Shopping with the Vintage Traveler

This fall I was finally able to attend my beloved Liberty Antiques Festival. It felt so normal being out in the field with other collectors enjoying seeing so much great old stuff. I stood by this tray of compacts, but eventually talked myself out of buying another Scottie.

I love old buttons, especially when they are still on the original card. The rule is to always look through a basket of sewing stuff. You never know what is lurking behind the rickrack and seam tape.

I’ll admit that I almost bought this Victorian Christmas picture, The dog was cute and the price was right. But I already have plenty of Christmas stuff.

I liked the cute graphics, but I have a similar pair of skates, so I left them as well.

I have already shown this dress, so you may remember that I did end up buying it. At first I thought I’d be happy leaving it and its issues for some other lover of old clothes, but the dealer saw my interest and made me an offer I could not refuse.

This is a rubber floormat, and it is not terribly old, but only the price kept me from buying it.

I wanted this, but the condition was poor, with ink scribbles and cracking vinyl. Still, I did love that Snoopy.

I hope some real football fan bought this fabulous poster.

I’d never before seen this Enid Collins design. There must have been 1000s of different designs.

If anyone can tell me what this is, I’d be most appreciative.

I loved these bowling shoes, but couldn’t justify their purchase.

I love old sewing stands. This one was a real temptation, but where would I put it?

And finally, for the biker who has everything.

Here’s to more shopping in 2022!

Shopping with the Vintage Traveler, Summer 2021

Over the past few months I’ve spent much more time finding homes for vintage treasures than I have in looking for new ones. Still, I have been able to carve out some time for vintage shopping.

The sign above would have been great for my collection except that it is a reproduction. Still, it was a great example of how the promise of leisure was a big selling point in 1911.

One of the theories of how “flappers” were named comes from the huge floppy hairbows they wore as girls. Here we see a future flapper and that giant bow.

I’m not a “cat person” but this was such a great buy for some feline fan.

Remember Remco? That toy company made lots of novel products, many from molded plastic like this “spinning wheel”.

I don’t know if you can make sense of my photo, but the wheel was actually a giant knitted cord maker. It’s a gadget we used to make with an old wooden spool and a few nails. No wonder this one was like new. There was so little that could actually be made with it.

I loved this hair dryer case.

For once the WAC is out front instead of in the flyer’s shadow.

Simply put, this is one of the nicest thread spool cases I’ve ever seen.

This is a cold weather mask, probably for a pilot. The store was closed, so this was window shopping at its worst. I suspect this was a military piece.

Cypress Gardens was an attraction in Florida that showcased skilled water skiers.

Someone bought one of these toy sewing machines for me when I was about ten. It only made a chain stitch, and I hated it.

Oh, my, but these Dior counter displays were peachy.

The dealer’s tag declared this was a 1970s Betsey Johnson dress, but I had my doubts. There was no label, and it sure looks 1990s.

In one antique mall, Liza and I found three antique parasols. All were pretty, but unfortunately, they were also shredding.

So, how was your summer?

Shopping with the Vintage Traveler, Spring 2021

I’ve been spending my stimulus money in local antique establishments. At this point in my life I don’t buy everything that I see that I love. I buy old stuff with a particular goal in mind – it has to either fill a gap in my collection of vintage sportswear, be a print source that aids in my research, or be a good graphic representation of what women wore for their fun times. So here are some recent finds that didn’t come home with me.

The spool case above was an excellent buy for someone who loves using cotton thread. I have enough already.

For the most part, I don’t collect undergarments. But I found this corset to be interesting with its soft boning and supporting straps. I know next to nothing about corsets, so I’m asking those of you who are more knowledgeable – Is this a riding or sports model?

I almost bought this poster for Skateland in Asheville. Had it not been for the overbearing frame and the price tag to match, I would have added it to my collection. For those of you who know Asheville, this rink was in the building that now houses the Orange Peel, or as we said in the 1970s, the Almighty Orange Peel.

Fishnet stockings had a moment around 1967. I remember wearing white ones over pastel colored stockings. It was a fun look, and not a bit tarty.

Here’s a sorry photo of a cute little pin. I have a hard time justifying paying a lot for “jewelry”.

Again, I apologize for the terrible photo, but this dress was just too interesting not to share.

It was worn by actress Rhonda Fleming in the 1953 film, Inferno. How it ended up in an antique mall in Western North Carolina is anyone’s guess. It’s actually a very nice linen dress, with pretty bodice details.

This 1930-31 basketball team photos shows an important step in the development of gymwear – the transition from bloomers to shorts.

I love this so much, in spite of the fact that men’s sportswear is not my thing. It’s a standing counter display card.

This hat had to have been worn by the “kooky” girl in every 1960s beach movie.

I probably should have bought this photo of a sportswear storefront. This will be my first stop if I ever get that time machine.

