Hill Top Mall caters to fans of country home decor

Zach Cavins and his family are from West Virginia and when they visit Kentucky they always stop in at Hill Top Mall. While his mother shops for country décor to take back home, Zach gets to carry around the “must have” treasures they find. Pictured at right, white furniture is a popular trend in country decor.

For as long as she can remember, Mary Kay Smith has collected antique and primitive farm items to decorate her home, a love she says that eventually grew into a small business that perfectly suits her.

“I have always been drawn to old farm stuff,” Mary Kay said. From worn and tattered quilts to metal buckets and tobacco baskets, feed sacks, farm tables, lanterns, and such, if its rusty, crusty or chippy I love it immediately. I’ve collected stuff to decorate my home for years and people would ask me if any of it was for sell so I thought it was time to open a shop and do the kind of work I love,” she said.

In the spring of 2009, Mary Kay opened Hill Top Mall Antiques and Crafts in downtown Flemingsburg.

With an average of ten vendors that stock their booths with a variety of items, Hill Top Mall has become the place to shop for affordable antiques, primitives, vintage, shabby chic and farmhouse décor.

While many travel from across the state to shop, others are local and stop in often to see what new items have been added each week.

“Right now, the big thing is white, white cabinets, tables and chest of drawers,” Mary Kay said. “I have customers coming in looking for more vintage type stuff like white milk glass and wicker. The vendors keep up with the latest trends and keep their booths filled with the kind of stuff that’s in demand”, she said.

Patty Abner and her granddaughter Peyton share a love for vintage collectibles together and visit Hill Top Mall, not only to hunt for treasures but as a way for nine-year-old Peyton to learn the history of the things they collect.

“I’ve always decorated my home with vintage stuff and when Peyton was about 7 years-old she became fascinated with it all. We have a fun time looking for something different to add to our collections. Peyton always finds something she has never seen before and will ask me what it is. For instance, she saw a wrought iron stove damper in one of the booths and was excited to learn what it was. She thought it was funny when I told her it worked like our modern-day thermostat,” Patty laughed.

An appreciation and admiration for those who came before us and how they made do and thrived in difficult times, is one of the reasons many love to decorate their homes with antiques and collectibles. Die-hard fans of all things old, have been filling their homes with primitive pieces from down on the farm for years and have always known that the Hill Top Mall is the place to shop for what magazines are calling the “latest trend” of Country Farmhouse decorating style.

Hill Top Mall is located at 112 N. Main Street, shop hours are Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. until 3.p.m.