Blog

If you’re a New Hampshire native, you know that tourism is one of our state’s biggest industries which means that we all depend on dollars from people who are visiting. In the antiques business, one of the biggest obstacles for travelers is how to ship “the big stuff.” In the past, tourists and travelers have either had to drive trailers cross country or pay exorbitant freight charges when shopping for larger pieces.  But thanks to uShip, that’s no longer the case.

uShip is an online marketplace for shipping services. The concept is simple. If you need something shipped, you register your job on the uShip web site by providing the pick up & delivery destinations, a description of the item (s), and date requirements. Then shippers bid on your job. It’s the competitive bidding process that reduces the cost. In simple terms, shippers need to keep their vehicles full to maximize their incomes so, as they travel & deliver, they pick up additional items via uShip to keep their trucks full. uShip customers can accept a bid at anytime during the process so it’s a very efficient and cost-effective way to move “the big stuff” across the country.

In the past few years, I’ve been able to sell large pieces to traveling buyers thanks to uShip.  In fact, I’ve just sold some large industrial pieces to a couple in Colorado thanks to this innovative service. And last season, I sent a pair of cast iron antique urns to California with a traveler who became a registered uShipper to keep is vehicle filled with deliveries and cover his gas expenses! I’ve never had a customer complain about the cost or service of their uShipper so uShip gets a big “thumbs up” from us.

Our business depends on a lot of things but the most obvious is inventory. We work hard to keep our shop filled with cool pieces that will keep our customers entertained & inspired. Don & I are on the road every week doing our house calls but, beyond our Tuesday treasure hunts in attics, barns & basements, we have an army of pickers.  Some of these hardworking friends pick full-time and others pick on the weekends to earn extra money.

Each one has his or her own specialty: Leslie picks vintage mid-century kitsch & clothing, Ian picks mantiques & leather, Julie picks clothes & accessories, John picks quirky & weird, Caron picks Asian imports & hippie stuff, Pete picks factory & architectural, and everyone picks garden for me because they know it’s my absolute favorite.

Today, I had a visit from Larry the Lighting Guy. Larry brings me every chandelier he can find including the incredible the crystal & iron fixture that hangs in the doorway of the new barn. Larry is an absolute joy, as are all of our pickers. We are very grateful for their hard work, for their funky & varied taste, and most importantly, for the joy that they bring to our day. Because what’s the point if you’re not having fun, right?

As we celebrate the first birthday of our web site, we are also celebrating the start of our 28th year in business. Sometimes we get so focused on the next project, that we forget to look back at how far we’ve come. So we took a quick dive into our trunk of old photos and pulled out these pictures of the property when we bought it in 1990. Talk about a fixxer upper!

Our first year was spent learning about septic systems, hot water heaters, and furnaces; the second year was spent learning about foundations, tree removal, and weddings; the third year was spent learning about running a business while sheet rocking, landscaping, and raising a baby, and so on and so on.

So here we are 28 years later. Two additions and two barns built. Many cherished family members gone and many new ones brought into the world. A pet cemetery filled with newfoundlands, cats, guinea pigs, bunnies, goats, and sheep. Two beautiful babies raised into two beautiful adults. And infinite gratitude for being able to make a living doing what we love to do.

As we look forward to another year, we know this business is not just about the stuff we sell, it’s about the people. Our friends, our family, our pickers, our customers–we thank you all for your moral support, your patronage, your insight, your enthusiasm, and most importantly, for the laughs. Every day is a new adventure for us and we are so thankful to have you all along for the ride.

It was more than 28 years ago when Don & I sat down with my mom & stepfather to talk about opening an antiques shop together. We looked at lots of properties and eventually settled on a run down pre-Victorian rental property on Route 4 in Northwood. Don & I agreed to manage & live at the shop and our adventure began. We started as a weekend  “barn sale” in the original 18 x 24′ barn. The next 28 years brought weddings, babies, renovations, additions, and a lot of personal growth. About 5 years ago, my mom decided that it was time to slow down a bit so Don & I bought my parents half of the business & property. My mom continued to occupy space in the shop and to work on the weekends (while we followed our kids to soccer fields and theatre productions). But time moves on and things change. My stepfather died a year and a half ago. My mom has been creating a new life and has decided that she’s ready to fully retire from our business venture.

I grew up antiquing with my mom. I remember visiting May Atkinson (a renowned dealer from Newburyport, MA) back the seventies and helping my mom select oil paintings for our antique colonial home. I remember taking my lunch to school in an antique Cottolene Lard tin instead of a run-of-the-mill lunch box. I remember babysitting my brothers while my mom served as president of our local historical society. I remember learning about Betty lamps, cast iron peels, dutch ovens, candle molds, flax wheels, linsey-woolsey coverlets, turkey red damask, sponge ware, and on and on.

Though I will miss seeing my mom every Saturday, she will still be my resource for all things old. And she will still be my mom.  And she will still be the kick-ass antiques dealer & business women who helped me become a kick-ass antiques dealer & business woman. So here’s to you Carla Penfield! Much love and gratitude from your favorite daughter.

Even in arctic temps, we are out there on the hunt! Last week, we were wandering around an abandoned optical factory with iphone flashlights in hand. Factory buildings are always fascinating and this one was no exception. The manufacturing equipment was massive–giant glass cutters, huge non-conductive slab work surfaces, and built-in sliding file systems. We brought home boxes of high-end glass lenses that were produced for medical & scientific equipment as well as some industrial stools & lockers.

