In March of next Year I will have been at our Antique Mall for 14 Years! I've been there since they Opened in 2012 and had the first Sale before it even Opened to the Public, to another Vendor, who was a Blog Supporter and then we became Friends when we met in Person at Brass Armadillo West. She had a Showroom and I had a small Booth, since, I'd never done anything like Selling at an Antique Mall before, it was the beginning of that Journey. So, I started out Small and grew the Vision over Time and Opened and Closed various Booths, Showrooms, Art Walls and Cases during the over 13 Years I've now been there. Now I Share a Showroom and Locked Case with my Granddaughter, whose 20 and was 6 when the Mall Opened. In those Days the Industry was thriving and many of my Industry Friends had Pimped their Pulls and had Gypsy Caravans of Tricked Out Airstreams going to all the biggest Shows across the Country. Those were the Days my Friends, we thought they'd never end. Sadly, they did.
Princess T was my Sidekick from the time she was a Toddler tho', always foofed my Spaces for me and was like a little Minion Helper, so, when she turned 13 we became Partners and I got her a Booth of her own, while also Sharing my Spaces with her. We only Closed her Booth when COVID hit and combined our Resources. The Mall was Closed thruout the Pandemic due to it not being an Essential Business, so, we didn't know what would happen. We couldn't access the Mall during all of that time and of coarse the World was on Hold, wasn't it? The Young Prince used to also be a Helper, until his Teens, when he lost Interest in doing it anymore and was more focused on his Art... his Friends... and Boys. Typical Teenager... but, Princess T was different, she never really lost Interest in the Industry and going Junquing with me for Found Treasures and Bargains. *LOL*
She's got a Good Eye and actually Found the most Expensive item we ever Scored, Curbside on Bulk Garbage Day in a Historic Neighborhood, when she was still in a Car Seat!!! A $35,000 Palace Sized Antique Kerman Persian Rug with Tree Of Life Design, that is probably around 100 Years Old and would have ended up in a Landfill had she not seen it out her Window of my Truck and had me schlepp it into the Back!!! Just in time since the Bulk Garbage Truck was on the next Street and Minutes from arriving there and hauling it away!!! She knew the Good Stuff from the time she could Walk and Talk. She will Inherit that Rug and it will be her Story to tell. A Rug like that takes an Artisan a whole Decade of their Life to Weave and why it's so Expensive. It's a Beautiful Rug, our Favorite, and it's in our Sitting Room being used Daily. They only look more Gorgeous with Age and Use.
This is her standing on said Rug here, the Year after we purchased Forever Boheme', she was still in Jr. High School and about Age 13-14. Time flies and that Rug looks as good as I'm sure it did a Century or so ago when it was Woven. It's about a 19x30 Foot Size, which they call Palace Size. And it's heavy and Wool, so I had to get it out from under all the Construction Debris of the Historic Home being gutted it had come out of, that was now waiting Curbside for Bulk Garbage Pickup, and I almost dropped my Ovaries in the middle of the Road hoisting that thing into my Truck, Raw Adrenalin being a Wonderful Thing. *Bwahahaha* And my Antique Rug and Dealer Friend, who I met via Blogging, Richard, from Missouri {may he RIP}, gave me his Appraisal for it when I shot off Pixs to him of our Find. I miss Richard, what a great Blog Friend he was. As a Thank You I sent him an Antique Milk Glass Painted Egg for his Collection and some Treats for his Dog Buddy. He also sent me a Magazine he and his little Dog Buddy, and gorgeous Historic Home, were profiled in.
If you want to see Richard's incredible Home in his Old Blog MY OLD HISTORIC HOUSE, the Link will take you there. The last entries are 2015 but it's still worth visiting, Richard Died shortly after the Big Floods they had there in Missouri, and his Beloved Historic Home got Flooded. You can see Richard's extensive Milk Glass Antique Egg Collection in a Post from Easter 2015. The Egg I Gifted him is among them, he was thrilled with the unexpected Friendship Gift. Back in those Blogging Days many of us exchanged Surprise Gifts to one another and I received so many gorgeous Gifts from fellow Blogger Friends and enjoyed picking out Special ones to send them too. It still happens, but less often now. And I do miss the heyday of Blogging when it was more relevant than now to a larger Audience of peeps. Tho', some of the Young People are experiencing Blogs for the first time, which is great.
