Let's Talk Vintage: What is Selling in Brick & Mortar Shops?

Hello friends!

 Hope you are as excited 

about SPRING coming as I am! 

Today I'm sharing what things are moving 

in our brick and mortar shop. Now, that being said, 

we are in the North East, and what is selling here may not be selling out on the West Coast. But it is fun sharing and reading about it all so let's keep going...

We sense a revival, an awakening in the shop, as folks come out of the winter season ready to work on their homes. It is really an exciting time. The landscape changes and so does our mood, thanks to Mr. Sun!

So what is selling in the vintage 

world of brick and mortar shops?

We've noticed home decor, DIY projects, 

and spring things are moving right now.

Farmhouse items are still moving. Signs, accessories, kitchen scales, ironstone, industrial lamps, metal containers, etc.

What really hasn't been moving for some time now, is china.  Most folks are downsizing and the younger generations aren't acquiring any of it. People come in and tell me they have tried to give it to their children and they say "no one in the family wants it." Same thing with glassware. I'm sure there are some who collect it, but the majority are passing on it.  Will this trend change? Only time will tell! Things do have a tendency to come back around. And there are true classics like the Blue Willow above!

Signs are still a popular item! Hand crafted or mass produced, they are always a hit.  I did not make the one above, but I am working on creating my own.  I bought a Cricut and it is a whole other world that I am starting to get into. I'll do another post on that later!

Upcycled and Repurposed Items 

Anything that has been made from something, out of something, or a creative re-use is very popular. 

We've made chalkboards out of old cabinet doors,

old doors into signs, wire baskets into shelves, 

old wooden ironing boards into storage caddies, etc. It can be a lot of fun being creative and watching them being discovered by customers is a great reward for a job well done.

Greenery and floral items are also always ending up at the check out counter. 

I love decorating the shop with it too! A win/win this time of year.

Enjoy the birth of a new season and I'll be back to share some of our furniture makeovers and sign making projects!

As We Journey Into 2019, A Belated Happy New Year!

Hello! I'm back after a long pause from blogging.  We had a wonderful Christmas season. It was all so busy and it went by in a FLASH.

This long pier was where I was the day after Christmas... so I thought it appropriate as I write my post today for the first one of 2019.

Where will this year lead us?

So far the store, Bebe, the house, and taking care of my Dad are all we seem  to be able to keep up with so I'm wondering if this year is just a continuation of the same.

I try to look at things with a positive outlook, which is something I had to learn how to do actually.
Not so hard though when you have guidance from a good Father who loves you... my Faith has really kept me grounded.

So, for a review, after we had my Step-son's wedding back in early September, we had Bebe's 10th birthday.... (can you believe this?)

 

Right around that same time she was also fitted for her first pair of pointe shoes! (A rite of passage!)

Then we had Thanksgiving,

the Nutcracker performance,
(Yes, that is Bebe in the party girl dress!)

We had the store to run for the holidays,

and then we hosted family for Christmas.

Whew! I'm all kinds of tired!

I do hope to continue to pop back in and blog on occasion... I know I can't keep up with it like I used to... but I still enjoy it.

One of the things I plan on doing soon is updating you all on the store and the things we are doing there. So, keep your eye out for another post!

Happy new year, even if it is arriving a little late.

Let's Talk Vintage: We Picked the Pickers in Nashville!

Well hello my vintage lovin' friends! It has been AWHILE since I have posted for y'all.  

Today's "Let's Talk Vintage" post is not really a

link party... being that it was the Pickers I was blogging about, I just had to give this post an LTV title.

Feel free to leave a comment so I can

click on your blog and comment back!

We were in Tennessee for my Step-son's wedding.

It was a beautiful no, make that GORGEOUS wedding!

And I do have to tell you I may have picked up a slight southern accent ever since we took a side trip to NASHVILLE.

We had a day with extra time to kill so The Hubs

thought we should try and see Mike Wolf's store. It was a little bit difficult to figure out, 

I have to tell you. Once the GPS told us we had 

arrived, we still couldn't tell which store front

it was from the car. We heard a bus tour going through

and the driver announced "Antique Archaeology" so we

knew we should just find a parking spot and walk around.

 Bebe and the Hubs checking it all out. Mike's store is two or three shops down from here.

It was located in some old brick buildings that were 

the industrial factory type. 

We knew we had arrived when we saw the 

car door pointing the way!

This is what you see when you first walk in.

There is cool stuff everywhere,

 even Mike's trademark bicycles, 

hanging from the ceiling.

It didn't take me long to notice this checkered shirt and "matching" guitar.

