Liberty Antiques Festival, Spring 2013

Last weekend was the best time to be had in any cow pasture in the state.  I’m talking about the semi-annual Liberty Flea Market, or properly put, the Liberty Antiques Festival.  Hands down, it is the very best antiques and vintage show in my area, and so I’m happy to get up way before daylight for the drive.

In the past few years I’ve noticed that most flea markets and antique malls have gotten smaller.  In fact, my report last fall on Liberty indicted a smaller show with fewer buyers.  Not so this spring.  It was the most robust show I’ve ever attended there (and I’ve been going since 2005), with more dealers and definitely more buyers.   But best of all, the quality of items was up, but prices seemed to be stable.

I learned a long time ago that good markets are worth attending even if I don’t find anything to buy.  Fortunately, I did make some very nice purchases, but even more valuable is the experience of seeing things that are new to me.  The education at places like this can be priceless.

So here’s what I saw and learned on this trip.  I’ll show purchases later.

This is a very poor photo of a lovely booth.  The seller had some pretty 1920s and Edwardian dresses.

I admired this little collection of miniature hand cranked sewing machines.

I spotted this page from a 1959 McCall’s pattern catalog while looking through a stack of paper.  What caught my attention was how this was a design of a dress that was worn in Tall Story, starring Jane Fonda and Tony Perkins.  The movie was pretty much a flop, but there must have been enough buzz about it for McCall’s to do this tie-in.  What really irritates me about how McCall’s handled this sort of thing is how the fact that is is the same dress Fonda wore in the movie is not indicated in any way on the pattern envelope.  I know that people shopping for patterns in 1959 would have known, because the pattern would have been picked out from the catalog, but today the connection is lost.  They did this with other movie tie-ins, including four designs Givenchy did for Audrey Hepburn in How to Steal a Million in 1966.

I did not buy these fabric samples because they were a bit pricy.  I sort of regret it though, as they are such great examples of vintage North Carolina produced textiles.   The Glenco Mill is long closed, and the former company store is now a museum.

Such a great graphic for an odd product!

I thought this paper dress showing the hanging and folding feature of this suitcase was just charming!

The tag said this little loom was a salesman sample.  It certainly was complicated and detailed if that were the case.

There were a lot of Enid Collins bags, but this hot air balloon was the best.

With all the talk about Diana Vreeland recently, I was interested to see this poster for Dance, one of the last exhibitions she organized for the Costume Institute at the Met, in 1986.

Sylvia gives weight loss advice to the 1935 woman.

I loved this great little travel case for the Skipper doll.

This great advertising poster for work shoes features the cleanest farmer ever.

I wanted this really, really badly.

How about a pair of blow-up boot supports?

And finally, this has to be the most creative hat rack ever.

 

 

 

Season Opener

Last week was what I consider to be the opening event of flea market season – the Charlotte Metrolina Flea.  That’s my name for the event.  The official name – The International Collectibles and Antiques Show – sort of makes it seem a bit grander than it really is.  Not that there are not lots of collectibles, and even antiques, but this is truly a mix of the highbrow and the lowbrow.

My favorite thing this time around was not even for sale.  It was the clever reuse of a vintage travel trailer as a portable store.  It’s called The Go Girl Shoppe, and it was just the cutest thing there.

I was a day later than I like to go due to rain on Friday, and when that happens I tend to obsess over what the people who were willing to wear rubber boots and carry umbrellas found and bought while I was home warm and dry.  And invariably some sadistic dealer has to tell about all the fabric he sold for $1 a piece the day before.

It was a good day to find vintage patterns.  It almost made me wish I was  still selling them.  I said, almost…

This 1940s stunner was found in a stack of 1960s patterns.

I was almost hypnotised by this paint-by-number Pinkie.  I realized that it was the lack of pupils in her eyes that drew me in.

This is Scarf Mountain.  I didn’t look through them all, as I encountered this vendor back in November and I didn’t have the energy to plow through the pile.  Maybe I should have, because this is where I found a lovely 1960s Liberty of London scarf last fall.

Lots of great petticoats in this booth.

This fabric was part of a major ad campaign by Springs Mills starting in 1947.  The sexually suggestive nature of the ads made them controversial.  Today we’d be more shocked by the sexism and racism implicit in the the ads than the images themselves.  It’s an interesting bit of textile history that today is more relevant as social history.

The company actually had Cole of California make the fabric up into various items of clothing.  Scroll down to see the ad where this fabric is shown.

And, just for fun, here’s one last look at the Go Girl Shoppe.

Pickens Flea Market and Shopping in the SC Upstate

Has there ever been a place or a store nearby that you just kept meaning to visit, but then things always happened or you kept forgetting or whatever?  That’s the way I was for years with the Pickens, South Carolina, Flea Market.   First of all, the thing is held on Wednesday, and second of all it is a bit off the beaten path.  But last week the stars finally aligned and I was off to check out Pickens.

