A Guide to Antiquing at Kinder Surprises Antiques

Have you been out to Kinder Surprises Antiques yet?!

This place is one of a kind. It’s a great location for an afternoon adventure of discovering new-to-you treasures.

What’s Old is New Again

Kinder Surprises is one of the largest antique shops in the province. Erin Kinder has made a (temporary) home for more than 5,000 vintage pieces on her family farm.

But this is no ordinary antique shop. The way she displays them is an experience in itself. When I first visited back in 2015, Erin had a hip-roof barn with antiques to the rafters. Today, she’s expanded and created a whole “Main Street” townsite that also includes a grain bin, a one-room schoolhouse and later this summer, a church.

This also isn’t your typical overcrowded, stuffy antique shop. It’s a curated experience that Erin has taken special care and attention to create. She’s expertly set out only the best items for you to discover and delight in while giving you space to move about without feeling too enclosed.

What Erin loves most is helping people reach a memory and find pieces that remind them of cherished moments with loved ones. This makes it the perfect type of trip to take your mom, grandparents, sisters or group of girlfriends – or really, anyone who loves to go antiquing and share in those memories.

Daytripping with Mom to Kinder Surprises Antiques

As a mother-daughter afternoon adventure, Mom and I headed out intending to spend a couple of hours. But as my mom is a lover of antiques, I should have known better. We spent the entire day, right until close. I had to pull mom away, promising we’d come back again soon. This is also one of the best parts – knowing that each time you go, there are thousands of new items to uncover.

I got absorbed in a tray of antique pencil sharpeners of all shapes and designs. Two in particular that caught my eye were rotating globes. As a travel writer, it felt more than fitting to give them a new home on my writing desk in my office.

Mom picked up 5-cent and 10-cent ice cream scoops to replace the ones we grew up with. As odd as it seems, there are a lot of wonderful memories my family has. It was not only about getting to eat the sweet treat at home, but it was also about making the ice cream from scratch together.

What’s more unique is that all of the antiques at Kinder Surprises are from Saskatchewan. The pieces you’ll come across that you forgot about will instantly trigger memories from your childhood (or extra special memories from a grandparent’s house.) Prepare yourself for intense nostalgia as you wandering around.

Most Popular Antiques

I got the inside scoop on the hottest items and latest trends when it comes to repurposing and rehoming antiques.

Here are some of the most popular antiques Erin sells:

1. Anything Pyrex – glassware and kitchenware from as far back as 1915

2. Lady Head Vases – these unique vases of lady’s heads were made in Japan in the 1950s

3. Hens on Nets – glass figurines of hens on nests in a variety of colours

4. Ceiling Tiles – antique crown moulding and tiles repurposed in modern homes

5. Chalet Glass – imaginative and unique shaped glass décor that are excellent statement pieces

6. Crocks – pottery containers of all sizes

Three Tips for Antiquing at Kinder Surprises

There are washrooms on site as well as picnic tables. I recommend bringing a picnic lunch or a pre-made charcuterie board so you can snack between browsing.
Browse the collections in one direction then turn around and go back the other way. You’ll discover new pieces by seeing them from a different perspective.
Make sure you have a big enough vehicle to take home all the goodies you’ll be buying!

How to Get to Kinder Surprises Antiques

Kinder Surprises is close to most major cities in Saskatchewan.

It’s one hour from Saskatoon and Moose Jaw and 1.5 hours from Regina. For those looking to make a staycation getaway of a trip out to Kinder Surprises, there are several great spots to stay in Saskatoon, Moose Jaw or Watrous.

More specifically, Kinder Surprises is only 6 kilometres east of Davidson, Saskatchewan on Highway 747. Access to the antique shop is on a paved highway, so there’s no need to worry about driving on grid roads.

This post was created in partnership with Kinder Surprises Antiques, but as always, all experiences and opinions are genuinely my own.