This store display was cute. Several years ago I passed on the chance to buy some really great Keds store displays, but I didn’t have the space. I still regret letting those get away.

Great image of 1890s cyclists, but I can’t help but hate to see magazines torn apart for the ads.

And here’s another fantastic counter display.

I wish modern drivers were this attentive.

I love this photo so much, and would have bought it had the factory been identified.

And finally, this shopkeeper is not having it with the anti-maskers.

Shopping with The Vintage Traveler, Late Fall, 2020

Most of the actual buying of things for my collection over the past nine months have occurred online. And while I wouldn’t go near the door of a big box store at this point in time, I have found that large antique malls (many located in defunct big box store buildings) are easy places in which to avoid my fellow humans. They are huge spaces with few people. These places have been little spots of paradise for a lover of old things like me.

I try to make each trip count, taking my time to closely examine the goods. Most of the photos in this post were taken in antique malls in Greenville, SC, where I recently met friend Liza. I know that some people refuse to shop with another vintage buyer, but I find shopping with Liza enhances the shopping experience. She sees things I miss, and it’s fun discussing interesting objects.

Magazines were favorites of mine, and I can’t resist a browse through one that may have articles of interest. The American Girl was the magazine of the Girl Scouts of America, and I always look through them, but rarely buy.

I really wanted this sweater box. I was too cheap to pay the $75 price.

I find kid’s middy-inspired outfits to be really interesting, as the middy trend in kid’s clothing and that of young women happened pretty much at the same time. I have to make myself calm down and put the credit card away. I simply can’t add any more categories to my collecting. Still, I loved this little wool sailor suit so much.

Another category I resist is that of kid’s toys, no matter how much they excite me.

This was really nice. It’s a counter card, with Vogue telling the college girls what she must have for the fall semester.

Electric shoe inserts?

Electric footwear dryers!

I want all the threads.

I liked this skates box, but after seeing the sweater one above, I just could not get excited about it.

South Carolina antique stores often have relics of the textile boom of the past. Interestingly and sadly, this great photo was not for sale.

This is an ink blotter, a common advertising giveaway of the past. It’s interesting because the galoshes have clip closures. In the 1920s Goodyear became one of the first companies to use zippers on a large scale – in their galoshes.

I’m a sucker for Christmas graphics that prominently feature blue.

Sidesaddle riders intrigue me.

I really could collect antique sewing machines.

I’m sort of regretful at leaving this beauty behind.

And finally, a great example of a Beacon blanket robe. I have a soft spot for these because after the mid 1920s the fabric was manufactured down the rode from me in Swannanoa, NC. I have an idea for a really niche Instagram – Beacon robe spottings in old movies and TV shows. It’s amazing how often I spot them.

Shopping with the Vintage Traveler – Winter 2020

I’m here to break to monotony of home exile with a bit of virtual shopping for the cabin fevered.  I went on my last shopping expedition for a while last week, and I’m hoping the Liberty Antiques Festival will go on as usual at the end of April. Otherwise, I might have a meltdown. Joking aside, be smart people.

All these photos were taken over a period of several months, in Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, and North Georgia.

I love souvenir items from my region. I’m only about thirty miles from the Eastern Band of Cherokee “reservation”, which is not in Tennessee at all, and is not a true reservation.  Still, this pillow accurately shows what tourists were apt to see in the 1940s or 50s when visiting Cherokee, NC.

If this had pictured a woman golfer, I would have bought it.

Scariest Santa ever.  I love old masks, and have collected a few Halloween ones. They are always creepy.

If I return to this antique mall and this is still there, I’ll probably buy it. As it was, the piece was over-priced and over-ruffled. Still, I love that sailor so much.

I love how sometimes you can tell where an antique store is located just by thinking about the products for sale. In North Georgia I saw a lot of chenille bedspreads. That’s where they were made.

Some time ago I wrote about the Iowa button industry. I had no idea they were also made in Chattanooga, from mussel shells from the Tennessee River.

I liked this Squaw Valley souvenir ski thermometer.

As the Boomers start dying off, will anyone care about Howdy Doody? (I met Buffalo Bob at an Asheville Tourists baseball game some years ago. Such a nice man!)

Sex sells anything, even Mosco Corn Remover.

And here’s more chenille, this time in East Tennessee. This one is a more modern synthetic, but what about that peacock!?

I’ve seen a lot of Enid Collins bags recently, including quite a few I’d never seen before. I loved this poodle. I was once lucky enough to talk with Collin’s son, and asked him if they ever produced a Scottie dog bag. He told me he did not know, and there were many that had limited production, so it was possible one might show up one day. I can hope.

This beach jacket is for a small child. I want a big one, please.

There are some sellers on Instagram who could sell this holey sweater for $$$.

I found the semi-local label interesting.

How pretty is that lavender dress? It came with the hat and the dressform and was priced accordingly.

