"Recycling America's Past, One Treasure at a Time"

New Client

2010-03-31T05:57:00.000-07:00

We are working on a new estate, mostly smalls. Lots and lots and lots of smalls. It will be an online only Proxibid auction. It will have to be broken into 3 or 4 auctions as there are that many smalls. She (being an 85-year old widow) showed me the most amazing crazy quilt she made years ago. It is all silk and the stitching is perfect. As in pure perfection. Not a loose stitch. And such artistic feather stitching with some modifications to spice it up a little. Unfortunately, the quilt will never be for sale as it will become a family heirloom. I sure hope the younger generations will appreciate it. Anyhow, here's a few pics...

Catawba Indian Artifact

2010-03-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

This face pipe was in the basement of a client whose estate we are helping to liquidate and/or downsize. Lots of neat other items, but this one caught my attention. I knew just enough about Catawba pottery to know that's what it was. I've yet to find any comparibles to determine its value. The other two pieces are my own, which are fairly common.

Valentine's Day and Occupied Japan

2010-02-15T07:40:00.000-08:00

It was a busy day in the kitchen this weekend, baking 2 cakes and a batch of cinnamon biscuits, all requests for Valentine's Day treats. And we got an unusual snowfall here on the island. But, back to business today. Peter says the new website/shopping cart is ready to start adding product. So, that will keep us busy for awhile. One of my favorite groups is Occupied Japan...problem is, I keep a lot of it for my collection. But sharing is still the most fun of all.

Super Bowl and Underwear

2010-02-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

Why were there so many guys in underwear in the Super Bowl commercials? I counted 5 separate commercials of guys being portrayed as unshaven dunderheads in their underwear. Were the commercials written by women? LOL. Anyway, my team won. And I played with photoshop again. Fun. On another note, check out these adorable Black Americana salt and pepper kids. They are sitting cozy in their yellow weaved basket adorned with a cute red bow.

2010-02-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday. Yippee. No time for much today. I have to get my Sunday morning biscuits made, clean the kitchen, mop the floor and then start the chili. We picked the beer up yesterday, and the avocados for guacamole (is that spelled correctly?). But there is always time to sit and post a pic here. We've been playing with Photo Shop, but you can still see some shadows on our Chalkware Balloon People. I love the colors, and their faces. Whoever created these, they captured expressions certainly worthy of preserving. She has a wreath of roses in her hair, which matches the roses in her basket. Notice his "hobo" bag. Their neck scarves match; blue polkadots. These are for sale at $32 each, or $60 for the pair.

Cold wet outdoors, warm fire indoors...

2010-02-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

It's bah humbug weather. It is all cold rain here to Harkers Island and all snow to the north. Good excuse to stay on the couch all day and browse through photos. Rain and snow is always a good excuse to lay low. Even the cats are lazy today...wait, they are lazy everyday, rain or shine.

Linens and Baby Clothing

2010-02-05T16:03:00.001-08:00

It takes a lot of time to get old linens, clothes and quilts ready to market. I have had 3 baskets of them sitting in the laundry room, forever! And getting them photographed can be even more challenging. Have you ever taken a picture of a tablecloth large enough for a banquet table? Seriously, I have some wonderful items to put on the website, errrrr, as soon as Peter is done with the shopping cart...have been waiting for 3 years now. LOL. Here is my favorite table scarf, or whatever you want it to be. It's so "east Carolina".

Loving the Antique and Collectibles Business

2009-01-16T07:48:00.000-08:00

Learning this business has been a history lesson since day 1. And it has been a lot more fun than sitting in class. We have been fortunate enough to have found our enthusiam for auctioning in Western North Carolina, just 4 short years ago. There was always a great auction within a 100 mile radius. Now we are on the coast, and it has been another story altogether. For instance, this weekend, there are 139 auctions within a 150 mile radius of our old Zip Code 28040. But here, on the coast, there are 29 auctions within a 150-mile radius of our new Zip Code. (But who's counting). And it's yet another thing to find a good one in those 29. And if there is a good one, all the dealers are there, friends bidding against friends. Yet, it seems to be a good time for all. Everyone still walks away with at least one good find. And isn't that what it is all about...the thrill of the find!

Okay, so what is "recycling the past" about?

2009-01-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

It's about buying and reselling quality goods from America's past. Or, in easier terms, it's called an antique business. That's what we do. We buy and sell antiques and collectibles.

On a whim, we attended a live auction in a live gallery. In short order, it became an addiction, and as many others before us, we had to start a business to get rid of what we had accumulated in a short amount of time.

Over these past few years, I have run into many people who tell me the stories of how their relatives threw "old stuff" in the trash just because they didn't want to bother with it anymore. It made me cringe everytime I heard another story...filling up our landfills with items I'd be happy to pay good money for! Why trash the past?

If you want quality goods, you don't have to look far...things were made well just a few short years ago, and made in the USA. Visit an antique store to start decorating your home or apartment. Instead of putting all new cabinets in your kitchen, add a Hoosier cabinet. Or you may get lucky and find something great in a thrift store or at a yard sale.

We love this job, but it also has occured to us that it's an important one for our future. I have been recycling cans and newspapers and bottles and cardboard for years because it seemed a small contribution that took little effort but would make a difference. What we are doing now is another aspect of recycling, and it has never been more fun.

2009-01-02T19:39:00.000-08:00