I guess the most important thing to realize about Pickens is that it is a true flea market.  The booths of antiques and old stuff are far out-numbered by booths of new merchandise, fresh produce and this-’n-that.  But this is the type of place where the potential of scoring big is present if one is patient and very lucky. The second most important thing to know is that this place opens early – 4 am – and by 11 am dealers are starting to leave.  I didn’t get there until 9, and that made me very late.

Even though it was a chilly late winter day, the place was quite busy, but I can guess that when the weather improves that there will be even more activity.  As it was, It took me two hours to make my way through it all.  I’ll probably go back before the summer and hot South Carolina temperatures hit.  I can imagine that place is pretty miserable at 90*.

My only purchases were a Lilly Pulitzer dress for my great-niece and a shirt I’ll share later on.  All I’ll say is that it involves the Beatles and embroidery.

I probably would have bought this great old sticker if the dealer had been within sight.  Why have a booth if you are going to wander off instead of tending to your business?

That is pretty much it from the flea market.  I took the long way home, wandering through some of the small towns of the region, hitting an antique mall or two.  The one above is in Easley (where the famous Swirl wrap dress was manufactured).  This is the old Mountain View Hotel, and is worth visiting just to see the structure.  Built in 1872,  the rooms now house the different booths of merchandise.  Note the omnipresent 1980s second marriage dress hanging on the wall.

Here’s one of the guestrooms.  Note the fireplace.

Further on up the road in Walhalla is another mall I’ve visited in the past.  The last time I was there they had an entire room of old clothes to dig through.  It was, unfortunately, no more, but I love an enticing rack of clothes, as you just never know what will be stuck in there.  There was some teenager’s 1966 wardrobe of skirts that you can see there in the middle of the rack.

And then there was this pretty silk 1920s frock.

I probably should have bought this because my mother-in-law had the Monday of this set.

And sometimes I do wonder where my head is.  I passed on this album which held a bunch of 45′s (that’s those little records with the big hole for you young ones).  The writing on the front disturbed me, as did the presence of the 45′s (just a lot more things I did not need…), but now I have non-buyer’s remorse.

click to enlarge

Charlotte Metrolina Flea Market, Fall 2012

The official name for this show is the International Collectibles & Antiques Show, but a flea market by any other name is still a flea market.  Not that there are not nice antiques here – there are – but it’s the fleas that interest me the most.

This show has been shrinking since I  first visited it in 2003, brought on partly by the original management leaving for another venue and the vendors being divided between two shows.  And of course the recession did not help either.  Still, it is a very fun day, and nowhere nearly as exhausting as it used to be.  And I’d rather have 100 sellers with interesting stuff than 200 that are hit and miss any day.

So, what was interesting, but did not end up in my shopping bags?

If these Vera towels had even remotely gone with the decor in my house, I’d have grabbed them.  There were several bath towels, hand towels and wash cloths but I’m not going to tell you how much he was asking because I don’t want you all to be laughing at me behind my back…

So many nice handbags here.  I’ve got to say that displays like this just confuse me.  If there are just so many things to try and focus on, I have a hard time thinking of what I need, want, or even like.

There’s no denying this is one peachy bathing suit, but the condition was just too rough.

I’m not even going to try to understand the thinking behind this “project.”

So many possibilities, so many near misses.  But seriously, is there anything more exciting than a rack like this one that had oodles of  vintage clothing, just waiting for you to paw through?

This seller had some really fantastic vintage travel posters.  The lack of wall space keeps me from being more than just a window shopper.

I loved these sporty Edwardian gals.

I’ve never paid any attention to hat blocks until a friend sent me to a blog of a collector.  They really are fascinating.

These old labels were on the inside of a nondescript metal footlocker.  It pays to always look inside.

Liberty, Part 2

This was one of those trips where if I were still selling vintage clothing and patterns, I’d have filled the car.  When you buy only for yourself you tend to be a lot more cautious, especially when you already have so much in the vintage line.  Still, I bought some very nice things, but no actual clothing.

I keep reading accounts of places like Brimfield, and I get really jealous.  I do hope to be able to start fitting in more trips north, and I especially want to go to the Sturbridge vintage show.  But  on the other hand, because I collect North Carolina textile and travel ephemera, I’m always pretty much assured of finding some of these things in a North Carolina show.

I found the 1934 and 1935 issues of the Spinning Wheel, an annual publication of the NC Cotton Industry.  I also found a 1938 publication of the National Association of Hosiery Manufacturers.  These may seem like dry reading, but they are fascinating to someone who is always wanting to know more about this industry.