The Land of Blog and the Selling of what we do ain't what it used ta be, but, we keep on keepin' on with both. We've had to have various metamorphosis and incantations since the Industry has changed considerably, as has The Land of Blog as well. The only constant is Change, so you have to Change along with it or get left behind. I don't get too bogged down in reminiscing about "The Good Ole' Days", but they sure were Good and I do miss them. I miss those who are no longer with us too. I miss all the Brick and Mortar Shops or Events that my Industry Friends had that eventually had to Close. The Land of Blog no longer really has any Industry Blogs, they all folded up too when the Industry dried up and folks just quit doing what they were doing. Either Professionally or as fellow Bloggers. Mine was never exclusively a promotional Biz Blog, but I sure did follow many that were. And Traveled vicariously to all the Shows and Picks with them via their Blogs coverage.
I recall when half my Industry Friends not only traversed America to go Pickin' for Awesome Finds in every State, but they were Global Pickers as well, Traveling abroad extensively. Some Friends would hit around Eleven Countries at a time to Source their Inventory to bring back!!! Mixing Business with Pleasure and covering it all on their Blogs. Those were the Days!!! I'd traversed a lot of Europe with my Family, and my Parents were avid Collectors in every Country we ever lived in, so I was used to that. I was used to going Pickin' with my Parents since I was a Toddler, going to the Paris Flea Market and haggling with Vendors in several Languages. Yep, as a Toddler, apparently I picked up and spoke Five Languages fluently my Parents said, and would Translate for them! And get all kinds of Free Stuff from the European Vendors that thought it Adorbs that this little Half-Indigenous American Child with a Welsh Mother could converse with them in their Languages! *LOL*
This is The G-Kid Force in our First little Booth, No. 44, at BAAM when it first Opened in March of 2012. Aren't they Cute? Lord, the Memories! Back in those Days a small Booth could Net me more than I was making at the DA's Office, coz the Industry was HOT! And Shows like "American Pickers" had begun just a couple Years beforehand {2010} and gotten everyone excited about Junquin' and Pickin', Buying Secondhand Treasures to Repurpose and Upcycle. I'd done it for Decades, Specializing in Architectural Salvage in the 1970's, but, most folks really weren't catching on to the Value of such things way back then. So, we were often considered Nut Cases for liking and Trawling for what we Loved and Rescued as Salvaged Treasures back then. Few folks acknowledged the Value and when they did, Prices hit the Stratosphere on a lot of what I used to get Paid to Haul away from Demolition sites of Historic Structures around the City!!! Or Scoured the Flea Markets and Chazzas for.
I could Sell more of what I LOVE back then and is my Personal Aesthetic and what I have a Passion for. I'm told I still could, but, Honestly, what I see folks Buying now is mostly cheap Junk and Repops, Pokemon Collectibles, inexpensive Imports, or just what you could Buy in any Mass Produced Big Box Store brand New rather than Secondhand. What used to be just Filler Items at Shows and Events is the majority of their Merch now and it's the Good Stuff that is in short supply at any of them. Yeah, it can look Trendy and Nice, I'm no Purist or Decor Snob. But I know where I could just Buy it anywhere, I don't need it marked up for a Show or Event, to get it at the Price they Paid for it and from where I KNOW they Sourced it instead. So, for me, the Thrill Of The Hunt ain't even what it used to be and Score. I don't have to Buy another Thing in this Lifetime actually, so, to Sell me anything has to be Primo or really Special. Coz my 5-to-1 Rule still applies, so if I'm gonna hafta get rid of Five or more items to bring it Home, it better be worth The Edit and Purge Value. *Smiles*
Back in Da Day Vendors seemed to take more Pride in Decorating and Styling their Booths and Spaces. Making them look truly Special, along with offering Quality Merch worthy of what should be in an Antique Mall, Show, Brick & Mortar Specialty Shop, or Event. So, it was a Destination and a Sensory Experience for the Shoppers who frequented it all back then. There are a few left who still make it a Destination and a Sensory Experience, and I sure do appreciate that and am Loyal to those Retailers, Industry Friends and Vendors who still do. We still like to Pepper our Spaces at the Antique Mall with a mixture of what we'd have in our Home and Collect, along with what Customers are diggin' right now that mebbe we Source just for them, like the various sizes of Vintage and Band T-Shirts that we don't necessarily Buy for ourselves. But, we'd wear it. I won't Sell anything I wouldn't Wear or have in our own Home, or that our Kiddos didn't Collect and decided to divest themselves of now too. If it's in our Showroom or Case, we either Owned it or wouldn't mind Owning it if it doesn't Sell. *Winks*
