Northern Grade pop-up shop

A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to attend my first Northern Grade show in Minneapolis.  Northern Grade is a pop-up shop for men’s heritage brands – J.W. Hulme, Pierrepont Hicks, Duluth Pack, Red Wing Shoes, and many more.

When I arrived and saw where the event is held – at Architectural Antiques – I was over-the-top excited.  What a genius idea to display classic, USA-made men’s brands among beautiful, classic antique and vintage pieces!

Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera, just my iPhone, so my photos don’t do the show justice, but here are some shots, anyway:

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J.W. Hulme display

Red Wing Shoes display

Red Wing Shoes’ “booth”

satchels at Northern Grade

men’s button-downs are displayed below an antique chandelier

plaids galore

shirts and antique sconces

fixtures + satchels

Love this gramophone speaker!

Because no menswear event would be complete without one.

antique dressform

Northern Grade is held twice yearly and is the brainchild of the Pierrepont Hicks founder.  Bravo!

 

Northern Grade will have a pop-up in Chicago on October 27, 2012:

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À bientôt,

k.

Junk Bonanza is here!

I rarely do this, but for today’s blog, I’m posting a link to one of my other blogs, The Occasional Saler.  I’ll think you’ll appreciate the photos of the Junk Bonanza event that’s going on here in the Twin Cities….

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Check out a preview of the great vintage finds at Junk Bonanza here!

À demain,

k.

Antique Archaeology Adventure

My boyfriend and I decided to take a road trip from New Orleans (his hometown) to Minneapolis (my hometown).  I’ll share little tidbits in the coming days, don’t worry ; )

Anyway, one obligatory stop was in LeClaire, Iowa.  Where?!, you say.  LeClaire is a town on the western bank of the Mississippi River in Iowa, just across the river from Illinois.  It’s essentially a suburb, or a town surrounding, the Quad Cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Moline and Rock Island in Illinois.  My dad is actually from Moline, so it was neat to at least drive through the town – I hadn’t been there in years.

So, back to LeClaire.  It is an antique town, meaning that there are tons of antique shops there (about 1 shop for every 10 inhabitants).  It’s also the home of Antique Archaeology, the store owned by Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, stars of History Channel’s American Pickers.  We didn’t find any antique treasures (they specialize in what I consider “guy stuff”, like motorcycles and tools, whereas I prefer Florentine serving trays and gilt mirrors), but I did pick up a neat American Pickers posters.

And no, Mike and Fritz were not there – they were out pickin’.  Danielle wasn’t in, either.  Boo.  Maybe next time…

{that’s me in front of the Antique Archeology “mascot”}

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À demain,

k.

Friday’s Find

Yes, I’m officially OBSESSED with Occasional Sales.  And another week means another round of ’em!

This week the Rockford and Buffalo, Minnesota sales were in full swing, so I drove out there to check them out.

I started in Rockford at one of my favorites, Found Salvage.  The owner, Angela, is lovely, and has great taste.  Last week I bought a gorgeous baby blue and white Limoges tray with elegant gold accents from her at the A Gathering of Friends sale in Minneapolis.  The tray came with a matching candlestick, which I’m using as a place to display bracelets.  Here’s a peak at a couple of the goods in the shop:

Found Salvage storefront

a silverized lion garden sconce

an exuberant lamp

I love the lime green trim on this chair (which has 3 mates)

leaded glass, always a good thing

Next, I moved on to the ORIGINAL Occasional Sale, started 15 years ago, Second-Hand Rose:

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I stumbled upon this lovely chair, only $95 (!!!!)  The chair, itself, was clearly vintage, but the upholstery was brand new.  I would have cost $1,000 at a fancy store.  So I decided to get it.  The only issue was getting the chair into my sedan…

my beautiful little chair

After buying my chair and securing it in the car, I headed into downtown Buffalo, which has a main street that’s a couple of blocks long, and contains several other occasional sale shops.  After shopping for 5 hours, I was exhausted and hungry.  So I stopped for lunch.

A sweet, little all-American lunch.

Then I headed back home, a 50 minute drive (all highways), with the chair hanging out the back of the car:

yep, couldn't see out the back window, but it all ended ok.

Oh, and I picked this mantle for my mom at Kathie’s Finds in downtown Buffalo.  (I didn’t even try to get it in the car – it’s being delivered tomorrow.)

My mom's been looking for a mantle to display her artwork at her studio.

Back home, here’s my chair, with the folding screen that I painted behind it.  Can you tell that I like pink?!

my chair, at home

Though this chair wouldn’t normally be my style (a touch British grandmother), it’ll be perfect in the “garden” room that I’m dying to have.  When I actually have my own home.  Anyway, here’s my inspiration:

One of Charlotte Moss's delicious rooms, featured on the cover of her latest book.

I absolutely LOVE this book – Charlotte Moss’s rooms are elegant yet personal and comfortable.  I am also totally crushing on the chaise-lounge in this room, too.  Still on the hunt for that one.

Happy Friday/Easter/Passover!

