Tag Archives: antiques

Antiques on Second, Napa, California

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What to do in Napa, CA? Okay, so if wine tasting and visiting wineries isn’t your thing, head to downtown Napa where amongst other things you will find Antiques on Second. This is such a fun place to hunt and shop and you will no doubt be surprised by the shop setup and the many goodies inside. Antiques on Second is a multi-dealer Antique shop and although has under 50 booths it has a great selection of vintage clothing, vintage accessories, lots of vintage linens, Asian items, jewelry, furniture, figurines, collectibles, salt and pepper shakers, paintings, garden related items and so much more! We spent over an hour in this shop and the staff was really friendly and knowledgeable, the shop is clean and really well setup, booths are merchandised really nicely too. I chatted with one of the staff and Antiques on Second and this shop is the last remaining Antiques shop in downtown Napa.  So, for those of you that love California wine country especially the Napa Valley….. you can certainly enjoy the large selection of antiques and collectibles downtown Napa has by visiting Antiques on Second. Prices are very fair too!! We sure had a lot of fun.


Antiques on Second
1370 Second St
Napa, CA 94559
Phone (707) 252-6353

Visit Crazy4Me at
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Crazy4Me Etsy
Crazy4Me Ruby Lane

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Texas Treasure at Benbrook Antique Mall

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This past weekend we were on our way to the city of Granbury the town where our beautiful Bichon Frise puppy dog is from to visit all the antique malls we have been hearing about. Granbury is about an hour or so drive and about half way there all of a sudden on the right I spot Benbrook Antique Mall and I had my husband make a sharp right into the parking lot. I had heard about Benbrook Antique Mall and it was on my list of “must visit” Antique Malls and today was the day. The mall looked HUGE from the parking lot and pretty full with all the cars parked out front and it was a Sunday afternoon. (Granbury will have to wait till next time).

Walking inside, the place really was huge….. I would easily compare it to the Montgomery Street Antique Mall in Fort Worth. There were indeed lots of shoppers and that is always something I like to see because when you go inside a new place and its empty you pretty much form an opinion right away after walking up and down a couple isles and the opinion is not too good. Benbrook Antique Mall was really well lit so you could see what merchandise were in booths and behind glass. Booths for the most part were very inviting and setup with a “decorator’s flair”.

 

Benbrook Antique Mall has a nice mix of antiques and collectibles and there is some furniture though not much, which for me is fine as I am mostly looking for collectibles and lots of malls lately in my area I gripe about that they are turning into furniture shops as that is pretty much what you find.

There is even a sweet looking tearoom called “Gena’s De Vine Tearoom” and it looked really darling but was closed. Also, there was a small spot with chairs and a TV so husband’s can sit while their wives shop!! I have not seen a “Men’s” lounge before in other antique malls.

We had a blast at Benbrook Antique Mall and I most certainly rank this place on my top ten list of Antique Malls in the Dallas/Fort Worth area!  Huge place, well lit, helpful and friendly staff, very reasonable prices and a large selection of glass, antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing, vintage linens, furniture, jewelry, Hummel Figurines, primitives, shabby chic items, romantic cottage, clocks, coins, radios, Kitchen collectibles, Kitschy Collectibles, pottery sports and western memorabilia and more!! If you are in North Texas you must make time to visit Benbrook Antique Mall.

BENBROOK ANTIQUE MALL
9250 BENBROOK BLVD.
(HWY 377)
BENBROOK, TEXAS 76126
817-249-0844

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Is it Collectible, Vintage or an Antique?

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Collectibles tend to be items that are highly sought and are valuable because they also tend to be rare or there are limited quantities of them on the market. Not all collectibles however have to be “old” or made many years ago to be “collectible” take for example the Webkinz plush toys that were very recently introduced and they are extremely collectible (the Webkinz Cheeky Dog is on eBay for nearly $1,000) as are the Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters that were a top 2009 Christmas toy (the rare ones are still selling on eBay for over $300!) and then you have vintage collectibles like the Holt Howard Pixies and Pixieware from the 1950s to Lefton’s Toodles and the Lefton Bluebirds that were made 50-60 years ago and are commanding prices of $100 upwards of thousands of dollars for the very rare items.