I've had Fun with this Nostalgic Post giving a Look Back at some Blasts from the Past. But, I don't linger there, it's Fun, but, it's the Past, and this is Now, and we Live in THIS Moment in Time fully. The Future will have it's own Worries so I do try not to fret too much about what Might Be? Coz, mebbe it won't even Be, we just don't know, so why Borrow Worries from a Future that isn't even here yet and may not even play out like that? I'm too busy Right Now with what's in the Here and Now actually to be Looking Back too much or Looking Forward too much either. We just cleaned up some more Flooding in The RV Garage Mahal from Tonight's huge unnatural Storm and clearing Palm Fronds out of the way of our Vehicles so we can get past it all and down the Driveways Tomorrow Morning! That's when this Post will likely hit, and I may or may not have Attended that Christmas Event I'm looking forward to... depending upon the Weather.
Day Two of the Storm Carnage. Mando, The Son and The Daughter worked furiously to mitigate the Flooding on the Back Porch and RV Garage Mahal, where Water was breaching our Sandbagging and had the worst Flooding. But you can see from the Front Yard that we got as much Water in Minutes as we'd get with almost Two Hours of Irrigation being pumped in from a Canal, which is Insane and Surreal here in a Desert!!!!! Regular Residential Properties couldn't and wouldn't be able to handle that much Water coming in on their Properties so quickly. Miraculously not a single Palm Frond flew into or at our Vehicles, just all around them... which was shocking actually! I had Palm Fronds right up to the Front Door and on the Front Porch, all around both Vehicles, but not a single one had hit the Vehicles or caused any damage to anything. *Whew*
The Daughter and Mando were Joking that I must have Manifested some Protective Force Field Matrix Mojo around my Truck and The Son's Car for that Crazy Miraculous Scene we saw afterwards? Fronds flung just Feet and Inches away literally all around them, and even between them, but not hitting them! *LOL* And this Morning when I took Princess T to Work her Boss was standing outside on his Phone and her previous Female Boss was outside waving her Arms around at me when I pulled up so I didn't know what was going on or if it was Safe to let her out of the Truck? The Female Boss Smiled and told me it was Okay, when I rolled the Window down to ask if it was Safe for her to go Inside? Don't know what was happening, but, it was very Odd at 7:00 in the Morning for that many Employees to be standing Outside just before they are to Clock In and on a Rainy Day at that.
I had joked with Princess T this Morning about wearing a Black T-Shirt we have in her size that says in White Lettering, "You're On Notice", after she'd gotten Dress Coded Yesterday. *LOL* Instead she wore her Playboy Logo Black Hoodie with the White Iconic Logo on it. I queried whether that was violating Dress Code and she said Oddly, No, it's not... go figure. She couldn't wear any Playboy Logo Wardrobe in High School, so, I guess I just figured any Employer would ban it too, guess not. So, she wasn't pushing Boundaries by wearing it, I just thought perhaps she was having a Rebellious streak after the Bell Bottom Leggings Incident? They weren't even that tight on her coz she's so Skinny and her little Butt barely fills them out. *LOL* But, you never know what will be a Distraction to a Male Co-Worker? *Eye Roll and Laughs*
I should be getting ready to go to the Event but it was so Cold and Rainy Outside this Morning that I need to just Warm up a bit before venturing out there again. I'm contemplating what to wear and how awful the flooding of Streets in the City might be after last Night's fierce unnatural Storm. I'm watching the Local News and they had Water Rescues all over the place of people that got stranded in their Vehicles on flooded Streets and such!!! I don't wanna be all dressed up and end up with a Water Rescue, and end up being profiled on the Local News. *LOL* Anyway, I decided I will go coz it's not catastrophic Weather this Morning like it was last Night. I wouldn't have dared to drive anywhere in all of that, forget about it. But it's more a miserable drizzle this Morning and Bone Chilling Cold in the low 50's, which, for us Desert Rats is too fucking COLD and Wet!!! *Smiles* I wanna hunker down with a Hot Drink in front of my Computer Screen when it's like this. Some Parts of Phoenix actually had Hail so thick it looked like Snow and Ice on the ground!!!
