Lake Manawa Antiques

We planned a day trip from Des Moines IA to Lincoln NE on July 5th with stops in Omaha NE and Council Bluffs IA on our way home...This "mall" was our last stop on the way home. And what a sour note to end a trip on... The short and sweet... Just skip this one. Seriously.I'm not sure if they recently had a massive water leak or what exactly happened... Half of the lighting was out (most of the standing locked display cases weren't even lit) and there is a strong mold smell that is is sometimes overwhelming. I can see by past reviews (after 2016 or so at least) that this is probably "normal" for here and why I should have searched it on Yelp before mapping it out as part of our trip.I thought we were alone until we ran across a couple of other customers about 10 min into looking around. At no point when we entered did I see anyone up front.We should have just walked out, but it was like driving by a bad train wreck you know it's awful, it's not going to get better, but you have to keep looking and can't pull your attention away from it.Some of the display items on the walls are kind of cool. A couple exotic mounts and a zebra skin.And others... Whitetail mounts that look like they had CWD (chronic wasting disease).I'd be afraid to buy ANYTHING here. Fabric... No idea how long you would have to air something out before the smell would be gone... How many times you've have to wash something if you could wash it...? Hard goods...maybe. Electronics....with the humidity in there...no. As we were leaving I could hear someone talking on the phone. I guess there was someone there after all...?The gist of the side of the conversation I could hear. "No. They're not selling here. Some are online. But the only way they sell here is if they are marked free..."No sir... The reason ANYTHING is not selling here is because of poor lighting, the smell, the high prices, and merchandise slowly rotting on the walls and shelves. If I ordered something online and figured out it came from here...I'd return it.If I was a vendor here...I'd pull my items. It can't be worth it. You'll never be able to bring them home or sell them someplace else after they've absorbed the smell. And the possible health risks to you while restocking your shelf/booth/case...We made a mental note. We will NEVER waste our time stopping here again. I prayed our clothes and hair did not carry the smell with us. A scalding 20 min shower is all we could do to try to get the feeling of "funk" off of us from here once we got home.You might think I'm being petty or an elitist, but I grew up in rural Iowa. I'm used to "digging." Garage sales, estate auctions, barn sales... I'll dig a part out of wrench and go salvage yards. I've been to sketchy shops and even dumpster dove before. A little dirt and a musty smell doesn't phase me... But this place literally made my skin crawl.

This place is disgusting. It smells like you're breathing mold. Everything is musty and cluttered, and it's basically full of junk. There was a dead mouse right in the middle of the walkway inside.

I've been in here a number of times over the years and it hasn't changed a bit, which is a good thing.The people working there are always nice and will help you if needed.It definitely smells like a warehouse filled with antiques.I love coming in here and seeing what random stuff I can find.

This place is HUGE! And smells bad. And is SO overly packed with crap. Utter crap. And so over priced! Like I found a BROKEN Buzz Lightyear penny bank and they wanted $35 for it. Hell, they wanted hundreds of dollars for barn wood. Barn wood! Go to the side of the highway anywhere in NE or IA, it'll be free. At least there was a bathroom. Owner was kinda rude, too. We'll never go back.

This place has tons of stuff. Has lots of booths , or so I looks. Lanes of stuff. Some better than others lol. I added a few pictures. It's quite cluttered in some areas. I didn't find anything I was looking for but maybe I'll be back to check it out again. I imagine it changes.

Dirty, just way too much "stuff"! Feeling claustrophobic so left quickly. AC must have been set on 66, it was cold, no masks or social distancing.

Man stuff overload. I travel all over the lower 48 and kill time in antique malls. This one is one of my faves. Lots of rust and old wood. Rusty tools and some glassware. Old timber tools and saws. This is almost junktique. Most of the stuff would require a little effort to restore but wow is there a lot. Quite a lot of rusty cast iron cookware at $15-$25 range. Not the ridiculous $40-$60 range that is common. Guys, put on a jacket and plan to scratch around for a couple hours at least. This place is large and jam packed. Don't overlook the glass cases either. Packed with man stuff. Owner told me he requires the booth renters to keep a certain % of manly stuff. I will definitely be back. Bring a flashlight. It's kinda dark in a lot of booths.

Wow! I've been to antique places, but it's a must see, if you like this, it your cup of tea. Owner is nice and helpful, you need to check it out!I'm surprised that no reviews have been given. You can spend most of the day here.

Has everything you can think of. Great prices. Very friendly owner. Wonderfuf place to shop.

More of a flea market or junk store than an antique mall. So much stuff in the booths or cabinets that you couldn't really see what they had. The place smelled like a musty basement also. I had to walk out after a quick walk around.