Putnam Antiques

A generation ago, it looked like the old mill town of Putnam on the lively Quinebaug River was nearing its demise. Today, it’s a bustling little center where people come from near and far to shop, eat, and enjoy the old-fashioned atmosphere. What happened in between? Antiques.

The first antiques dealers appeared in the 1980s, then more arrived, and now over a dozen shops offer, well, pretty much everything. The largest of them, the Antiques Marketplace on Main Street, features hundreds of dealers’ booths spread out over four floors. All of Putnam’s antiques stores are located within easy walking distance of one another.