You’re just window shopping…

I love to meander through vintage stores, flea markets, and antique malls to see what I can find (some past explorations can be found here and here).  I can spend hours exploring the treasures for sale and quite often find graphic and clothing inspiration in old furniture, vintage postcards, kitchen gadgets and the like.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven by a shop that looks interesting only to swear I’ll check it out ‘next time’, which rarely comes.  However, a few weeks ago while passing through historic Mullica Hill, an town I’ve driven through a gazillion times without ever once stopping (except for pizza), I finally decided to check it out…

My timing was perfect since the Street Fair on Main Street was going on.  I only walked about 20 feet to one of my favorite stops of the day – a church jumble full of old furniture, signs and toys all mixed together. My eye was caught by this America sign and wooden box, both of which would look great in a farmhouse kitchen…

Calling Joanna Gaines

Mixed in with the many antique stores are quaint restaurants and shops selling items which would make perfect housewarming, engagement, date night, or ‘just because’ gifts.  This particular shop is what I imagine stepping into the Magnolia Market would be like, with every item carefully curated and perfectly staged to capture one’s attention…

I stumbled upon this painting in the back of a pile of broken furniture and weeks later I am still wishing I had purchased it.  I have no idea how I would have flown home with the canvas, since it measured a good 5 feet  x 8 feet, but the graphic was epic!  I keep thinking of how cool it would look hanging in a high-ceilinged room with huge picture windows, an overstuffed mauve colored couch, and a gold and glass coffee table all sitting on a highly polished marine blue floor (sigh! home goals)…

I spent a lot of time browsing this basement store.  I mean, any place offering hundreds of porcelain and ceramic animals for sale is calling my name (and pocketbook)…

I also browsed through tons of old photography equipment. I didn’t bother to look at the prices but imagine with everyone using their phones in lieu of an actual camera that prices, even for vintage models, will only get cheaper with time.  I really dug the boxy Kodak Dualflex II,  made from 1950-1954, featuring a Bakelite body (or as Kodak called it – “Kodadur”)…

There were so many good rock albums for sale I almost purchased a few before I remembered my days of owning vinyl are long gone.  I did had an extensive album collection through my 30’s, with many rarities including Pink Floyd’s ‘The Early Years’, Jimi Hendrix ‘Live at the Forum’  and ‘Live at Los Angeles Forum 4-25-70’, Robert Rauschenberg’s Talking Heads ‘Speaking in Tongues‘, and a few years worth of  Grateful Dead bootlegs (on cassette however and so technically not vinyl).  I even wore out two Sticky Fingers albums, so this Andy Warhol designed cover with working zipper was very hard for this Stones fangal to pass up…

I so wanted to take this Virgin Mother home.  I spent 12 years in parochial school and every classroom I ever sat in featured a Mary watching over the students. This version was a little dinged up, which is exactly how my third grade Mary was (we were an ill-mannered class with a fondness for spitball wars and Mary often was an unintentional target)…

Here’s a part of another painting that caught my eye.  I wish I had a house big enough to hang all of the art that I love (while still having room for everything else we own)…

My browsing ended where it started, when I saw this ‘Spool O’ Chicken’ just waiting to be noticed.  How could I have missed this initially?  And why didn’t I break down and purchase it?  I know for sure it was truly a vintage piece because some of that thread was older than me…

How about you?  Do you like to browse thrift stores, flea markets and antique stores?  Anywhere you’d recommend?  I’d love to know…

*Window Shopping – Dwight Yoakam