Proof that Princess T has ALWAYS been a Sassy Lil Fashionista with an Attitude. *LOL and Winks* I'm having too much Fun Nostalgically wading thru my Old Photo Archives this Morning. Below are some Wild Desert Burros, you don't see them as often as you used to, except on Reservation Land where the Indigenous allow the Wild Horses and Wild Burros to thrive unmolested and not Culled by the Government. Sadly, the Government has been Harvesting the Wild Horses and most of us think they should just leave them Be. They're a remnant of the Old West and frankly I don't see any harm they Create. Most of the time they stand Roadside and just look at you when you stop to admire them, like those Two Wild Burros did. Cattle Ranching Creates more harm to the Environment by far and yet the Government has no problems with that like they do the Wild Animals having some Freedom and a Right to Live. It angers me actually, but that would be a whole other Post Rant, so I'm not going there Today. The Government right now isn't on my Like List at all.
Some Historic Towns like Oatman, Arizona, actually are "Ghost Towns" turned Touristy becoz of their Wild Burro Population. It was a Gold Rush Town that Prospectors in 1915 hit Ten Million in Gold, but now has a Population of 98 Residents. So, they let them thrive there and even Sell feed so you can interact with them. The Burros are Wild but so used to people and being fed by Tourists now that they come in to Town there and are the Attraction. I really should make a Road Trip to Oatman coz it's been Years since we've been there and it's a Fun Day Trip. Arizona is dotted with Quirky little Historic places like that. If they have a Historic Hotel I like to Book a Room and just spend a whole Day and Night at some of them as a Mini Vacay sometime. Harder to do that now becoz of The Man's Condition than it used to be. He's prone to Anxiety and Health Emergencies now so I don't really wanna be far from Home very long with him in tow.
LATER: I attended the Event and the Rain stopped while I was there. They had an excellent attendance, the most I've seen all Year, so Sales should be very good for their Christmas Event. And, the Owner, Kim, told me they're going to have a Bonus Event on December 6-7, which has never happened before in all the Years they've been Open. So, that will be something to look forward to and be Two Christmas Themed Events then. I think that will be received well, give people more of a chance to Buy for Christmas and mebbe get another Paycheck between Events for the Holidays. A lot of Events and Shops are doing that now which are only usually 4 Days a Month... now most of them are Open every Weekend until Christmas. I think sagging Sales mostly have something to do with having to strategize on how best to Stimulate Trade and do something different.
I did see that some Designer Friends have less Space than they had last Event, so they're clearly Downsizing. And there are some Newbie Designers too who I don't know yet. I only Bought a couple of Christmas Stockings, one is made from an Old Colorful Kilim, the other is made from a Vintage Grain Sack. When I'd been looking at Preview Pixs Online I'd seen the Grain Sack Christmas Stockings and so was looking for them when I got there. The Kilim was a very low Priced Stocking, the Grain Sack one I had to stand Taller on to get. But Online it would have cost considerably more anywhere they are offered, so, it wasn't a bad price, just not a Bargain price like the Kilim Stocking was. I saw several Friends while I was there, who are Customers, as well as visiting with my Designer Friends who Sell there. So it was a nice Social Day and Inspirational, the Event was Beautifully Curated and Decorated for Christmas, quite Magical.
Above is a Blast From The Past Pix I found of my Vendor Friend Romeo {may he RIP}. Romeo was in his late 80's and had been a Famous Stuntman in Hollywood. In fact, if you see any Black & White Westerns and a Guy is being dragged behind a Horse, that would be Romeo, he Specialized in Stunts like that. When he Retired from being a Stuntman he Owned a Limo Company that transported Celebrities, I Loved his Stories of Old Hollywood and his Spilled Tea on Celebs. Sadly, tho' Romeo was perfectly Healthy, he Died having an Elective Preventative Health Procedure done that required he be Sedated for it. Nobody expected his Death and it was avoidable coz the Procedure for someone his Age, to me, wasn't even necessary. There are some things, that even if you have it, if you're already very Old, it's not likely to Kill you before Old Age just does Naturally, you know? So Why take the Risk of a Colonoscopy to see if you have Colon Cancer when you're already almost 90, and especially if you're in good Shape and Health for that Age, so it makes no sense.
