The Shops on Westridge

Was terribly disappointed in this establishment that I go to somewhat often periodically. Found a piece today, 9÷27÷15 that I was interested in and there was a sign posted in the booth that everything was 50% off. I liked the piece very much but not at the original price. After I dragged the piece around the entire downstairs to keep looking and finally dragged it upstairs, without any staff coming to me to offer to take it up for me by the way, I was told after some time at checkout that the piece was not really 50% off; that the vendor had put the wrong tag on it. The woman who I first talked to went down to look at the booth and confirmed that they probably used the wrong tags. She reassured me that I would still be able to get it at half price because of the sign in the both. The had to call the vendor of the booth to confirm HER mistake in the signage and that she should honor the 50% off sign. However, much to my dismay, the person who talked with her told me that she would take $ 10 off!!! I walked out. This is very poor business practice. Amateurish at the least. You should not be in business if you are going to treat customers like this. The person who talked with her came back and said she was «very concerned» and not happy (apparently that she had placed the wrong sign, even though it says clearly EVERYTHING in this booth is 50% OFF. I wish I had thought to say, the vendor SHOULD have said, PLEASE GIVE MY APOLOGIES TO THE CUSTOMER. I left empty handed stating that I was NOT happy. This is the second time this has happened to me at Shops on West Ridge. You guys really need to tighten up your operation.

The shops on Westridge are best described as an odd lot. There’s a lot of everything from vintage furniture to homemade items and lots in between. It’s not my favorite shop, but I do go once or twice a year when I’m in the area. On the plus side, it’s very clean and well organized. The individual booths are not cluttered and the sales staff is mostly helpful. On the negative side, it’s a bit off the main drag (my GPS had no problem) and the parking is limited. I’ve gone about three times now; twice with no luck but the third time was the charm. I bought two small pieces of furniture that were a nice find at a nice price. You never know where you’ll find a treasure.

You will either like this shop or completely hate it. A lot of the reviews on here kept telling me «AVOID» but I’m weak when it comes to antiques, low priced items, and rare merchandise. I eventually said ‘whatever’ and gave it a try.
Trying to get into this place was already a problem with the building nearly tucked away beneath Ridge Road, I ended up missing it twice and wasted about a quart of gas going in circles. After the roundabouts, I got in the parking lot and took about two more minutes to find a space to park… all but three were taken, and they were in the back next to a giant, unwelcoming snow pile… bleh.
Walking inside, I sort of just stood there confused because of the many ways I could’ve began looking around. The lady at the front desk snapped me out of my thought processing with a nice «hello» and I quickly smiled and replied as I made my way to the right (left was the cash registers).
I wandered around the entire upper level for a while taking notice that this place is mainly for people who have a crap load of money to spend. Most of the items were of vintage nature, not limited to furniture and jewelry but also plants and pictures. It’s sort of like a flea market but the cubicles are just openly displayed without anyone attending them… but on rare occurrences there are people at their own booths. I prefer them not to be since I find that them looking at me shop just pressures me to either quickly buy something or just leave altogether… I don’t do well around crowds.
If you want to buy something, you have to take the item from that booth, put it in a shopping basket (they provide ones for you) and take it to the cash register where they accept cash and credit… but no checks. With the amount of booths in this place, it will most likely eat up about an hour or two if you sweep the entire complex top and bottom… yes there is a lower level to.
I spent most of my time in a booth with CD’s that were $ 2, Buy 5 get one free so I managed to get a nice amount of Carly Simon’s and Beach Boy’s in great condition. The other booths had items I was interested… mainly anything with model cars or trains which were in high supply, I just wasn’t willing to pay what the seller was wanting.
There is also an event area on the main level that houses different collectibles from sellers spread out across tables that alternate weekly I believe. Bargains there are most likely out of the question.
For bargains other than the top floor, the bottom floor has more or the less the same amount of knick-​knacks and trinkets that either cost too much or have no real purpose other than to say «I’m awesome, admire me». I did find a whole booth dedicated to cars but I had to contain myself from buying everything I saw in there, I would’ve been broke.
I found navigation around the bottom and main levels to be fairly simple with each path leading to a separate booth with no possibility of getting to a dead end. There is also a back staircase that no one nearly knows about but that’s because it’s tucked away in the back left corner of the store next to the café…yes there’s a café. That eating area is mostly ideal when you are shopping for an extended period of time without eating prior to going. I never got to see what they were offering but considering the amount of people sitting in there… I don’t see much options.
I only ended up spending about $ 25 dollars on my first visit after locating the cash registers… seeing how I kind of was stuck in a loop conundrum. I can really only recommend these shops to dedicated collectors who have the time and money to browse here.
For me, I’m more than happy to come back to see what’s new, but probably only on a monthly basis.

So this used to be called the Craft Antique Co-​Op, now known as The Shops on West Ridge. I actually liked the old name better.
Anyway, this is situated on West Ridge Road near Adventure Landing and Lowes plaza. I was kind of confused as to what it exactly was at first, but it seems like a place where people can rent little cubicle-​like areas and set up their areas for shoppers to walk by and see what they want to buy. The person who owns that stuff isn’t actually present; you grab what you want and bring it to the checkout counter. The layout is basically like a large open room that has been divided into cubicles and sections where you can go through seemingly random items. I’ve seen things from full furniture sets to antique fishing rods to pocket knives to authentic German steins. There are two floors to this place. The main entrance is the 1^st floor and there are steps to the basement, which is similar in layout. The 1^st floor has a café area towards the posterior right side where there are sandwiches and some beverages. I have never eaten here.
As far as quality and variety, I think the appropriate phrase here is «one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.» There is all kinds of stuff here, mostly old, used, vintage stuff that in all intents and purposes, are junk. You might find a treasure here and there or something unique that has decorative value, but if you’re trying to find something for a practical purpose, I doubt this is the place. The only things I saw that may serve a useful purpose were the various glasses, pitchers, tea sets, plates, pocket knives, and furniture. Otherwise, you’re looking at an extensive antique store. This is probably one of the larger antique stores I’ve seen. I don’t come here very often because it’s certainly not my niche or style, but we actually stopped by last Friday after dinner because we saw some lights and we were curious as to what was going on. Apparently they were having some sort of sale and Friday was the last day.
Overall, I think some people would really enjoy shopping at a place like this. Probably people who enjoy the country style décor, antique collectors, etc. For me, I prefer buying stuff that hasn’t been used or collecting dust.

I remember when this Co-​op was still located in Hilton before moving to this place in Greece. The co-​op currently operates under «The Shops on West Ridge.»
Many of the awesome dealers remain, along with a bunch of new, smaller dealers who specialize in crafts and home goods. Prices are pretty good all around, and there is always something new and interesting to see. The great christmas traditions from the original Hilton Co-​op carried over and continue to this day. The staff is super friendly and if you come with a group of friends or family, there are more than enough booths for everyone to find a treasure. There are two floors and it is easy to to spend an afternoon here, so plan accordingly.