Who we are

Reuben Wade’s Antiques really started back in 1974 when my brother Bryan and I were cleaning out the old parts room at our family business—Kleckley’s Garage in West Columbia. It was started by our grandfather Reuben Kleckley in 1917 and run by our dad, Jim. We started putting some old stuff out on the sidewalk while we cleaned, and folks just started stopping and asking to buy things. By the end of the day, we’d made 500 bucks—and I had just finished playing professional baseball, so that felt like a pretty good day’s work.

That little spark turned into a full-blown interest in antiques. We started going to auctions, cleaning out sheds, learning the ropes. Before we knew it, we had opened Granddaddy Reuben’s Antiques—one of the first antique shops in West Columbia. Over time, we picked up skills in restoration and refinishing from some great mentors and friends in the business, and I quickly realized this was a profession where you never stop learning.

We traveled all over—picking upstate New York, setting up galleries, opening new shops, and just chasing down good pieces and good stories. Along the way, I had a career in real estate and served on Lexington County Council, but antiques always called me back. We ran Sugar Hill Antiques for 10 years, and after retiring at 62, I jumped back in full-time—opening shops in Aiken, Frogmore, and now right here in downtown Lexington.

We opened our latest location—Reuben Wade’s Antiques on West Main Street—in April 2025. It feels good to be back home, doing what I love. We’ve built a great community of collectors, designers, and folks just looking for something unique with a story to tell.

- Wade Kleckley, Owner