We also bought some amazing industrial work tables that we couldn’t fit in our truck. Fortunately for us, the demo company that we work is very accommodating and offered to deliver the work tables/benches to us before demo. So we are anxiously awaiting delivery which is scheduled for next week. If you’re looking for a great industrial kitchen island or bar, check in with us! All of the tables that we bought are counter height–the smaller tables are metal with secondary wooden shelves underneath and the larger tables have metal frames with solid maple tops and a secondary shelves at the back. We are hoping to squeeze at least one of these work benches into the shop but some will definitely be heading for the storage barn.

 

As with the “chicken & the egg,” it’s hard to say whether trends in interior decorating drive trends in antiques & collectibles or vice versa. But one factor that has indisputable impact on both is nostalgia. We’re in the midst of two trends right now–Mid-Century Modern & Industrial. These two styles harken back to the 1940s & 1950s. The customers that have driven these trends (the people with nostalgia for the style of their parents & grandparents) are now in their 50s & 60s.  From Flea Market Flip to Fixer Upper, designers are repurposing & combining elements from both of these aesthetics and are blending them with a decorating palette that is generally neutral. As we look forward to future trends in decorating & collecting, we can safely assume that our younger customers will be nostalgic for the 1960s and 1970s. And that means color–lots of color!

The color revolution of the 1960s was a cultural reaction to the dreariness of war time and a celebration of non-western culture. Textiles, electronics, home furnishings, fashion–everything was bright & beautiful. Though the Mid-Century Modern & Industrial are still going strong, it’s time to add a little bit of hippie color to the neutral palette. Think pink and orange and yellow. Give a nod to pop art and color your world!

If you haven’t already recycled your Goldmine record guides (and we certainly have), it’s probably time. These days, the most accurate record values are found on the internet. Websites like popsike compile online auction results that give you the most current sales figures for albums in all genres. As long as you are accurately grading your LPs, popsike will give you an idea of the current market value of your vinyl. Other web sites, like Discogs, are selling web sites that will show you what collectors and dealers are asking for similar records. As always, condition is critical as are the specs of any album (import, original pressing, mono/stereo, cut-out/stock).

 

Customers often ask about polishing their antique & vintage metals. My general advice is that (unlike wooden pieces where value can be greatly affected by altering an original surface) metals can be certainly polished. With regard to copper and brass, polish to your taste but I personally prefer hand-polishing. People do use polishing wheels but my feeling is that this kind of aggressive polishing can give your antique brass and copper a finish that is so bright the character of the piece can be lost (until Mother Nature takes over and everything darkens up again). As far as silver & silver plate, hand-polishing is essential. The depth of the design in silver & silver plate comes from the tarnish that is left in the grooves of the scrollwork–when you remove all of the tarnish, you lose the beauty of the detail.

So what are best polishes? My favorites are in the grocery store. If you have water available, try Bartender’s Friend for copper & brass and Wright’s Silver Polish for silver & silver plate. If you are in your antiques shop 24-7 (without a kitchen sink available), try one of my favorites, Nevr-Dull.  The polish is in the cotton wadding so it’s soft, it’s easy, and it works on a wide variety of metals without water. Just buff your metals clean with the wadding and wipe with a dry paper towel or cotton rag.

Why did this week’s road trip require a ladder and needle nose pliers?  To remove original Boston Tea Party & Fillmore West posters from the walls of an old New Hampshire barn, of course! Until we pulled the tacks and staples, these posters had been hanging in this barn since the 1960s.  All are “as found” but they are rare finds in any condition.  The Fillmore posters include The Kinks & Taj Mahal; The Mothers of Invention; Otis Rush, The Grateful Dead & The Canned Heat Blues Band; and The 13th Floor Elevators, Sopwith Camel & The Great Society (handbill). The Boston Tea Party posters include Lothar & The Hand People with The Hallucinations; The Velvet Underground; Lothar & The Hand People with The Raven; The Grateful Dead; Quicksilver Messenger Service; and Ultimate Spinach with Canned Heat.

We have spent our morning gently brushing off the dust with cotton balls and soft toothbrushes! Though in all honesty, the tack holes & dirt just add to the story of these pieces. These posters traveled to New Hampshire from historic Sixties concerts in San Francisco & Boston and were proudly tacked in the owner’s old barn. Incredible. Now the dilemma begins…which ones to keep and which ones to sell…

This week’s road trip took us thru a wrinkle in time…straight into the 1950s! We spent the day in an old abandoned ranch so overgrown with brush that, when we arrived, we sat in the driveway wondering if we would find anything salvageable. Though water and small animals had gotten to some areas, the bedrooms and sunken living room (so fab) were virtually untouched.

Don started in the basement bar area and I started in the master bedroom. We gathered up old beer signs, vintage clothing (including silk stockings in their original packing), old medicine bottles, lucite dresser pieces, and lighting. Then we moved to the main living areas where we were amazed to find this yellow tufted Hollywood Regency sectional sofa (in pristine condition) along with French Provincial side chairs, plaster statues, glass top side tables, and various other decorative mid-century pieces.

In some ways,  it’s sad to sort through someone’s life by going through their belongings but in other ways it’s absolutely fascinating. The people who lived in this home were vibrant, fashionable, and very hip. They obviously entertained a lot (did I forget to mention the cases of unopened bottles of scotch & whiskey) and they lived their lives with exuberance as illustrated by the shag carpeting, yellow velvet furniture, and nude statues. A little bordello…and a lot of fun!