Downtown Riverside: Maria's Antiques

One block north of the Mission Inn is a little antique store where everything is worth looking at. We met Maria at her previous store on Market, literally when we first came to Riverside. We were in escrow and were shopping for furniture (which you generally shouldn't do, but we were coming from a teeny but more expensive condo in Santa Monica, so we had a little money). We'd already gone to a few new furniture stores and had been disappointed by the high prices and poor workmanship (note: if a big dining room table has a lot of pressboard under that veneer, gravity will win, and the table will sag). Then, while wandering around the Mission Inn, we discovered that Riverside is an incredible place for antiquing, and the best store is Maria's. We got a gorgeous bedroom set there and later went back for a dining room set. The prices for many pieces of furniture in Riverside antique stores are about half of what they'd be in West L.A. There are plenty of big places where you can search for hours, but if you're short on time and need a great gift, go straight to Maria's.

You can find Maria's Antiques at:
3541 Main St. (between 5th and 6th)
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 784-6528