The Portrait Left Behind

There’s something sad about an estate sale. I can’t go to one of these things without feeling a little bit vulturous, jostling with the other vultures and swooping down to retrieve the scraps of a life from a folding table of knick knacks. In fact, it might be impossible to go to an estate sale–or…

The High Stakes of Curiosty Shopping

I’ve been looking for a dresser for what’s known affectionately as my Totally ’80s Guest Room–for months. Dear Lady Bricabrac is known to quip that there’s no real rush to buy, that most of the pieces I’m interested in aren’t going anywhere—because, after all, who else wants them? This is often true. My friends these…