Jailhouse Antiques returns to Milton

A familiar face is back in Milton in more ways than one, in the form of Jailhouse Antiques, which has opened a new store at 113C Union St.

The name Jailhouse Antiques and its owners Don and Pat Post are familiar to longtime Miltonians. They operated the original incarnation of Jailhouse Antiques for 18 years, at locations both on Federal Street where the current Zava Cafe is now and in its first location at 106 Union St., next to Milton Theatre. The original location was once the town jail, Don said, hence the name of the store. The Posts closed the first iteration of Jailhouse Antiques in 2013. 

The Posts have a spot in The Mercantile where they sell wares, but Post said they decided to reopen after he retired from working for the state. He said he saw opening a store again as something to do in retirement and get back into the business. Knowing how quickly retail space goes in Milton, the Posts quickly took advantage of the spot becoming available, and did a lot of work to retrofit the space, which had been a meat shop.

Don, who has lived in Milton since he was 16, said the new store has a wide variety of items, such as china, art and brass pieces.

“I like older pieces. I like the history. I like the idea of repurposing. The nice thing about antiques is they hold their value, compared to when you take something out of the store. With an antique, the older the better,” he said.

Post, one of the town’s former mayors, said there are pieces that date as far back as the 1770s, but most pieces are from 1820 to 1910. The store comprises three rooms. 

“I think it's a great town. It’s a very charming town. Hopefully we keep that charm because it is growing,” Don said.

He said the most exciting part of opening the shop is being downtown again, with Kids’ Ketch opening next door and other new stores coming. 

“I think the more that we have, the better. I would like it to be more of a destination,” he said.