Anyway, I digress, after "Sweet Salvage" which I only stayed at until it got really crowded, I went to our other Brass Armadillo Phoenix Antique Mall location Downtown. I got a trio of Anna Lee large Figures of Children in Onesies Pajamas. The Vendor had a very low price for that size of Anna Lee Figures, so, I couldn't resist. I also picked up a couple of Fiesta Ware Cereal Bowls and a Fiesta Ware Coffee Mug in Colors I needed. I'd pulled some of my own Fiesta Ware Inventory of Coffee Mugs and Cereal/Salad Bowls in matching Colors coz The Family wants to use them and not Sell them off. We really only want or need the Mugs and Bowls and I've ended up with Nine different Colors so far with what I already had and bought to go with what I had. I had Two Mugs of mine that I don't have the matching Bowl for so I'll keep looking for the Periwinkle Bowl to go with the Mug I have, and the Shamrock Green Bowl to go with the Mug I have.
There are some Colors I don't like so I Sell Off those Colors I'm not interested in Keeping. There are so many Colors now of it and I know I have my favs, which tend to be the brighter Colors it came in. Fun to go on a Hunt for the missing piece in a specific Color to have a Bowl and matching Coffee Mug. I like and prefer the small Handle Mug that is Art Deco shaped. But, I digress, back to the Event: I got there early so I'd get good Parking and not be too far back in Line. The Line did end up being Crazy long and they had to start Counting how many Customers could safely come inside, so, latecomers had to wait a long time to even get in. That hasn't happened for a long time. Anyway, my Friend Cindy was there about Three folks ahead of me in Line and we hadn't seen each other in Months coz her 90 Year Old Mom has been really sickly. So, of coarse she struck up conversation with me to tell me about that and ask about The Man's Heart Surgeries, since, we'd both been thru it with Family Medical Issues in recent Months.
There were Two Uppity Pretentious Old Karens in front of me and behind her between us. They took issue with us talking with each other even tho' I'd stepped to the side to be able to see and interact with Cindy. And they'd been talking to each other in the same Tone of Voice, so it's not as if Cindy and I were yelling. *Ha ha ha* They were making Faces, like the Karens do {LOL} and being Passive Aggressive with comments {equally hilarious, I don't take Passive Aggressive Bitches Seriously and completely ignore them as if they're invisible to me}... and finally one of them in a very rude voice says to me, "Here, go ahead of us and stand next to HER..." {LMAOROTF coz Cindy nor I took the Bait of confrontation or offense} and we both just Smiled at them, I said Thank You, as if they were actually doing and being NICE {Bwahahahaha}, and stepped in front of them to finish having my Conversation with my Friend and now Two People ahead in Line. *Winks*
Cindy winked at me, she could tell they were being Pretentious Fancy Ladies and she's a really ACTUAL High Class Top Shelf Classy Woman of means, but not a Snob. In fact, Real Class tends to abhor the New Money folk that are often referred to as the Five Dollar Millionaires. *LOL* Most Old Money folk I've ever known are Classier and don't flaunt their Wealth or Status, often even being very low key. And my experiences has been you can make Friends with them easily becoz they aren't trying so hard to impress everyone or feel important and think they are better than to Lord over other people. They've had their Wealth long enuf to know what Class really IS and behave accordingly. Mary Emmerling was there wearing some gorgeous Patchwork Magnolia Pearl Pants in front of Cindy and I in Line.
