Where History Runs in the Family

Some businesses start with a business plan. Reuben Wade’s Antiques started with two brothers cleaning out an old parts room and accidentally making $500. In 1974, Wade Kleckley and his brother Bryan were clearing space at Kleckley’s Garage, the West Columbia family business their grandfather Reuben Kleckley founded in 1917. They put a few old items on the sidewalk, passersby started buying, and Wade, fresh off a professional baseball career, discovered there might be something to this antiques thing.

That sidewalk sale became Granddaddy Reuben’s Antiques, one of West Columbia’s early antique shops, and kicked off more than five decades of collecting, restoring, refinishing, and learning. Wade traveled from upstate New York to shops across South Carolina hunting for pieces worth bringing home, while building the kind of knowledge that only comes from years spent handling the real thing. Today, Reuben Wade’s Antiques specializes in curated American antiques, fine art, and collectibles for collectors, designers, and anyone who appreciates an object with some history behind it. The current West Main Street shop opened in downtown Lexington in April 2025, bringing Wade’s longtime passion back home.

Reuben Wade’s Antiques’ 2026 Best of South Carolina Regional Award recognizes a family business with roots stretching back generations. More than 50 years after a few dusty finds first landed on a sidewalk, the business continues to bring carefully chosen American antiques, fine art, and collectibles to downtown Lexington. Every piece adds something different to the mix, which means a visit can turn up anything from a designer’s finishing touch to the kind of find a collector has been hunting for years. After all, the best antique shops leave a little room for the unexpected!

Contact Information

Phone: 803-622-4501

Email: reubenwades@gmail.com

Address: 214 W Main Street, Lexington, SC 29072

Website: reubenwades.com