Rollermills Marketplace

Antique stores run the gamut from fussy to fun, and Rollermills is decidedly in the second category. Situated in a giant barn-red building in the historic town of Lewisburg, Rollermills occupies the cavernous 60,000 square foot space with three levels entirely full of artifacts of the past. 

The structure itself is also a vestige of the past, a renovated flour mill from the 1880s with notable architectural details like 50-foot beams. Of course, it takes a 50-foot tree to supply a 50-foot beam, and if you think about the industrial technology that was available in the 1880s, the existence of these features becomes even more impressive.

As a mill, the Rollermills building flourished, employing a large work force producing Oriole brand flour. Over time it changed hands and purposes, doing stints as a Purina animal feed facility and a warehouse. It was not until the 1980s that the structure would be restored to its intended state, minus the industrial installations like grain elevators that were carefully removed to reveal the original architectural design. 

Rollermills Marketplace was founded in 1991 by Craig Bennett. The shop began with group of seven antique dealers whose reputation grew quickly, and Rollermills’ contemporary identity was established when the group then opened it to other such dealers in the area. Their reputation grew quickly, and Rollermills’ contemporary identity was established when the group then opened it to other such dealers in the area.  

Today, 400 purveyors sell antiques and collectibles from individual stations within the shop. Visitors can walk the space while perusing the goods, which draw comparisons to a retail shopping mall experience. Find vintage furniture, toys, and jewelry as well as glassware, pottery, basket wares, collectibles, and much more as you wander the aisles.  

Part of the fun of Rollermills is that it is a very IRL experience. There is no online inventory or e-commerce, so if you want to see what’s there, you have to go check it out. Each week, the marketplace showcases one of its vendors on its Facebook page, providing a teaser of what can be acquired. To truly get a feel for the goods, you must visit the space itself. In the age of online everything, the ability to see, touch, and smell objects is profound.