Later I talked to her about them and she's one of the most Gracious of Celebs {Designer and Author} that talks to people all the time, a truly Delightful person and as Sweet as she can be and not at all Pretentious or Uppity. And I was in Lust with those Pants she had and thought they might be Magnolia Pearl!!! I told her I should have known they were before I even asked and she Laughed, coz we both own a lot of Robin's Work and Line from way back. *LOL* I think they were her Cosmic Rainbow Miner Pants? Very fun Funky Hippie Wear, which, Robin is making again, thankfully, coz I didn't like some of the Lines that moved away from the Vintage Hippie Vibe she began her Line with and is my preferred Aesthetic. And it's either your Vibe or it isn't. *LOL*
And things like Banana Funk & Junk with a bunch of Bananas are Symbolic to Robin if you know her Life's Story. Growing up in the 60's and 70's with Haight Ashbury real Hippie Parents, and even a lot of the baggage that comes with an unconventional Lifestyle against the Norms of Society. I grew up with Older Parents than hers were, and real Bohemian Parents are quite different than Hippie Parents were, with just a few Parallels, but, different Lifestyle that is also unconventional and against the Norms of Society. So, the Points of Reference can be made. The Man asked me this Morning if I'd take him to "Sweet Salvage" for it's 2nd Day of the Event, which is usually Calmer than Opening Day, which would be too much Sensory Overload for him. We went and had a good time, I picked up a Christmas Garland, another European Grain Sack Christmas Stocking, an Antique Paper Mache' Easter Bunny Bank, and a Knights of the Templar Sword Accessory for The Man.
The Sword Accessory I didn't pay for, it's my Vendor Friend Big Kenny's and he told me to take it and pay him when we have the Money coz The Man really wanted it for his Knights Of The Templar Sword I'd bought him several Months ago, the Accessories are Rare and I've never seen them For Sale before. Big Kenny had Scored Four of them, already Sold One that Morning and didn't know if they wouldn't all get Sold before I Saved up enuf to get The Man One of them. So, he let him just choose which of the Three left he liked best and said I could either pay him later for it or work something out in Trade. *Winks* He Loves to have any excuse to come Pickin' at our House. *LOL* He always leaves with a Flatbed Trailer full of Merch I Sold to him or worked something out in Mutual Trade for. *Smiles* So, The Man was SO Jazzed, coz it was an expensive piece.
We also went to "Everything Goes" and "Studio 108 Collective" while we were Downtown. One of the Vendors that's a Fav of mine at "Everything Goes" had really marked down some Antique Halloween Metal Creepy Doll Molds that I've Lusted after for Months. They were marked down so much I wasn't passing them up. There's one more they have that is larger and even marked down a lot, but is still not within Budget, but, mebbe it will come down further in price to where I feel comfortable with Buying it too? These are heavy duty Molds like the kind they Manufactured Dolls with at the turn of the Century, but, really Creepy ones like I'd never seen before, highly Unusual, Weird and Wonderful.
That's why I Love that Vendor, they have the Oddities of Legit Antiquities. I didn't Buy anything at "Studio 108 Collective", there were nice items, but not within my meager Budget for this Month, so... I just visited with my Vendor/Designer Friend Shelly while there. Both Shops had new Vendors so it was nice to see something new and different. While waiting for the Doors to Open at "Sweet Salvage" we'd gotten Takeout Breakfast from "Joe's Diner" and ate it in the Truck. The Line didn't get as long as Opening Day and we got good Parking too, so it was all in all a very Fun and Productive Day of Retail Therapy.
The Young Prince is having a lot of Drama with his Husband so he's going to have to return to New Mexico early, on December 6th, rather than staying thru past Christmas like he intended. He's enjoying the Holidays with Family and said that becoz their Marriage isn't going well, he's not enjoying the Holidays at Home and feel reconciliation just isn't possible or probable at this point. At some point you just know when the Horse is Dead and you just Need to get off. I have no Words... and he said he really doesn't anymore either, he's done all he can do and nothing is Changing in a Positive or Encouraging way to feel it's even worth Salvaging anymore. At one point he really wanted to, now he's Done. I've been Divorced and it's not something you take lightly when it has to just happen, for whatever reason irreconcilable differences make it so that staying together is just not possible, or mebbe even not even Healthy nor Safe. We want for him to be both Healthy and Safe.
This Morning's Sunrise from our Front Yard. Arizona has the most Beautiful and Spectacularly Stunning consistent Sunrises and Sunsets of anywhere on Earth I've ever Lived.
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Blessings, Love, Light and Happy Thanksgiving from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian
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