Entry #14: Antiquing

anitazachary
Jan 5
2 min read

There's not a better way to start the year, in my mind, than visiting an antique store.

A long aisle at an antique mall. There are objects on either side of this aisle, filled to the brim; both old and new. Florescent lights are on the ceiling and there is a white tiled floor.

Oh, what a beauty! Miles of aisles of treasures, knick-knacks, paintings, furniture someone's Pawpaw made, DVDs, dolls from times gone by, uranium glass, costume jewelry like the kind my grandmother would wear to church on Sunday, and so many more hidden gems!

Another photo down the aisle of an antique store; there are booths in all different colors, and items are bulging out into the walkway. A man stands in front of a shopping cart wearing a red shirt and denim jeans.

Most people would look at these photos and see junk, but I see opportunity. I love the thrill of the hunt, the ecstatic feeling of finding something precious that can be cleaned up or preserved; finding something that fits perfectly in my home (or on the Etsy shop), something that I know is going to last the test of time, that I'll pass down to my daughter, and her children.

Speaking of, my daughter also loves antiquing with me! She's my buddy and has been since she was in diapers, though now she runs off to look at the records and books (and one particular booth is her favorite, it has DVDs and horror memorabilia); though she keeps a keen eye out for things I would like. I've trained her well!

A peek inside one of the booths, various objects are placed at the walls of this booth to make a walkway through the middle. At the end of this walkway is a wall with horror movie posters (Lost Boys, Robo Cop) and t-shirts of the Mothman.

A zoomed up photo of a booth, showing a menagerie of items, but the one of significance is a cardboard cutout of Elvira Mistress of the Dark with the Coors Man in neon colors. There is a sombrero on a mannequin head, a paint-dripped lamp, a bear light (?), and a Lite Brite in its original packaging.

You just never know what you're going to find at any antique store, which is what I think I really love. I've found some of my favorite pieces at antique stores, little diamonds in the rough, and this adventure at Grandaddies Antique Mall was no different!

While my daughter and I were getting a lay of the land, I stumbled across the most magnificent booth! There were leatherbound books as big as my head from the 1700s, porcelain pigs, masks, lamps, and one particular coocoo clock that I couldn't take my eyes off of (but I left for some other lucky soul!).

A incredibly ornate coocoo clock, featuring two brass weights that hang low, in the shape of tear drops. It's made of hand carved wood and flourished brass details, including a brass statuette of Atlas at the very top, clutching the World above his head.

But what really caught my attention was something that I already have - and something we actually have up for sale on the Etsy shop right now!

An antique hand hammered copper pitcher sits on a plant stand. It is fat around the base, and has a foot that flares out beneath it. Its handle is thick, but small. It is unpolished, pitted, and shows signs of wear around its handle. A tag on the pitcher shows it is $350.

The copper jug/pitcher again, this time with a woman wearing a blue plaid shirt stands beside it, holding up an IPhone 13 Pro Max beside it, which takes up half of the pitcher's height, showing the pitcher itself is not very large. — Copper Jug at Antique Store (IPhone 13 Pro Max for scale)

A copper jug! It looks so much like the one we have, except this one is much smaller, and in worse condition (not to mention much more expensive!); but how crazy is that? I would've never thought I'd find another one in the United States! And yet, there it was, sitting prettily in one of our favorite antique stores, waiting patiently for someone to come along and pick it up.

A photo of a similar copper pitcher, however this jug is polished to a shine, as well, it shows fingerprints of its maker, and is twice the size of the previous pitcher. There is also no pitting in the copper. This jug sits on a marble slab in front of various light blue transferware pieces (a platter, several plates, a gravy jug) while a Laurel Mercantile candle sits off to the left, and a plant's green leaves hang down from the shelf above, holding more transferware items. — Our Copper Jug

A zoomed, and clearer photo of the copper jug as in the photo previous, shining in the sunlight, it sits on the marble slab. The fingerprints are more obvious, and the handle appears larger and thicker than the other jug.

A side-back photo of the copper jug from the photo previous, it is a very clear, detailed photo, showing where the jug has been soldered from previous use at the bottom of its handle, as well as the shine in its polish on the body of it.

Antiquing is second nature to myself and my daughter now; we really enjoy the history of the items, the uniqueness, the random jumble of things, and the fact that it's all pre-loved. Antique stores and thrift shops, for that matter, are helping keep history alive, and beautiful items that just need a little bit of love out of the landfills.

So if nothing else, this year I encourage you to visit an antique shop! Especially if you're just browsing, because you never know what you'll find - it's all one big, beautiful surprise!