Posted by This week a dear friend visited from the east coast and she was totally into thrifting and antiquing so naturally this trip had to involve a bit of both. But I’ll admit we struck out at the thrift stores. Neither of us found anything to buy. Granted all four stores were small and three were bougie with higher prices, but not finding one thing was astounding.
but prices were between $99 and $120. No “meat on the bone” for a vintage reseller.
But that’s how it is sometimes! On the plus side we had lots of great conversations, good food and fun outings. We explored Half Moon Bay’s cute Main street going into several charming decor, clothing and book stores. Lunch was at Johnny’s–a recently refurbished American diner that was as cute as can be with lemon yellow bar stools and turquoise booths. Food was good too!
And we spent the night at the Beach House Hotel on highway 1 in a lovely penthouse suite with a balcony that overlooked the ocean. A continental breakfast was included that featured baked goods from local bakeries and home-made jams. Yum!
Some aspects of the lovely room defied logic though. Why was the fireplace jammed next to the balcony door? It was the most awkward place for it and there was no way to really appreciate a fire given the placement of the furniture. Curious.
The next day on our way home we popped into two antique stores in San Carlos. I’ve bought at Antiques and More including this particular vendor below. Her booth and cases are all jumbled and jam packed and never make for easy looking. Still I really liked her large French micro-beaded purse. Sadly it was priced at $295. Sigh. And that was the way it went–lots of great items but no bargains at this store.
The second store, Antiques Unlimited a few doors down, is smaller and I have never found anything here before but it yielded two items this trip. (It felt miraculous because on the vintage hunting front this trip had been a bust.) Both items were 15% off, which helped though I still paid more than I wanted.
This small Meridan B. Co. silver-plated Masonic trophy cup was a cutie that I knew would sell and there was room for profit.
Back at home I found a similar one that had sold on Etsy for $149.99. I’ve listed mine for $125.
Now this piece intrigued me. It’s heavy bronze with a brutalist pattern. The cap unscrews but there is no lining. It has no markings. I thought it might be an inkwell, but with no glass or porcelain lining that makes no sense. But I just can’t figure it out. Ideas?? [Note: Turns out this is an Asian spirit lamp that is missing the part that holds the wick!]
Honestly, this piece is a risk. I paid up for it, but I was so intrigued that I had to buy it. Still it feels good. I went with my intuition on this. We’ll see if it pays off! [Discovered it won’t! ğŸ˜]
Total paid for both: $120.
Well my dear friend is now on a plane winging her way back east. We have been friends since freshmen year of college and realized it had been at least four years since we last saw each other which is way too long between visits for sure! I miss her already.
Hunting for Vintage 