I Blame It On Mom

Sometime in the 1960's, Mom came home with a pile of wood that she had purchased at Halsey's Junk Shop for a few dollars. She said it was a chair. Dad was less than thrilled. Mom was certain that she could put it back together. She did. And that's when the seeds of my love for old things were planted.

Mom started frequenting rummage sales, finding more old things and fixing them up. She loved the humble, honest old survivors, not uppity pedigreed "fine antiques".

A few years later, I was working as a car hop at the A&W and saving my tip money for special things. My first purchase was a pitcher; the glass had turned purple. Next came a small caned sewing rocker and after that, a drop-front desk.

Fast forward to the early 1980's. I was a young Mom with two small children living 2000 miles from my family. There was an ad in the paper for an estate sale at an old attorney's office. Off I went. "Don't spend more than $20", my husband cautioned. I spent exactly $20 and came out with a mirror and an oak bench, (which is still one of my favorite possessions.) While loading them up, I found a $10 parking ticket on my car. Oops!

There was no turning back after that. Eventually I began to find things that I could sell, to pay for the things I wanted for myself. The only thing that brings more joy than finding great things, is helping them find their way "home" to just the right collector.

Mom is now 84 years old, living in her own home and still enjoying the hundreds of special things she found over the years. Proclaiming that she "doesn't need anything else", she still loves to go look and see what may turn up at a shop or a sale. And so, I blame my love of unpretentious, charming old things on her. And I thank her for a hobby that turned into a business that brings great joy every day!

Here's Mom this summer, skipping with her great-granddaughter.

How did you get started? We'd love to hear what inspired you to begin collecting or selling antiques & collectibles.