Also really cool was a dress Loretta Lynn wore onstage.

There is a photo next to it with her wearing it. You can 

kind of see it at the bottom of this photo.

Then there was this awesome Dolly Madison Ice Cream and Soda sign. It was picked in NJ. (Rootin' for the home team!)

And who wouldn't love an American Icon like this. Seeing it

made us remember we have one made of heavy duty cardboard that we've always wanted to frame.

This collection of apothecary jars caught my eye.

It was neat because I started remembering different episodes where these items may have come from.

And if you look real close, you may even think Elvis is in the building. I love the old microphones.

This is the check out desk. So much to see!

We ended up with some fun touristy items... a t-shirt for Bebe and I, a hat for the Hubs and one of their PICKERS license plates. Total touristas! 

We really enjoyed our quick stop there and then headed off to Broadway St (Ave?) in downtown Nashville for something to eat. I highly recommend the restaurant Merchants if you are not in the mood for loud Honky Tonk.

 Plus, you can watch everyone go by on the Beer Bar pedal Trolley cars next to Honky Tonk Central. 

It was totally crazy and worth a view!

(And the food at Merchants was delicious!)

Shop Updates: Custom Orders and My Latest Paint Project

Hello friends!
I hope you are all enjoying the season of SPRING...

Soon to be SUMMER!

 

We have been super busy. It was the end of school, Bebe

performed in her end of the year Ballet Gala, and we were

busy with the shop. 

 

They say when it rains, it pours, and it did.

In custom orders, that is! We had six pieces to paint.

I'm just sharing the last two, they were gorgeous!

 

 

This was a piece a really sweet lady from NJ found in another shop. It was a consignment shop so she wanted us to give this beautiful piece and updated look. Plus, some of the scroll work was missing from the secretary desk door.

 

 

After the Hubs repaired the scrollwork using wood putty, he painted it with Country Chic Paint in "Sunday Tea."

 

 

After it was all finished... of course I just loved it and had to start filling it with beautiful things.

 

And our client really liked it as well.

But we weren't done just yet.

 

 

She also had this piece for us to paint, from the same consignment shop.

 

 

Gah! I could have sold this sweet little cabinet about ten times over! So many customers were asking about it while it was in the shop, being worked on.

 

 

She is going to use it in her bathroom for towels.

Great idea!

 

 

And now, I'm working on this vintage French Provincial desk for a girl's room. It was a mess!

There were so many old stickers on the top,

scribbling, etc. I peeled off each sticker and attacked that baby with a spray cleaner.

Even though it was looking 100 times better, I still decided to paint the top.

 

What do you think?

I wanted it to be elegant looking in a Princess kind of way, without over doing it. I mixed Country Chic Paint in "Vintage Cupcake" with their "Vanilla Frosting" to achieve the light pink. I used gold metallic cream to highlight the hardware and around the desk. Then just a small addition of "Vanilla Frosting" on the edges.

So far I think I'm on the right track. I'm thinking minimal distressing, if any on this piece. Instead of a wax I may use the CCP "Clear Coat"  with "Tough Coat" on the top.

Thanks so much for stopping by and catching up with us!

Enjoy the day!

 

Our Much Needed Scenic Getaway

Hello friends! It is so good to be back to my Bella Blog...

it means things have slowed down enough

that I have time to write!

 

We took some much needed time to be together as a family to our scenic getaway in the Adirondack Mountains.

A place where we can enjoy the outdoors

and dine "al fresco"... 

Where we can see nature in all of its beauty...

 

And hear the call of the loons...

And enjoy the new crop of ducks and their ducklings...

 

 

 

Where the only important thing that needs to

get done is to go fishing...

 

 

Where we can feel right at home in this quaint little town that is right out of a story book set in the 1950's...

This is our favorite parade to watch, every year.

 

 

Where we can put all of the hustle and bustle of daily life out of our minds for a few days, or maybe even a week...

Hope you've had some relaxing days too, and if not, that you'll be still for just awhile...

We enjoyed our time at the lake. This year we took my Dad along. He loved it so I'm glad he was there. Alzheimer's is a difficult disease, the dementia and confusion are tough to deal with, for him, as well as for us, but we are getting through it day by day. Some days are better than others.

The weather is great now so we are working on a few projects for the shop, now that we are back! We picked up a couple of custom orders and in my next post I will share them with you.

Thanks so much for catching up on what we're up to! I'm trying to post at least once a month. After I get through the last days of school, Bebe's "Gala" dance recital, and a quick trip to the beach ... I'll have more time.

Summer is here! Yay!