The Riga Open-air Flea Market
The largest open-air flea market in Riga takes place twice a month on Saturdays on the main square in the Spikeri Art Quarter. Historically, this was the site of warehouses and trade, making Spikeri the perfect place to continue the tradition of the weekend market.
Vendors from all over Latvia come here, so there’s plenty to see and do, from vintage Villeroy & Boch sets to historic street signs that you can decorate your home with today. The main thing is to set aside a couple of hours and walk around all the shops at a relaxed pace.
Neighborhood choice: furniture and decor elements as well as the emerging artists’ pieces, who are just starting out and often sell their work for quite cheap.
Address: Maskavas iela 6
Vitber
Vitber organizes themed online auctions where you can buy everything from art and circulating posters to cutlery and historic candelabras. Lots are offered by sellers from all over the world, and to get your hands on what you want, you have to bid and compete with other buyers and collectors.
Vitber has a particularly large selection of Soviet designs, household items, and books published in the 1920s. So if you are interested in this particular era – you will find a lot of interesting things at Vitber.
Neighborhood choice: soviet silverware with enamel patterns and souvenir models of Soviet cars.
Address: Aleksandra Caka iela 91
Rokoko
If you are looking for antique furniture, such as an Art Deco bureau, a Biedermeier maple ottoman, or even Renaissance furniture, the Rokoko antique store is the perfect place to go. All of the furniture in the store was made in Western Europe, namely The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, and part of England.
Neighborhood choice: French Gothic-style dressers, gilt-framed mirrors, and brass and crystal chandeliers.
Address: Jūrkalnes iela 1 k1
Art Embassy
Art Embassy also works on the principle of an auction: you will need to register on the site and participate in the bidding. Here you can find original antique porcelain sets from Limoges, the Russian Empire, Bavaria, and other regions once famous for their porcelain. There is a large selection of art, both by little-known authors and famous artists, for example, you might find a painting by Valdemars Tone or Gabriel Allegrain.
As an added bonus, Art Embassy has many books published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as vintage jewelry and costume jewelry.
Neighborhood choice: mitterteich porcelain plates and a figurative landscape by Gabriel Allegrain are worth checking out here.
Address: Ausekla iela 6A, Krasta iela 68A
Viss Antikais
A large selection of tables, mirrors, lamps, and small interior pieces from Western Europe can be found at Viss Antikais. The store operates both offline and online, and if you want to order something through the website but are in doubt, the store offers to provide additional photos, videos, and information.
There is a large selection of art here: many works by Latvian artists, including oil paintings, sketches, and even historical photographs and lithographs. Note the original oak frames available for DIY mirror making, carved and wicker Chippendale-style coffee tables, and unique candlesticks and candelabras.
Neighborhood choice: the oak coffee table with carved legs, wooden mirror frames, and bronze candelabras.
Address: Cesu iela 31
Doma Antikvariāts
If you didn’t find what you were looking for in the stores listed above, you will most likely find it in Doma Antikvariats, as it has the largest selection of antiques and vintage in Riga.
Apart from classic porcelain, ceramics, furniture, decor items, lamps, and mirrors, you can find here original accessories that you are unlikely to see elsewhere. If you are looking for a gift for lovers of original vintage decor and accessories, Doma Antikvariats is probably the best place to go.
Neighborhood choice: original 18th-century Dupont lighter, an Italian leather-cased playing card set, or a French mini-bar from the second half of the 18th century.
Address: Smilšu iela 8
Antiqon
Antiqon functions as a marketplace: here you can easily buy an item or put something from your own collection up for sale. There is also a live viewing service: if you are interested in something, you can leave a request and schedule a visit, where an art consultant will show you an interior or art object live and tell you more about it. You can also request an expert examination of the item of interest so that the experts can check the piece for authenticity and give art history comments.
Look here for Louis 16 style furniture, tableware, and decorative objects from the times of the Russian Empire, as well as gems of avant-garde design from the 20th century.
Address: Brivibas iela 52-1B