Devoting oneself to the study of artifacts by default means thinking in terms of obsolescence. For the contents of the curiosity shop are often those forlorn orphans unable to cross over into modern aesthetics or make themselves useful to 21st-century life. Let’s face it. Kindles have a lot on printed books. And Kindles are good—great—for…
I must say, Lady Bricabrac and I thought that we knew, if anyone did, what the New Eclecticism was. We assumed (naturally) it referred to the recent mushrooming of curiosity shops in all their guises: antique shops and malls, vintage markets, consignment stores, and even the so-called “eclectic” co-ops. By offering alternative (repurposed, refinished, rediscovered,…
Beautiful things never go out of style. Classics endure. …Some pieces will be welcomed as they are, but others will need tender loving care or urgent cosmetic surgery. Choose a piece if it has promise. –Chalmers and Hanan, Flea Market Style There are many…
Former neighbors and good friends in Nashville, the Maxwell Beddingtons, had a maxim that comes in very handy when a collector has plenty of ambition but limited time. (I trust Lady B will forgive my French.) It goes like this: “If you see clothes, the yard sale blows.” This is true in the extreme. Excepting…
Lady Bric-a-Brac and the Duchess of Emporia set out at an unreasonably early hour this past Saturday morning to investigate South Carolina’s “Largest Garage Sale” at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Now in it’s 25th year, the “extravaganza” boasted well over 200 vendors—some who had cleaned out their attics and basements, others who were re-selling…
Oliver Douglas: Mr. Haney, that pile of junk isn’t worth $8. Haney: To the unappraiseable eye, yes. I had each and every one of these objects de art evaluated by an in-unpeachable source: the county tax assessor, or as we sometimes call him, Cousin Joe. Before Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz of American Pickers, there…
Now look at that old church. And them old houses. Did George Washington ever sleep here? Of course he did. This whole neighborhood just stinks with atmosphere. –Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Brooklyn–of all places–“stinks with atmosphere” in Capra’s Arsenic and Old Lace. The main commercial streets off the central square once held a full…
The Old Curiosity Blog 