Wednesday, May 30, 2012

rail trail

Not doing so much vintage lately...well, doing a lot for the shop, not so much with my vintage clothing... 

Swamp scenery

Got bikes & went to the rail trail, which runs from Belchertown to Northampton...
Runaway chickens on the path

Why have I never done this before? It is amazing & very relaxing/ enjoyable, if you live in western ma I highly recommend it!

Bridge to Northampton

Saw lots of wildlife...a doe, skunk, chimpmunks, rabbits, turkey & a turtle! I don't know I was amazed... :-)
Turtle!

Pictures of the garden:



Friday, May 18, 2012

train station...


Last weekend, went up to the old Chester Railroad Station for a family get together. Absolutely gorgeous day & what a nice ride up there. Apparently you can rent this caboose for overnight, sounds like a terrific weekend away for some point this summer...  









Thursday, May 10, 2012

red



Vintage Andrea Gayle Dress
Somehow it seems it became a day of red. Couple facts I learned today...Andrea Gayle was a line of Leslie Fay (vintage fashion guild).
Antique Heywood Wakefield Sewing Stand
Also a bit about the Heywood Wakefield Company...first that they were not just one company, but a combination of them...second that they are as old of a company as they are. Obviously they are well known for their mid century stuff, but I knew they did wicker/rattan furniture before that (thank you Opa). So I figured maybe 1900, wrong...Heywood Brothers started in 1826, the Wakefield Company in 1855...they merged in 1897 & then dropped the Brothers in 1921 (wikipedia)...so this helped me date this sewing stand...yay! 

Antique Piano Stool

Art Glass Bud Vase

Vintage 50s-60s Purse
Vintage Avon Cape Cod Goblets


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

so...





Lovely  Vintage Silk & Sequins Suit
It is the week of Brimfield! Not that that means much. I love how all the dealers in the area go "oh, isn't business great the week of brimfield" "why aren't you open more hours for brimfield?" "why aren't you at brimfield?" Not that we have been around forever, but out of the almost three years of being open, I have never seen an increase in business, usually it is the opposite, because normal customers are going to Brimfield :-) I don't know I just think it is funny. Actually Brimfield itself is quite absurd in my opinion. Everything is overpriced & a lot of it in shoddy condition (there are exceptions of course.) And most silly, so many of the vendors just scour the area the week before to fill their tents...why don't people just travel here to scour themselves? Or most silly, people asking me if I go to get inventory for my shop. I will admit I do go occasionally, but it's for browsing for very specific items (like kettle corn) & learning & seeing dealer friends.

So, instead of being open more hours I've been doing a bunch of listings on etsy instead. I'm finding it to be more profitable.
Vintage 50s Leopard Print Hat


Went for a walk at the dam last week, before all this rain. Came across various wild flowers that I have no idea what they are. Maybe I will look them up at some point. If not, they are still pretty to look at. :-)

Friday, May 4, 2012

...

So...I am a 24 year old shop keeper, vintage clothing hoarder, cat lover, foodie, photographer, beer snob, do-it-yourselfer, dreamer, chicken keeper, gardener, probably some other things I don't even know yet.
In this blog I will share the adventures of owning a vintage & antique shop in a sleepy new england town, photographs, the occasional recipe, progress of various projects, snippets of my vintage collection & who knows what else...