Skip the mall. Across America, a handful of tiny towns have turned secondhand treasure hunting into their main industry — places where antique shops outnumber traffic lights and a weekend can vanish in a single 10,000-square-foot barn. A new roundup from Islands highlights 11 underrated small towns with serious antique shopping scenes, and a few stand out as genuinely worth planning a trip around.

Buchanan, Virginia, a Blue Ridge mountain town of under 1,400 people, keeps things pleasantly unhurried. Its Main Street Antique District occupies historic buildings along the US 11 Antique Alley corridor, with everything from furniture to jewellery at a range of prices. Family-run The Best Place Antiques has been curating for over three decades. Note that many shops are appointment-only on Sundays, so aim for a Saturday.

In the Arkansas Ozarks, Eureka Springs pairs one of the country's most walkable Victorian downtowns with nearly a dozen antique stores, each with its own speciality — stoneware, fine art, jewellery. The Barn Shoppes at the Old Sale Barn packs more than 12 vendors into a red barn, and some shops donate proceeds to local charities.

Florence, Colorado, calls itself the antique capital of its state, with over 100 vendors in a town of roughly 3,000. Expect oil-drilling relics and cowboy memorabilia alongside vintage furniture. The Globe Antique Store — built in 1898 — holds 35-plus vendors in 10,000 square feet. Arrive early for the best stock and bring cash for discounts.

Hazel, Kentucky, population about 410, has more than 40,000 square feet of shopping space and has been the self-declared antique capital of Kentucky for three decades. Don't miss Mantiques, whose sign promises "& stuff for ladies, too!" and delivers military, aviation and old advertising memorabilia.

Lambertville, New Jersey, on the Delaware River, is dubbed the antiques capital of New Jersey. The People's Store Antiques Center runs 50-plus vendors across four floors nearly every day of the year, while A Touch of the Past displays around 2,000 rotating pieces. The Golden Nugget Flea Market has traded since 1967.

Florida scores twice. Micanopy — founded in 1821, the state's oldest inland town, population 650 — fits seven antique stores onto Cholokka Boulevard, including the long-running Antique City Mall. Mount Dora counters with Renninger's Antique Center, where 180-plus vendors fill 40,000 square feet on weekends, plus the periodic Antiques & Collectors Extravaganza drawing over 800 dealers nationwide.

Putnam, Connecticut, once nicknamed the antiques capital of the East, still offers 50,000 square feet of shopping. Jeremiah's has run since 1995 with 70 booths and a film-memorabilia museum, while Antiques Marketplace spans four storeys and 350 booths, with items up to 300 years old.

For travellers, the appeal is obvious: these are compact, low-cost weekend destinations where the shopping doubles as sightseeing through historic downtowns. Come with a car, cash, and a rough idea of what you're hunting — or just wander and let the weird stuff find you.