My kids are obsessed with I SPY books – we pick up several new eyeball adventures at every library visit. I am likewise addicted to perusing the continuous stream of Anthropologie catalogs delivered to my mailbox. (I wish I could say that I was addicted to shopping at Anthropologie, but I’m on voluntary shopping probation.) So it’s no big leap that my kids and I adore a good waltz through the shops of Kensington Antique Row.

At almost five and almost three, my kids are old enough to keep their hands firmly clasped and (mostly) abide by the strict rule of no touching as we walk through these amazing treasure troves. We avoid the stores that are super heavy on the china and crystal, and the ones where the majority of the price tags have commas. We love the shops full of old toys, typewriters, costume jewelry, produce crate labels, boats in bottles…the dustier the shop, the better. Our favorites are Diane’s Antiques (pictured at right) and the Antique Village.

My children and I talk about everything we see, play I Spy, have mini-history lessons and let our eyes and imaginations take a vacation back in time. If they’re good and mind the no-touch rule, they get a cookie and cocoa at the Tea Room, or maybe a super cheap trinket. Pictured here is the “genie lamp” my son chose on one trip ($2) and the “fancy dress up” purse my daughter chose on another outing (50 cents.)

For those of you that think I am crazy to take my kids through antique shops, go alone! If you love the vintage-cool aesthetic, you will find the stuff that the Anthropologie, J. Crew and Shabby Chic folks are blatantly copying for a fraction of the price. If you too are on a self-imposed retail hiatus, strolling through Kensington is much less depressing than Neiman Marcus. Maybe the straight up thrift stores have the truly best deals, but I find walking through antique shops so much more relaxing, and the treasures’ acquisition more satisfying.

Check out the jewelry pieces I picked up at Lalla, Inc., a place where I would buy almost every single item if I could. Shown at right is my cat Peter Pan modeling my recent vintage jewelry finds at Lalla: two faux bakelite cuffs, an enameled bangle, graphic disc and filigree earrings, giant rhinestone and happy face pins to adorn boring old coats. Each item? $2, found after pawing through the “assorted jewelry” bins. Two dollars!

I am by no means an antiques expert, but these finds made me enormously happy as I had been coveting very similar items for $68 at Henri Bendel, $28-65 at J. Crew, and so forth. The statement necklaces at Anthropologie that were recently featured in the Washington Post Sunday Source? “Heirloom lockets” at Urban Outfitters that were mass produced in China last month? Lalla and the other shops in Kensington are selling the prototypes of the items being copied at the mall for about a quarter of the cost and four times the cool factor. These vintage pieces are also sure to last longer than any knock offs I could pick up at Forever 21 or H&M, as they’ve already survived the test of time. And they’re still cheaper too.

So whether you’re looking for an interesting outing with your kids or a solo scavenger hunt for lots of stylely bang for your buck, Kensington’s Antique Row shops are where it’s at. Happy hunting!

And do not even get me started on buying 100% of your vintagey-looking furniture at Pottery Barn instead of accessible resale shops. That needs a whole other blog post. And was an episode of Friends, I know.