St. Augustine tourism boom drives out Lightner Museum antiques mall

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — As early as this summer, the historic Lightner Museum will see major changes and new exhibits that are expected to draw thousands of people.

But the changes the museum will undergo will also include the permanent closure of the antiques mall.

Jon Miller owns one of the antique stores in the museum. North Country Antiques has been in his family for more than three decades.

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“It's hard to leave anything after so long, but we expected at some time it had to come to an end,” Miller said.

A Second Time Around Antiques and The Linen Room are also being forced out. They have to leave by week’s end.

The Lightner Museum’s grant coordinator, Megan Mosley, said it’s all part of a restructuring to make more room for new exhibits and improvements to the historic building.

“With that has come the need for more storage space, more room for the museum to expand and better serve the public,” Mosley said.

Mosley said the museum saw a more than 19 percent increase in attendance last year. She credits the tourism boom.

The Café Alcazar also has plans to expand and Mosley said they’ll be constructing Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restrooms on the first floor.

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“With the Downton Abbey exhibit this fall, we're expecting anywhere between 40,000 to 60,000 people coming through in 13 weeks,” Mosley said.

Miller said while he’ll miss the visitors he’s met over the years, he’s ready to move on.

“These people have been coming back 20-30 years,” Miller said. “I just feel now I can do some other things like travel, increase my social life, and go fishing a little bit more.”

Miller said he’s going to look into displaying his items at shows and flea markets in the future.

Cox Media Group