Shopping, one piece at a time

keata138 (check her profile in www.localshops1.com "meet the staff" page) sent us this recently ... and it inspired us to go hunting for treasures at some of our favorite antique shops.

She writes:

Many find solace in things that match. I, however, am not one of those people. Sometimes, single purchases over a long period of time yield the most interesting results—you simply have to be patient.

For instance, many purchase their dishware in a box, all of the pieces designed to beautifully compliment one another. But since dishes and silverware are one of the most common gifts for those entering the sanctity of marriage and couples don’t always share the gift or their partner’s taste, portions or entire sets are discarded into the “Purgatory for Rejected Belongings”.

This purgatory is my hunting ground and the treasures here appeal to both those with a penchant for sets and those who prefer to create eclectic mixes. As I have mentioned, I am the latter but have been known to buy sets at random. Over the past several years, I’ve collected pieces from local antique shops, thrift stores, flea markets, and yard sales. The styles I choose are similar—from antique to contemporary, they’re all cool colors.

My cabinets cradle prized pieces from almost every decade in greens, teals, yellows, blues, and the occasional violet. Think of a table setting at my house as a schizophrenic peacock, which in my opinion, is worlds more interesting than a landscape of identical pieces. And the best thing about displaying pieces like this for your company is the hunt.

Whether you pay $1.50 or $150 for a piece, it’s your find, chosen specifically by you (the one who will ultimately use the piece anyway) and you worked hard to find it. As your collection grows, like a garden of colored porcelain, it gets better. Odd additions, like the Siamese cats with rhinestone eye salt n’ pepper shakers on my table, personalize and enhance the collection.

So instead of going and buying a box of dishes or silverware set, try going to one of your local “junk” shops. It’s almost unfathomable how many amazing things others consider junk. You’ll have fun, find treasure, spend less, and help support your local economy by shopping at an independent store.