Monday, February 27, 2012

Home Again

Midvale
7490 S. Holden Street
801-225-5457

Sugarhouse
1019 E. 2100 S.
801-487-4668

Mon.-Fri. 10-6
Sat. 10-5
Closed Sundays

Accepts consignment: Mon.-Fri. 11-4 Sat. 11-3


I can’t remember on which serendipitous occasion I came around the corner of Holden street and spotted Home Again…oh wait, yes I can. I’d just come back from a doctor’s appointment. Anyway, when I saw the green brick façade with “consignment” written on it; I did a 180˚ and pulled into the parking lot. I now own two leather pillows, a small cabinet, and small writing desk type thingey—all courtesy of Home Again.

I love the idea of buying old junk and re-finishing or painting it to create something marvelously quirky and unique. Check out Mandi Gubler’s Vintage Revivals blog for instructions for making genius Thrift Shop Glam projects. But my problem is actually getting around to doing the project. I have two kitchen chairs—one from D.I. and one from a junk sale—that have remained in their junky state for about two years now.
















Home Again provides finished projects. Much of the furniture is vintage or retro, but has been given the sanding and fresh paint needed to make it house-ready. My Home Again cabinet is the result of an emergency run to the store, hours before I had guests coming. I just couldn’t let them see my home stereo system balanced precariously on cardboard boxes.

Home Again carries items as small as a china tea cup and as large as an armoire. Home décor, home furnishings, and a lot of personality. The prices are excellent. Not as low as a thrift store—these are finished pieces—but much better than buying brand new.
















I like my furniture solid and real. I love texture. I like the feel of real wood. That’s not to say I don’t have pasteboard in my house. Unfortunately, I too own the “build-it-yourself” bookshelves. You know, the ones that don’t require tools for assembly and that shatter like a plate glass window in an action movie if you lean on it. But when I can afford it, I like to buy “real” furniture made in a day when furniture was meant to last. Home Again makes that possible.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Going to the Mall--1920's style

Sandy Antique Mall
8672 S. State Street
Sandy, Utah
801-568-9840

Recently a friend asked if she could borrow my vintage hats for a Young Womens activity. I'm the kind of person that has a collection of vintage hats. At least I was. Last year, in a misguided attempt to clear away the clutter, I gave my collection away.

I felt bad about not being able to provide a bonnet, boater, or bandeau. Well, actually, I did have one...in October I purchased a black pill box hat and attached a stuffed raven and black roses, but it hardly seemed appropriate in January.

To the Sandy Antique Mall! The place with the polar bear outside, and the REAL grizzly inside.

























I found a couple of reasonbly priced hats, some porcelain ornaments that would be perfect for my mother's Christmas tree, and set of circa 1940 bathroom accessories--little china jars marked "cotton" and "creme"--that will be perfect on a mirrored boudoir tray. I also found some wonderful old children's books, cloth-covered with their titles etched in gold. I didn't make all of my purchases right then. Some I bookmarked in my mind and crossed my fingers that they wouldn't be gone by the time my next paycheck came in.






















I've already divulged my weakness for vintage items, mellowed with age and the patina of romance I tend to give them. But have you noticed that the craftsmanship is often so much better? My mom's washing machine is from the 1970's, but it's still cycling, and why should she replace it with one made in 2011 and made to break down in 2015? At a small consignment shop in Leavenworth, KS, I bought a vintage soft peach cashmere sweater, satin-lined, covered in seed pearls. It didn't fit. It never will. But it is a work of art. It's craftsmanship is worth preserving. Even if it remains on hangar, hung on my wall, it reminds me of all things lovely, delicate, and enduring. It looks great on my friend's 11 year-old daughter. Maybe someday it will go with her prom dress.

















The Sandy Antique Mall was also the source of a unique birthday present I received from some unique friends (my favorite kind). They bought me 500 of 1000 shares of the West Indies Sugar Corporation. The certificate is stamped Feb. 28, 1958. Although the stock expired in 1960, it's a wonderful old document that deserves a frame.

The Sandy Antique Mall also has architectural salvage, furniture, vintage jewelry, ancient typewriters, brownie cameras, antique dolls, and the afore-mentioned bear. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

By looking up at my clock (modern--bought at Shopko), I can see it's town for Downton Abbey. And so, I bring this missive to a close.