When it comes to antiques, Marie Seevers believes in Marietta and that this quaint city nestled along the banks of the Ohio River has a corner on quality and selection.

Most local people have no idea how far and wide Marietta's reputation for fine antiques extends, she said.

"My best sales are people from out of town," said Seevers, owner, with husband Tom, of Antiques & Needful Things, 166 Front St. "Just this week I had two couples come in, one from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the other from Elkins, (W.Va.). They both bought furniture."

The North Carolina couple was just passing through the area on the way to a bluegrass concert, she said.

What people want and are seeking in antiques and collectibles is as individual and capricious as the people themselves.

Staffordshire and Limoges china, Depression and Carnival glass, toy metal banks, Civil War memorabilia, porcelain dolls, Shaker chairs, cookie jars, clocks, coins, and decorative plates are all sought after - depending on the time and place.

"Pricing is so different wherever you go," Seevers said. "For us, furniture is what's popular right now, especially from the early 1900s up into the 1920s and 1930s."

This dealer admits times are tough and that people are not buying as much as they once did.

"We're getting a lot of calls from people who want us to come out and look at their stuff. They want money," Seevers said. "A lot of value is in the condition. I look at it and have to ask what I am going to have to do to resell it again."

It's hard to find high-quality antique furniture now, Seevers said.

"Mostly it comes from auctions. A lot of people are downsizing now from the big houses," she said.

Despite the sluggish economy, prices of antique furniture are up, Seevers said.

"It's because people are not wanting to sell unless they get a good price for it," she said. "We are looking for really good stuff."

She is also looking at a lot of vintage collectibles, mostly dishes and glass, that may not belong in an antique shop. Most dishes, unless it is named china and a full set (without missing and broken pieces), needs to go to a yard sale, she said.

"Silver is good, gold is good, and jewelry is very good right now," Seevers said. "I don't do much with jewelry, but I do like beautiful wood furniture."

Ed Radcliff is co-owner of Williamstown Antique Mall, 439 Highland Ave., Williamstown. The shop specializes in glassware of all kinds. There are 31 dealers represented from 11 states, he said.

"We're not seeing any particular trend right now," Radcliff said. "With the economy the way it is, people are not buying like they were. The furniture at auction is way down."

The good news is that quality always sells, he said.

Across the bridge and around the corner at 249 Second St. in Marietta, River City Antique Emporium owner Jeff Greenlees considers his business the keeper of the most vintage glassware in the region. There are 64 dealers representing dozens of states, mostly east of the Mississippi.

"Fenton is always No. 1 with us," he said.

When Greenlees was a child, his mother and father were antique collectors and he became interested at an early age.

"I grew up with it," he said. "What I like are local items from Marietta and riverboat-era memorabilia. I have a pretty good collection of my own."

Shoppers are searching for a little bit of everything when they visit the shop, and that's what Greenlees works hard to provide.

Riverview Antiques owner William Dorsey calls Marietta a "tourist town," and said people come from out of town into the antique shops searching for the perfect item to take home. That special item could be glassware, silver, a small collectible, a dining room cupboard, sideboard or table and chairs.

"People look for something nice to remember their trip," Dorsey said.

Quality paintings, furniture, glassware, silver, books and more find a home at Riverview, 102 Front St.

Dorsey says it's hard to tell how this spring will go or what the trends are.

"Front Street has been pretty torn up lately, but as soon as it's over, we'll know," he said.