Carmen Garza describes she and her daughters as antique collectors who “love the hunt” and they have plenty of spaces to fill at their shop in downtown Harlingen.

Jackson Street Antiques on the corner of Jackson and Commerce streets is one of the anchors of the specialty niche that downtown Harlingen has developed over the years. The collection of antique stores and like-minded businesses have given the downtown area an identity and shared purpose. These shops are the catalysts for the monthly markets and festivals that have energized downtown Harlingen.

The Garza family’s 6,000-square-foot-plus antique store has been at the forefront of those efforts. Carmen, Mia and Victoria Jackson are a formidable mother-daughter-daughter trio. The family has been doing business in downtown Harlingen for over 20 years. Their Jackson Street Antiques store is a fascinating blend of furniture, kitchenware, artwork and vintage items ranging from typewriters to old world globes.

The store is stylish in its arrangements and layouts. It appropriately honors the history of what is on display. The items for sale span many decades and eras. There are Victorian-era pieces from the late 1800s/early 1900s and mid-modern century items from the post-World War II era. Throwback pieces from the 1960s and 1970s delight many Baby Boomer shoppers. The family owns and operates a second store – Modern Vintage by Jackson Street – in McAllen that is managed by Mia Garza.

“I guess you could say we’re old souls,” Carmen Garza said. “We like the nostalgia.”

Appeal Across Generations

The hunt for interesting and worthwhile pieces means “going anywhere and everywhere to find items,” Mia Garza said. 

It often leads to outside-of-the-Rio Grande Valley trips in search of items. Staying local and regional also turns up intriguing pieces. The Garzas are hired to do estate sales and stage and decorate homes for events and presentations. Another specialty is curating items when a family heirloom comes to Jackson Street Antiques for a refresh or touchup to revitalize a piece.

“They like what they see when they come here,” said Victoria Garza, who specializes in curation work. “They trust our style and taste and will come to us and tell us they need help and will ask, ‘how do we do this?’ ’’

In analyzing their customer base, the mother-and-daughters team speak of younger people in their 20s and 30s who are looking for a piece to highlight a room in their home. Original vintage pieces can carry an appeal across the generations.

“The younger generations are creative and don’t always want things that are mass produced,” Victoria Garza said. “They look for items that are curated and vintage.”

Furniture pieces are plentiful at Jackson Street Antiques. There is one section dedicated to the Mid-Century Modern period of the post-war years and spanning to the early-1970s. Defining this period in style was a shift from ornate and decorative styles toward a focus on simplicity and functionality. This era and others presented at Jackson Street Antiques offers a striking contrast to today’s furniture making, Carmen Garza said.

“It’s not particle board or pressed wood,” she said of the older furniture pieces at her store. “You’re getting actual wood and it doesn’t lose its value.”

Thriving Business

Carmen Garza over her many years of doing business downtown has a good perspective of how the district is doing.

She describes it as a time when her business is thriving. The array of market days and festivals has brought back local residents to the downtown area and is attracting area visitors as well. The fact that she is operating her businesses with her daughters is a significant added bonus.    

“We love it,” Carmen said of the various aspects of the family business. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Loving the hunt and being collectors with the skills for curating means always having the aspiration to do more in serving and delighting their customers.

“We were raised here,” Mia Garza said at the Jackson Street shop.

Recently, the heavy rains that drenched Harlingen in late March had passed, and the sandbags from front doors had been removed. It was time for Jackson Street Antiques to start a new week in the hunt and search for vintage and class.