À la prochaine,

k.

A Gathering of Friends

Today was a big day, a gathering of what I call Occasional Salers – those who operate occasional sales and their devoted shoppers. That’s right, it’s A Gathering of Friends, held twice a year at Bachman’s Garden Center in Minneapolis.  When I arrived 10 minutes before it opened, there was already a line….

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Once behind the counter in a general store - it could now be yours!

a lovely country vignette

one of my all-time favorite designs from France...the bombé chest

This blue frosted chandelier glass would make beautiful earrings.

a divine green lamp

very stylized, reminds me of the Czechoslovakian tea set I bought at a Paris flea market.

so cute.

random + creative + color = awesome!

fun!

Shoppers take in a 1950ish country vignette.

And the one that got away…..

Yes, I thought this would work for my jewelry, but I didn't spring on it right away. When I went back to look at it, someone was putting a SOLD sign on it. Oh well : (

I’ll be headed back to the sale tomorrow, too.  An occasional shopping tip: often there are so many things to look at, that you discover something you love only after a couple of walks through the space.  Or the next day, when things have been sold, revealing great items that had been buried in a display.  And word has it, this sale gets restocked!

Enjoy the day!

À demain,

k.

xx

a special occasion

I’ve mentioned “occasional sales” in a couple of blogs now, so here’s the deal with them: they’re AWESOME.  As long as you’re into that kind of thing.  Which I am.  Very much.

I had never even heard of occasional sales until about a year when my mom took me to one in South Minneapolis.  I don’t think these sales exist in other cities I’ve lived in – NYC or Paris.  I think because retail rent there is too high.  (Pop-up shops are a different phenomenon.)

Now occasional sales seem to be popping up everywhere in the Twin Cities.  Maybe elsewhere, too?   But what are they?  They’re called occasional sales because the shops are only open occasionally – usually just one weekend every month.  (Thus rent must be very low.)  Most shops are open from Thursday-Saturday from 10am-5 or 6pm.  Some open on Wed or are open on Sunday, too.  It’s totally at the discretion of the owner(s).

But the fabulous things about these sales, well, there are several of them, but one is that the prices are, in general, fantastic.  Why?  Because pretty much everything is used.  Occasional sales are very well-edited flea markets housed in a storefront or a house that has been converted into a storefront.  If you like brand-new, ultra-modern designs, these will not appeal to you at all.  Part of the fun is rummaging through old stuff to find “treasures”, usually for the home.  And if you have been reading my blog since I was living in Paris, you know I love rummaging!

Another interesting thing about occasional sales is that their retail structure lends themselves to a certain amount of drama.  Because everything is old/used/sometimes repurposed, most items are one-of-a-kind (or put it this way, one would be hard-pressed to find another item exactly like it without spending a lot of time looking).  And because there are many pieces of furniture, finding a similar piece on Ebay and paying to have it shipped becomes unappealing.  All of this means that people are lined up outside the doors of these sales before opening, hoping to be the first one to nab an amazing deal.

And on a personal note, as a lover of retail, I’m excited that this new (or newly popular) type of shop has proved so popular.

So without further ado, here’s a look at my adventures from last week’s shopping, including the purchases I made at the bottom.  (The photography is not always amazing – apologies for that!)

"Shabby Chic" vignette

I almost bought this fab rusty tray

almost bought this vintage tray, too. only $13! but do I really need yet another tray?!

I loved this adorable sage green dresser, but as I have only my office to furnish, I had to pass on it

Exquisite vintage (antique?) chair for $90. If I bought it, I'd probably recover it.

vintage buffet staged with dishes & books, oh my!

a bell jar filled with totally random stuff - that's great.

At $125, I'm still considering buying this vintage worktable. I'll have to see if it's still there next month...

vintage grates/vents would look gorgeous hung artistically on a wall

this thing was so funky and would be cute in my office. but at a whopping $38, I passed it up.

strange and random stuff in the backyard space.

a metal tower? a garden trellis? you decide.

And my take-aways (literally!):

I got this mink-covered ottoman (a repurposed coat) for $69! I'm going to put some nail head tacks into it to dress it up a bit. (Tarnished silver is my mom's.)

a hobnail moonstone bottle, probably from the 1940s. ($9)

vanity tray (below silver) $12. will be great for displaying jewelry.

more spools (I'm up to 5), $6 each.

Another beloved gold mirror. It has a small chip, which I'll paint. For $4, I had to have it.

funky, vintage irons (because I still don't have enough ; ) for $5 each. will be fantastic bookends.

a "hog brush" (?!), which now holds my bracelets. $4.50.

And my pièce de résistance:

a 5 foot+ tall weathered grey metal bird cage! it's a bad picture, but trust me, this thing is awesome! I bought it to put plants in to keep them safe from my (plant-eating) kitties. $145.

Hope you enjoyed this little tour through my occasional-saling weekend!

Happy Monday!!

À bientôt,

k.

