with tissue paper, took 20 minutes.
20 minutes.
I thought maybe the gentleman who was middle aged or a little older, maybe had carpal tunnel, or something that prevented him from working more quickly. And I don’t mean slow. I mean excruciatingly, unreasonably slow. And not polite or apologetic either in any way.
So this year, I return, because I do love the ornaments. 4 employees, 1 other customer who walks in after me. I pick the ornament and bring it to the desk. Keep in mind it’s a small store, maybe 7 – 8 feet wide at most, and the main room where ornaments/​register is is 10 feet long at most.
I see the cashier from last year, and I get a different guy, younger than him. I have to wait a minute or two for the 4 employees to figure out where I should stand to be rung up for one small ornament, which you can’t touch them from the shelf, and had to put in a basket to bring to the register. Hysterical. So finally I get to the register. He starts to handwrite the receipt. For the one ornament. He takes a call in the middle of this one receipt. It takes no joke, 5 – 7 minutes to write a receipt. He misspells words, talks to himself. He then asks me how much it costs. I shouldn’t have even entertained this, and made him go over and look at the ****ing ornament, or asked one of the other 3 people working how much it was. And it was MAYBE FIVE FEET AWAY. So lazy and rude.
Then takes my cash. It was $ 11.50, and I gave a 20. He couldn’t remember what I gave him, and spent another 5 minutes figuring out the change. Then, takes another 5 minutes to wrap up the ornament. He wrapped it once in tissue paper and put it in a box with no tape. 5 minutes for maybe 10 seconds of work.
Another customer picked a cat ornament. The staff were discussing the price, and the cashier tells me they jack up the prices for most of the ornaments, and I probably paid 2 or 3x what it’s worth. And that I’m not getting my money back.
Happy Holidays. This place is ridiculous, and don’t understand the concept of running a retail shop. They should not be open for business.

A great find. Don’t be deceived by the small entrance! The place is a quiet maze of interesting collections of vintage glass and Christmas ornaments. Friendly owner. Been there for 35 years. Probably have the largest glass/​Murano ashtrays collection in the city.

Fabulous selection of Christmas items, wonderful people working there, so great to be able to buy all of your Christmas stuff & support local business rather than big chain stores. 100% recommend. There are also some other fabulous consignment stores in the area, so your trip to the area will not be wasted!

The most unique collection of Xmas ornaments on the planet. From slot machines to santa ornaments. The owners are super nice and opened the store early for us. This is a must for anyone in the holiday spirit

What a cool little shop. Lots of unique items. Lamps, glassware, ornaments, trays, cigarette cases, cards, and various trinkets. Vintage and faux vintage. Fun.

ADORABLE. I walked in without evening realizing I had stumbled upon a gem of a store. The gentlemen that work there are just that — gentlemen. Very kind and helpful without being overbearing.
The postcard selection is to die for. Very reasonably priced and they carry the sweetest and most authentic vases/​dishes. I will definitely be back to furnish my next apartment. The Christmas decorations are darling as is the entire glass and kitchen area.

Oh my, the secret is out. I’ve been shopping here for over 10 years now. A happy accident that I found Authentiques. I was working in the neighborhood back in 1997 and changed my usual path to the job and voila, I saw a reproduction of a «Black Cat» cigarette placard (I am a cat fancier) in the window and went in to inquire. WOW, transported right back to my childhood. A must for Christmas decorations of all kinds both traditional and the unusual. The proprietor is always pleasant and the service warm and friendly. I purchase ALL of my Christmas presents here. There is something for everyone and you can find unique and interesting things that fit your budget. Shop small and make Authentiques one of those special shops!

I accidentally found Authentiques this afternoon and I am SO glad that I did. I was walking back from the Chelsea post office to head to work. I had time to spare before an office was available for me so I was on the lookout for somewhere to spend a little bit of time.
What stopped me in my tracks was the bling bling shimmeriness from the front windows.
I walk in to find sparkly ornaments, rows upon rows, antiques, small, medium, big. I’ve been very nostalgic about Christmas recently so this was a perfect quickie-​like medicine to this longing for Christmas. I was beyond thrilled.
I imagine there’s a ton of Christmas stuff as Christmas is 2.5 weeks away. I suggest if you want to get someone a one-​of-​a-​kind ornament, come here! :) I was also eyeing some of their vintage glassware in the way back.
I will definitely make a return visit to check their stuff *after* the Christmas season.
Hours of Operation:
Wednesday to Saturday: 12 – 6
Sunday: 1 – 6
**Open 7 days a week in December.**

I might not have noticed Authentiques except for a sparkling coupe glass perched on a shelf next to their wrought iron fence. I was booking it to try to make it to Chelsea Market before closing time, but the cut glass facets on the tiny cup caught the sunlight juuuuust right.
I picked it up. Chip on the rim. $ 2. Meh. But wait — they have more in the window!
We buzzed to be let in, where we were greeted by an approachable but not overbearing proprietor. Glass cases on the left housed single pieces of vintage glassware. Cases on the right housed 4 piece sets of glassware. Many were dainty, etched coupes and cocktail glasses, the likes of which I’ve seen in spreads for Imbibe magazine or the personal blogs of certain famous bartenders. Others are spectacular metal and glass creations that look like they might have fallen out of an Aubrey Beardsley poster.
In the back room, floor to ceiling cases housed vintage cocktail ware — more coupes, hiballs, cordials… Even a circus themed punch set with bold red stripes and carousel tigers. I’ve never seen anything quite like it – and I grew up around antiques. Honestly, I was racking my brain for excuses for me to own a circus themed punch set, but pragmatism won out — this time.
This store is a gem!

C’mon, guys. They’re celebrating 30 years in Chelsea and no one’s written them up yet?!
This place is a wonderland of vintage lamps, housewares, and random other knick-​knacks. PLUS from about this time of year ’till January, they have piles and piles… and piles, of awesome Christmas ornaments. Want a Star of David on your Christmas tree? Done. Cupcake? Yep. «Luscious Latte» or «Moist & Delicious» cake slice? Done and done. They have it all, and most of their ornaments are under $ 10! OK, so October is a little early for me to think about what kinds of ceramic doo-​dads I want for my tree, but this place is a must, come Christmas time. But even if you’re not into Christmas, or don’t like to cut down trees, or hate pretty sparkly things that go on trees, this is a great place to come for cool vintage housewares, and their prices aren’t jacked up quite as high as in so many New York antique shops.
This is also a fun stop for that unmistakable antique atmosphere. You know, the shop owner in rose-​colored glasses appraising things with a magnifying glass behind the counter? Thick New York accents swirling around you as you admire the packed ceiling to floor displays of special junk? That’s the one. The fellows running this joint were nice as can be, happy to let me take photos and graciously accepting my compliments on how reasonable they keep their prices.
[only one thing: buy your own bubble wrap for gifts and be ready to tote it to the post office yourself — they don’t do shipping]