Simply gorgeous!

I’ve always tended to think of Victorian and Edwardian collars as white, so seeing these striped ones was an education.

Slickers, with the original box!

This is the only way to effectively sell hair nets.

At first I was distracted by the stand-up ad for the World’s Lightest Outboard, and then I noticed the Christian Dior gloves display piece. What a treasure!

And may your day be filled with treasures as well!

Shopping with the Vintage Traveler, Fall 2019

It’s once again time for me to share things I spotted while shopping, but mostly did not buy. To me the purpose of “shopping” is not so mush to buy, but to learn. I always want to see something that is new-to-me. and then wonder why I had not known of this item before. Amazingly, after 40 plus years of shopping for old stuff, I’m still making marvelous discoveries.

These nylon tights are kid sized, but aren’t they fun!

I sort of wanted this folding sewing organizer, but I talked myself out of buying it because I was tired and I would have to carry it a mile or so to my car. Does anyone have and use one of these?

This was another almost purchase, but the old guys in the painting were just too intimidating.

I love these Wolf dress forms, but they take up a lot of space.

Vintage tin paint boxes are the best, especially when they are travel themed.

Crimes against accessories. Seriously, someone thought painting these 1960s shoes and handbag somehow improved them.

A seller had a whole stack of these 1970s clog/sandals from Sears. I started thinking about them later and I went back to get a pair. They are even better than you can see in my photo. The sides of the wooden soles are carved.

This peek inside a 1930s travel trailer made me want to get a vintage camper and take it on the road.

This was a counter poster showing the 1950s consumer that even movie stars wore Summerettes. I have a pair of these in red.

I thought my opthamologist needed this sign. I’m not sure he would agree.

Dress form art.

And of course there were Scotties. I have a small group of these wooden lawn art Scotties, but passed on this one.

That late 1910s Middy Girl helped to sell a lot of products, including shoes.

Oh, my! This adorable collie border print was made complete by the leashes that form the bottom of the print. This print is from the famous John Wolfe Textiles, which was known for border prints. Unfortunately, what you see in the photo is the entirety of the piece, so there’s not enough for a gathered skirt. Still, wouldn’t it make a great apron, or a pinafore for a little girl?

Okay, I bought it because I just could not leave it.

I posted this dress in my Instagram stories and people went crazy. I did not buy this because it is child sized, but I agree that it is a pretty wonderful novelty print.

I think this is a clothespin holder.

The seller was super busy and I was super tired, so this little rouge pot did not make it into my shopping bag.

And finally, what could be better than a pair of vintage water skis with a Cypress Gardens sticker?

Shopping with the Vintage Traveler – Summer 2019

It’s time for another shopping trip through the bazaars of the Southeast. Here I show you the things I liked, but did not buy. I mean, I really can’t buy it all. Sometimes just taking a photo is enough.

The water bag above was interesting to me because it was made by Hirsch-Weis, or White Stag. And yes it is the same company tht made White Stag clothing. It was originally a maker of heavy canvas items such as tents and sails.

One of the best small shows in the South is the yearly antiques market in Abingdon, VA. This show is one of those rarities where there really is no junk, but most of the items are not priced so high that one has to take out a loan in order to buy things.

The seller had this labeled as the back of a theater seat, and it does look like one to me.

This was a store display. Cute or weird?

The seller of this card of fabric swatches had a nice grouping of them. I loved them, but at $40 each, I had to pass.

This enameled shoe horn was nifty, but again, I could not justify the $125 price tag.

This Twiggy doll, case, and clothing was really nice, but I do not need to add another collecting category. It was like new.

Can you see how tiny this little sewing kitty is? The little pedal actually moved. Why could it not have been a sewing Scottie?

I really do have a thing for antique socks and stockings.

Are Coca~Cola collectibles as desirable as they were several decades ago? They always seem to be priced quite high, but I do love the sporty girl graphics.

Carolyn Schnurer is a label I’m always looking for, but I passed on this jacket for several reasons. The skirt was missing, and the jacket wasn’t in the best condition. But what really broke the deal was that Schnurer was known for her sporty designs in cotton prints. This is a great little jacket, but it just does not say “Carolyn Schnurer”.

Sweetness overload.

I actually regret not buying these. I was getting tired and was not thinking straight.

This is the cover of a 1938 Needlework magazine. I love seeing women’s overalls in illustrations.

I love coming across booths like this one, as there are usually some items related to women’s sports. This one, unfortunately, let me down.

And finally, here’s something I did actually buy. Antique exercise clubs are usually plain like the ones on the left. But I’d recently seen a pair that was decorated, and so I’d decided I needed a pair. I never dreamed I’d find a pair in Berea, Kentucky. But that’s what makes vintage shopping so interesting. I just never know what I’ll find.

 

 

So, there you have it.