Paris’ other flea: Porte de Vanves

Yes, i’m back online.  I finally got our pictures together from two weekends ago when my boyfriend and I went to Paris’ other famous flea market, Porte de Vanves.

It’s not as “professional” as the Saint-Ouen (Clignancourt) flea market – there are no permanent stalls, vendors set up their stalls each Sunday along two residential streets just at the edge of the 14th arrondissement.  Accordingly, Porte de Vanves is MUCH smaller, and the items for sale tend to be “smalls” – antique silverware, door knockers, paintings, etc. The prices are, perhaps accordingly, quite a bit better than Saint-Ouen.

We spent an hour or two wandering through the tables.  I came away with a few old, bronze curtain pulley ornaments and my boyfriend got (surprise!) yet another map of the US from the early 1800s.  But here’s some of the other neat stuff we saw:

a quintessential Parisian flea market stand

can you see the mini rocking horse? (i know, there's a lot of visual interference!) so cool!

an early 20th century stained-glass lantern

love vintage posters!

i'm sucker for well-displayed stemware

colorful plaques

a wonderful display of randoms like hotel keys

one of my beloved sun mirrors. how i long to own one!

and a lovely wooden box in the shape of a butterfly.

Hey kids, keep digging’!

À bientôt,

k.

SW road trip, first stop: Le Mans

With 3 weeks (3 WEEKS!!) left before we leave France, we decided to hit a part of a country we haven’t yet visited, the southwest.  On our drive down from Paris to Bordeaux, we decided to hit Le Mans:

this was our inspiration for our visit to Le Mans, the city's medieval cathedral

But us being us, we naturally couldn’t resist hitting the brocante (flea market) outside of the old city.  Although the better term for this would have been ‘mini rummage sale.’  We didn’t mind.

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a 'classic' toy car

it was that type of sale - tarps thrown on the ground, covered with people's 'treasures'

The bigger part of the market was taken up by food vendors (this France, after all!):

bread for sale, bien sûr

the famous galette des rois (king cake), found everywhere in France this time of year in celebration of Epiphany

no French market would be complete without flowers

After eating a crêpe, we headed up to the cathedral.  My favorite part was its most famous stained glass window:

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Then we headed to the Vieille Ville (Old City), which is, with the cathedral, currently a candidate to become a UNESCO World Heritage site:

just the picturesque scene you would expect. but it still never gets old!

oh, how I love turrets

half-timbered houses

Wood window frames! These wouldn't even be legal in the US...

not your average manhole cover

we ended our tour of the old town at the very-geometric garden outside the medieval wall

We’re still on the move…will update as we go!

À bientôt,

k.

pickin’ paris!

So we’re back at it – treasure hunting, picking – whatever you want to call it, my boyfriend and I are busy looking for unique finds here in France.  This weekend we went to a brocante in a nearby neighborhood, in Paris’ 15th arrondissement.

In terms of quality, this was one of the better ones we’ve seen in our two years of hitting these events.  No new, mass-produced Chinese junk, and a good variety of traditional French items, as well as some pieces from across Europe.

piles of champagne flutes

champagne glasses and tea cups. gorgeous display arrangement.

crates full of brass fixtures

a real book press!

look at the cat bell!

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my dream - a pair of these huge glass suns. but at 800 euros plus shipping, I just couldn't....

And here’s what we came away with (“picked”):

a 1970s Hermès belt - with the vintage logo "H", for my boyfriend's mom

and my EPIAG Czechoslovakian art deco-style tea set. it was love at first sight!

We’re headed to Bordeaux later this week, so we’ll see what we come up with!

Happy Sunday!

À demain,

k.

pickin’ Alsace

My boyfriend and I have fallen for American Pickers, the History Channel show about two guys from Iowa who travel the U.S. buying the best vintage/antiques/cool junk for their shops in Iowa and Nashville.

As we started watching our first episode, my boyfriend and I looked at each other and said “that’s us!!”  Although we call ourselves “treasure hunters” instead of “pickers”.  But we so fell in love with the show (and the “stars”, Mike and Frank!), that in one night we watched all of the current season’s episodes.

Just before Christmas, my boyfriend and I drove to the northeastern corner of France, to the regions of Alsace and Lorraine.  (As you know if you read my blog last week!)  We decided to take back roads instead of the autoroute.  In doing so, we found some cool scenes:

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the site of one antiquités shop in Alsace

Harry Korn! Anyone else watch Harry's Law?!?

the inn across the courtyard from Harry Korn's

the bar connected to the inn across the courtyard from Harry Korn's

the tiny church across the street from Harry Korn's

the small town in Alsace, home to Harry Korn Antiquités

a brocante (antique/vintage shop) we found along our wandering path

a quaint display outside of the brocante

more brocante treasures

one of my beloved steeples (to look at, not to buy!)

my single purchase (surprise), a gilded mirror

Ever mindful of our impending departure from Europe,  we didn’t “pick” too much on this trip, but I managed to add to my growing collection of antique and vintage northern European mirrors!

Happy Friday to all!

À bientôt,

k.