Antiques are items deemed by the government, sometime in and around the early 1930s, having an age of at least 100 years. So, if your collectible is 100 years old or older it is actually an Antique. Remember though that it technically must be 100 years old or older to be classified as an Antique…..I see a lot of items on the market described as antique when actually it is not antique but “vintage” and something needs to be at least 20 years old or older to be properly classified as Vintage.




Another collectible arena is items that were Made in Occupied Japan or Made in Japan. Items stamped or marked “Made in Japan” were typically made prior to the First World War and after the Second World War as Japan was much like China and Taiwan are today; countries where items can be cheaply manufactured and mass produced. The term “Made in Occupied Japan” refers to the period in history right after the Second World War when the United States, Australia, British India, United Kingdom and New Zealand were involved in re-building Japan and were a main presence. In 1951 a peace treaty was signed that was enforced in the spring of 1952 when Japan became an independent state again. Items produced in Japan during this short time frame are stamped/marked “Made In Occupied Japan” and considered more desirable and valuable by many collectors.





I hope this information is helpful and I wish you all much fun in your treasure hunting, junking, flea marketing, antiquing, and thrifting!!



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Weekend Antique, Collectibles & Auctions Around the Country

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Summer has REALLY arrived here where we live in Texas and we are in the tripple digits! I am totally up for some good antiquing and treasure hunting and if you are ready for a weekend of antiques, collectibles, and flea markets then you may want to check out one of these events that are happening in California, Michigan, Texas, and in your neck-of-the-woods. Find more shows, auctions, and flea markets here.


Mining Antique Collector’s Swap Meet & Auction
Nevada City, CA
6/12/2010 9am-4:30pm
Dennis Kurlander


Foothill Farmers’ Market
Auburn, CA
6/12/2010 8am – Noon
Foothill Farmers Market


Antique Country & Folk Art Show
Los Altos, CA
6/12/2010 Sat 6pm-9pm, Sun 10am-4pm

Rose Bowl Flea Market
Pasadena, CA
6/13/2010 9am-3pm


Downtown Santa Cruz Antique Street Faire
Santa Cruz,  CA
6/13/2010 9am-4pm
Santa Cruz Downtown Show


Antiques & Estates Auction
Beverly Hills, CA
6/13/2010
IM Chait Gallery/Auctioneers


Spring Antique Show
Holly, MI
6/12/2010 10am-5pm
Battle Alley Arcade Antiques Mall

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Treasure Hunting Surprises at Grapevine Antique Mall

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Grapevine, Texas has many “old main street” type shops. My husband and I were out running errands and passed a strip mall when we happened to notice a sign out of the corner of our eyes that said “Antiques and Collectibles” so we drove in, parked and I got super excited! We were going treasure hunting and this was not even planned!!

Grapevine Antique Mall is a big place with over 20,00 square feet and two stories and over 120 dealers. The place has a delightful staff, shopping carts readily available, coffee & tea, cookies and soda pops ready for customers and a darling little coffee shop. The place is bright, clean and gives off some “good vibes” for rummaging and treasure hunting!

Lots of variety of items from Antiques, Collectibles, Fiesta, Glass, Guitars, Paintings, Furniture and more! We had some real fun here and found some neat nautical themed vintage salt and pepper shakers along with some vintage souvenir plates.  Grapevine Antique Mall has something for everyone and you will enjoy your treasure hunting here for sure.

Grapevine Antique Mall

1641 West Northwest Highway

Grapevine, TX 76051

(817) 329-2124

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Antiquing in Aurora Oregon

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We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We were fortunate to be able to visit family and friends in Portland, Oregon. The weather was actually really great, not too many rainy days and we even got some snow! My fabulous husband took us out for a Saturday drive to the cutest little town of Aurora, Oregon. It was a gorgeous sunny day and just perfect for a drive. Aurora has a really quaint area with all kinds of turn-of-the-century homes that have been convereted into antique shops and coffee shops. We had a blast visiting house, after house or I should say – shop after shop and my husband was such a terrific sport to join in and he also spotted some super items that we brought back home with us (I will post these soon as I know they are going do great in our eBay and Etsy stores). We found a cool set of vintage 1950’s bowling Nuns; these sets were made by Napcoware and Lefton back in the 50s and they still evoke smiles and fun today!!

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