Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Buying Local: Let’s Go Antiquing!

Buy fresh buy local!  Have you heard this slogan before?  It’s so true, nothing like farm fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy and meats from local farmers.   The thought of how beautiful fresh greens, herbs  and berries are this time of year is mouth watering.  Buying local helps our communities thrive and sustain not just through hard economic times, but always.  It's a win - win for all of us and it makes our communities stronger economically, culturally and socially.

But what about a butter dish?  For example, where does someone go to get a new butter dish, a local one that is?  Ours broke (again) and I was left wondering?.....So, I went to a couple of local antique stores and low and behold, I found one, a silver one to be exact with a sweet blossom on top. It even had a glass liner inside to put the butter on top of!  I mean, it’s a little funky, a little out of the ordinary, maybe sort of like my grandma’s, but beautiful and functional. 

The past few holidays I’ve tried to buy as many gifts locally as I could and this past year I went antiquing to find a little whimsy for everyone.  I hadn’t really been to an antique store in a while and I was kind of amazed at how many beautiful and functional things they had.  The prices were pretty reasonable too, considering that most often what you see there is better made, from better quality materials and is designed beautifully too.   
Seriously though, there is something for everyone with an array of styles from deco to boho and everything in between.  It’s a visual feast steeped in history and narratives from the past that fuels the imagination.  People were certainly clever back in the day.  Things were made and meant to last, designed not just for function, but visually too. 

So next time you have to replace a mug or a dish or need some holiday decorations or a table cloth think about your local antique store.  Often times we can find new uses for items.  For example, little plates that are missing their tea cup could be turned into soap dishes or beautiful dessert plates.  Old handkerchiefs can be turned into cloth napkins.  Old linens can be turned into a zillion things like embellishments for clothes and purses or even turned into a stuffed animal or a pillow.  Let your imagination take over….let the possibilities unleash…..take the leap and follow your heart.

beautiful china plates missing their cups (soap dishes), funny salt and pepper shakers, linens, old hankies, records (remember those?), jewelry, pottery, kitchen ware, ( manual egg beaters, cookie cutters, crockery, silver, forks, knives, orange/ lemon juice juicers… ) furniture, books (classics, poetry, all kinds)wooden bowls, pocket watches, beaded purses, pipes, military memorabilia, hat pins, book ends, tea pots, egg cups, book cases, end tables, lamps, chandeliers, etc, etc,.....

Here are a couple of my favorite antique stores in the north of Pittsburgh:

Amazing Grace’s Antiques & Vintage Chic Boutique:  These ladies have an eye for beauty and design.  On one visit there someone commented to me “if it’s beautiful it’s here!.” 5363 William Flynn Hwy (Rt. 8), Gibsonia, PA 15044 (412) 719 –7654 

Alison’s Alley Antiques: Specializing in the unique, unusual and useful.  A wonderful eclectic mix of items.  123/ 125 Main Street ( Rt. 8), Butler, PA  .  Across from Rite Aid in the alley(724) 712 – 1285

Wexford General Store: Two floors of treasures!….including a library and a boutique.  150 Church Road, Wexford, PA 15090, http://www.wexfordgeneralstore.com/Welcome.html (724) 935-9959