Plum Lucky Vintage is Getting Around!

So much new and exciting happening with Plum Lucky Vintage! Our season is in full swing in Chestertown, Maryland, with Sophisticated Vintage open every Friday and Saturday. The first weekend of the month we're open Friday until 8 as downtown Chestertown opens its doors for a lovely evening First Friday event.

Here's an idea of what we look like:

Head a little north and you'll find us as Yellow Garage Antiques in Mullica Hill, New Jersey. Our emphasis there is folk art and Americana - one of my true loves. Looks kind of like this:

 

You can also find us at Sugar Chest Antique Mall in Pompano Beach, Florida. I DID say we get around! Look for their grand reopening later this year. We're pleased to be growing with them! In Florida we like to display our more decorative side, with a touch of modern - here's an idea:

And you can always find us online at Etsy, shop Plum Lucky Vintage - we've got a little bit of everything - from angels

to eggheads!

We'll be on the road a lot in the next month or so - look for great finds in ALL our locations!

Ciao! - marilyn

A Year to Look Back On

Here we are, having just passed the one year anniversary of opening our Etsy shop - Plum Lucky Vintage - and now we're right around the corner from our one year anniversary opening Sophisticated Vintage in Chestertown, Maryland! What a great year it's been! Being back in a retail brick-and-mortar business has been terrifying and thrilling all at once - an amazing, dizzying amount of work that we've loved every minute of - and a chance to refine our offerings and focus on what we really love. How fortunate we are that our customers happen to love the same things!

And we have covered a lot of ground hunting down our treasures - from the massive fields of the Brimfield Antiques Markets (above) to the blue skies and sunshine of the Lincoln Road Antiques Market in Miami's famous South Beach district - from folk art to modern - and did we mention a little bit of Paris thrown in?

We're looking forward to year of more Brimfield, more South Beach, more Paris - more of everything!! - and reuniting with our friends from the Yellow Garage at the June Festival of Antiques in Mullica Hill, New Jersey. Looking forward to seeing you - in the shop, on the road, and online!

The View from Here

When I last checked in I had just opened my Etsy shop - Plum Lucky Vintage. And I'm happy to report - steep learning curve and all - that it's been just great! Plum Lucky Vintage now has customers in California, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, Maine and Illinois! It's been great making connections with other vintage lovers and sellers, and Etsy is also a great place to do business as well. I've found people selling display items, tags, custom creations - one stop shopping indeed!

And it's gotten easier as I've gone along to get the hang of photography and listing, so I'm steadily listing away as I find new great stuff. Visit the Shop Our Collection page to see what's currently posted on Etsy - here's a sample from the collection of Italian vintage items:

Looking forward to seeing you around Etsy - and at Sophisticated Vintage where the window continues to delight Chestertown shoppers!

Old Dog, New Tricks

Not that I saying I'm old or anything, but this week I've been tackling the intricacies of setting up my Etsy shop, and it's been a humdinger! (See, who says "humdinger" anymore?) Between pixels and shipping, it's a whole new world! How much easier it is to sit down with a pen and a tag, write the story and have you stroll in to find it and love it! But that's ok, I'm getting there, and it's going to be so much fun to be able to connect with you all the time, virtually.

Bear with me - I'll get there. This is what it's going to look like - and photos of individual items are posted on the Shop Our Collection page!

A Whirlwind of Events and Great Finds!

I can hardly believe the date of my last post - November 12??? Time has flown, as it tends to do this time of year. For me it's not holiday festivities that keep me hopping - it's the Chestertown Thanksgiving Antiques Show - which was superb, may I say! - and scrambling to hit the last of the outdoor markets before Winter sets in.

Part of the rush has been working with girlfriends Brooke, Ellen and Trams getting out group studio (and soon-to-be virtual shop) Sophisticated Vintage set up in downtown Chestertown. Check us out at http://www.sophisticatedvintage.com/! We've already sold out one window (wait - did I say I've been BUSY??).

Today I had some time to just putter in the studio - a little glue, a little touch up paint, a little hammering - and a whole lotta satisfied "aaaahhhh"s. It's overwhelmingly satisfying to give the loving attention to a piece that will bring it back to a splendid life. Here's a look at some recent finds:



A fabulous reproduction oversize clock - just the look for the contemporary home!

Button tufting and nailhead trim are two of my favorite features. With some new cushions, these chairs will be a super addition in any home. Wonderful details like carved decorations and corner metallic accents. Wow!

I'm not playing favorites, but this photo doesn't do anywhere near justice to how terrific this trunk is. I can't wait to get to work on it - it's a real showstopper!

This weekend it's off to connect with a few prized sources who tell me they've scored some great pieces for me (and ultimately, for you). Music to my ears!!

Countdown to Thanksgiving - the Antiques Show, that is!

Yesterday's bluster has turned to sunny, blue skies and sit-in-the-sun temperatures, as Autumn continues to make her way to the Eastern Shore. The farmer's market boasted its Fall harvest - dark, leafy greens, broccoli and brussel sprouts, turnips and carrots - and a few apples still to be had.

And while many were ordering their Thanksgiving turkeys and table decor with their minds on a feast, others of us are counting down to the 48th Annual Chestertown Antiques Show and Sale presented by the Kent Association of Riding Therapy, Friday, November 25 through Sunday, November 27.

This year it's one great big adventure as we move to the Washington College Fitness Center, increase our exhibitors to 44 in number (a full third larger!), dress it up with Sandy Hudson's phenomenal holiday greenery and decor, add a Friday night cocktail reception - what a show it's going to be!

So what can you expect to find? How about this??

Pretty fabulous, right? Hope to see you there!

 

And, almost forgot - I added some photos to our Collection page to give you an idea of what you can find at Plum Lucky Vintage in any of our locations!

The Next Step in the Journey

When people ask me how long I've been a collector I sometimes I tell them "Since the womb". I'm joking, of course, but not by much. Collecting is in my blood. I learned it alongside my grandfather, who taught me to appreciate the beauty of a seashell, a piece of driftwood, a pebble - and the sheer joy and richness they could bring to your life. Some of my most prized possessions are stones collected from a stream, a charm fallen from a bracelet - little things that evoke a memory held dear.

That's the foundation I've brought to curating my vintage collection, hand chosen in my travels, or at a favorite market or auction, or a place I've stumbled upon that's yielded surprise and delight. I think of myself as the vehicle for getting a wonderful discovery to a place where it will be cherished as much as I have done while in my possession.

I'm looking forward to sharing them with you in my upcoming posts. And if you can't wait til then, you can find me at Firehouse Antiques in Galena and Foxwell's Antiques in Easton, on Maryland's beautiful Eastern Shore.