The fabric on the left is a 1930s rayon, and the floral is a 20s or early 30s chiffon.  They seller had two big bins of this stuff and I sure was tempted.

This is a 1939 sporting goods and clothing catalog from Von Lengerke & Antoine, Chicago’s answer to Abercrombie & Fitch.  I’ll be showing the contents a bit later.

October 1942 Harper’s Bazaar.  What more is there to say?

Seven copies of Fashionable Dress.

Aren’t these something?  I’m always on the lookout for great old sunglasses.

So, how did I do?

 

Liberty Antiques Festival, Fall 2012

Friday I got up early and hit the road for Liberty, NC so I could spend the day in a cow pasture.  Actually, the cows were gone, having been replaced by old stuff of all kinds. I’ve written about this show in the past, as it is one of my favorites.  It’s held twice a year, and is some of the best fun to be had.

They advertise NO CRAFTS OR REPRODUCTIONS, JUST TRUCKLOADS of Antiques and Collectibles.  Actually, that is not quite true, as some booths are nothing but reproductions, and there are some crafts scattered in, but still, it is the closest thing to a true market of just old stuff to be found in my area.

This time the weather was good – dry and not too terribly hot.  I did think that the crowd was down a little from the spring show, and there were several empty dealer spaces – something I’d never seen before.  It is possible they were coming only for Saturday.

So, what did I see that I liked, but did not buy?  The top photo shows a super 1920s printed muslin pillow that was to be embroidered.  I’m thinking I messed up by not buying it.The seller who has this booth always has some lovely vintage clothing and “girl stuff.”  It’s one of my favorites.

These handbags are from the booth of another regular seller at this market.  Isn’t that plaid one nice?  I’m a sucker for a nice structured box bag.

I loved this picnic set which had enameled tin plates and cups.  I’m not sure the flatware is original to the set, but I’m not an expert on these.  One day I’ll find one that is perfect and it will be mine.

So, which came first – the fabric or the trim?

I always love seeing Detmer Woolens cases, because I have one from 1922.  I couldn’t believe how drab this one from 1930 is compared to mine which was only 8 years older.

This store display from Bata has to be the world’s largest tennis shoe.

It’s a good thing I do not collect little girls’ clothing because I’d have gone home penniless but with a trunk full of 1930s dresses.  The seller got these at an estate sale at the home of a Coca Cola executive.  It must have been the entire wardrobe of a little girl when she was about seven or eight years old.  They were all from the mid 30s, and most were nautical in style.  No feedsack dresses for this little princess!

This is the label from the dress on the right.  Jack Tar Togs was a famous maker of middy blouses.

I was happy to see this because I actually own this same blanket.  I’d always suspected it was made by Beacon, but there was no label.  This one did not have a label either, only this paper tag.

I’m seeing so much of this type of stuff.  I don’t know how you feel, but crafts made from old stuff still makes it crafts.  I really wish antique markets and malls would not allow this type of thing to be sold if they advertise “No crafts.”

Nice shot of the hot glue strings.

Tomorrow I’ll show off my purchases.

Hillsville, VA Flea, Labor Day Weekend, 2012

Last weekend I went to the big Hillsville, Virginia flea market, and I hope you enjoy this review because it will be my last one of this particular market.  It is just too big, too crowded, too hot and too filled with junk.  I could deal with the first three problems, but the last one is just a deal killer.

I actually had made this same vow to never return last year, and then I started thinking about some of the wonderful things I’ve gotten there in the past, and so I weakened.  And what is so frustrating about the entire thing is that all they would have to do is section the place off with an area just for antiques and vintage, an area for crafts, an area for guns (this actually started as a gun show) and so on.  But wandering through the entire space with only about one third of it being of interest is too exhausting.

Not that I didn’t spot some lovely things.  I certainly did:

From one of the prettiest embroidered wool quilts I’ve ever seen.  And the icing on the cake:

Signed and dated.

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If I had a cabin or a lake house, I’d have pounced on this charming painting.  It’s in need of a cleaning, but in person it was really sweet.

My number one hint for places like this is “Don’t be afraid to dig.”  These boxes looked like curtains and calendar towels from the 1980s, but scattered thoughout the boxes were some nice vintage frocks.

In case you are going on a trip and need a lot of pencils.

This is a bad photo of a very nice advertising piece.  It’s for Phillip Morris cigarettes.  It was really super, with a price to match.  And what does one do with something this massive?

And speaking of Phillip Morris, here’s a poster from a few decades later.

This one is here just because I thought it was cute.

But how weird are these!

And I’ll end with a buyer beware.  If you have ever been tempted to buy a concert poster that might be authentic, just be aware that these are being printed by the thousands.  This guy had dozens of each design, and he must have been doing a great business with the other dealers because they were everywhere.