Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Check it out!

Another great thing about living in the country? Antique Stores. They are everywhere in close proximity. Every little town you drive through has something to offer.

Antique stores are my reward for doing other, more difficult, though necessary things in life. On the weekend, John and I drove to Zanesville to shop at Lowe’s for a front door for the new house. Yes, yes, it was fun. At first. Then it was really boring. Those big box stores with their cement floors and unnaturally high ceilings and stale air just suck the life out of me. I collapsed in a chair while John negotiated with the salesguy. He was nice, even funny (the salesguy), but it was no fun to stare at the computer screen while he clicked on various options to compare prices and quality and warranties. My interest comes to an abrupt end when that level of sale begins. John can really hang in there and will find the best deal after exhausting most possibilities—thank goodness we have him.

After the marathon Lowe’s trip, we stopped at the antique malls near the Zanesville Pottery place off I-70. Hoo boy! And we were driving the truck! Harvest table anyone? My feet were still sore from standing on cement for three hours, but somehow, I could deal with that. I walked into the first place and inhaled the antique store smell—a mixture of old wood, apple cinnamon spice candles, starched linen, and an undertone of basement must. Then I scanned the place with my eyes to get the lay of the store. High end finished pieces in the main room, lots of dishes and linens in the back, and on the left, the stairs to the basement. I always like to get my path figured out in those first moments of entering, figure out how to move through the store in an efficient way without missing anything.

Someone’s booth in the back had some great vintage clothes. I wanted a purple dress I found, but could not seriously think of one place I would wear it. Another little dress I would have worn, if my waist was 14 inches. And then I scored—a topper coat from the 40s or 50s for $15 bucks. It is a swing cut with a wide collar and slit pockets on the side made out of this awesome material (John asked if it was old drapes). The mustard colored buttons are almost the best thing about it, along with the tag. Imagine it with jeans, a white shirt and brown boots this fall... We also bought an old oak door with leaded glass panes and engraved metal hinges for $30. Don’t know where we will use it yet, but I have some ideas.

Today I had to go to Barnesville to do laundry and what do you know? There is an antique mall on the main street. As a reward for doing two weeks worth of laundry (including John’s mud-encrusted shorts and jeans), I let myself slip inside for a look-see before driving home. Look at the beautiful Willow Pottery vase I found for a song, because it has a hairline crack in the rim…
And sweet little red & white dishes with the muted red color that I love, for a dollar apiece…
And a wooden candle holder that will look awfully cute on a bedside stand when I take all the modern stuff out of the cabin and turn it into a glorious bed and breakfast for all our friends and family… Tomorrow I have to go into Cambridge to return some library books and pick up supplies for some weekend guests. If anyone wants to go with me, perhaps we can swing by the antique shops in the old part of town? Just to see what they have…

1 comment:

Trish said...

I want to go! Trish