Fellow antiquing and vintage-hunting lovers out there?

Hey guys! Laura and Micheline's recent Memphis shopping videos got me wondering.. are there any other gals out there who like to shop vintage and antique stores not only for clothes but for decorating their homes too?
 
I got started at an early age shopping antique stores for Victorian through 50s era furnishings and decorations with my Grandma and Mom when I was a kid. Usually 20s furniture and 30s decor being what we looked for. A love for antiquing and hunting for retro decor is something that stuck with me. Growing up in southern CA we mostly went to old town Orange and some higher-end antique stores in the beach cities. Being used to those prices, moving over to VA it still doesn't cease to amaze me how many lovely things are hidden away in little back road antique and vintage shops, and the prices are 1/5th of what they would have been in CA. There's a few stores nearby that have boudoir type things- 50s compacts and lipstick containers, vintage perfume bottles, bakelite bracelets and brooches, lamps, sweater clasps, loads of celluloid vanity sets, lucite, chalk-ware, mirrors, combs, ladyhead vases, gloves, stocking still in the packaging.. It's like a 20s - 50s screen siren's dressing room was frozen in time. They also have a HUGE brooch selection, and my favourite thing about it is almost everything is under $10.
 
There's another store in town that sales mostly vintage clothes, and accessories like gloves and silk scarves and purses, but everything is all piled up, old lady attic style. It takes some digging but I've found some vanity accessories there and my sister found a Christian Dior hat for $5, and another time I found a 1890s (so the shop owner thought, I think it's 20s) velvet cape. At the time I didn't know this but I was told after I bought it that the trim is monkey fur... I don't know how I feel about that :/
 
I also recently bought a very fancy silk velvet floor length coat. It has a wide beaded collar that folds up into a hood. It's such an unusual design that I knew if I didn't get it I'd never be able to find one like it again. It was owned by the woman who modeled it for the department store in the late 40s and she just stored it all these years, so it's like new. I've bought chandeliers there, and at a nearby Goodwill I found my pre 1900s vanity for $64
 
I think one reason why there is such an abundance of wonderful finds out here in The Small Town South is that there are hardly any younger girls into retro and vintage items, at least none that I've seen. Whenever my sister and I go to these stores the only other people shopping are very old ladies.
 
Does anyone else have good luck in small towns? I love reading about other people's good finds. Here are some of the most recent things I found last week:
Little empty black and gold compact for my sister. She's going to put her powder refill in it. French kitty and rhinestone brooches in the back.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The back of the compact is meant to look like a little record. How cool it that?!

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Permalink Reply by Cari Egnew on August 3, 2012 at 9:22am

Love it!  Vintage purses have so much personality :)

Permalink Reply by Deanna McCarthy on August 3, 2012 at 9:59am

I love the look of most vintage things...I have collected a bit over the years, I have 2 radios from the 40's or 50's that were in my parents attic, an old fan, two suitcases...a few pieces of furniture that belonged to my grandmothers. I'd like to have more but it can be pretty expensive to buy old furniture, and I've nowhere to put it! I also have a vintage coat, gloves, and purse that my sister bought me...I live in not only a small town, but a small province, and things are hard to come by!

Permalink Reply by Kelly Davis on August 21, 2012 at 12:35am

I was driving home from work Saturday morning, and there was a garage sale with lots of cars around it.  I stopped to let someone cross the street, and when I glanced over, there was a HUGE mirror very similar to the one in the "Masuimi brings it" picture that Laura posted.  I wasn't even sure how much cash I had with me, but I whipped over to the curb and went to ask about it.  $30 later and the seller is loading it up in the back of my Jeep (It took up the whole back of my Grand Cherokee).  I never go to garage sales, so I'm stoked I was in the right place at the right time to discover this mirror!   For some reason my computer isn't cooperating with posting a pic, but I'm stoked right now!

Permalink Reply by Kelly Davis on August 21, 2012 at 2:10pm

I'm living in a hotel with my job right now, so I don't know where I'll put it yet, but it was too pretty and cheap to pass up!  I'm giddy about it.

Permalink Reply by Cari Egnew on August 21, 2012 at 1:59pm

A few years ago we discovered a wonderful little antique store in Carosn, Wa.  No antique mall here with booths!  This place is the real deal with boxes of stuff to dig through and baby wipes on the counter!

Anywhoo...went and visited it last week and came home with some goodies :)  Also got a couple of small animal traps for the hubby and an old Kodak wooden crate to store my photography books in.  I'm starting to like the old post cards.  Some of them have fun messages on the back.  One of the Christmas ones is from 1908 & it's a mother wishing her son a merry Christmas and wondering 'why don't you answer my letters?'

Permalink Reply by Kelly Davis on August 21, 2012 at 2:11pm

Aww, the "why won't you answer my letters?" part is depressing.

Permalink Reply by Jamie McGrath on September 10, 2012 at 8:31pm

My mother always says I'm an old soul or I'm an old lady trapped in a 24 year olds body...I personally think I was just born in the wrong era!

My family always took me thrifting and yard saling when I was younger so I learned pretty early on. However, I'm probably the only one in my family that seeks out the old antique/vintage stuff. I've come across some really cool pieces as a result!

Permalink Reply by Raven J Campbell on September 27, 2012 at 6:25am

I love the hunt for the treasures...I to am origially from southern california I shopped in many antique stores and vintage shops in the beach citys for years....then I moved to the midwest....(LOVE THE PRICES) most of my house is decorated with my vintage treasures...and at least half of my wardrobe is vintage...sometimes though its just the enjoyment of the hunt....some stores are like entering a time capsule....for a brief moment you can leave "the modern era" outside...thats my mini vacation...especially when I find something I have to have for a great price....:)

Permalink Reply by stephanie martin on November 24, 2012 at 5:27pm

i do i love older thing there made better and always have a good story.

Permalink Reply by Aoife 24K on November 25, 2012 at 8:11am

Well, I absolutely love going to antique stores. On my anniversary weekend my spouse and I went antique shopping in the So Cal wine town of Temecula. I must admit thought that I did not buy anything for myself. Just a few days ago I went to my local antique mall and managed to buy a green dress from the Forties at my local antique mall. It was a pretty good price, about $30. And a week before that I managed to get one of my best friends a Christmas present, Staffordshire pottery figurines of musicians playing the hurdy gurdy. I am really happy about that because my friend is a hurdy gurdy player. And the two statues only cost about $35! I have more stories and maybe some pics. I will be back and hopefully with pics to show.

Permalink Reply by Christina Fuentes on December 7, 2012 at 6:19am

I love antiquing and vintage hunting! Especially for home decor. I am getting married soon and I hope to achieve an old hollywood inspired home. I live in Upstate New York and there are tons of great shops and place to find great things! I even find some great stuff at Goodwill, love that place! I found a beautiful set of 4 dark blue kitchen canisters for $8.99. I found these awesome 40's style champagne glasses for $.99 each too! I go there to buy vinyl records too (I have a player) which I have found some good ones, super cheap! Ah I can't say enough good things about Goodwill lol! There is a place right in my town that has some great furniture too. Of all the years I've been here I have never once been in there either. I've only looked as I've driven past, been so busy! I am going to make it a point to go in there within the next week haha. Thank you for posting this! It's fun to talk about great vintage finds  :-)

Permalink Reply by Pin Up Cinema on May 21, 2015 at 8:47pm

Love these little gems!! What an awesome find! Looks like you have a Petty, and perhaps a Withers Hollywood or an Elliott?? Can you see the artist? These are so fun!! Thank you for sharing!

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