Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Florida Vintage




Well, I don't have to tell you that Florida is truly lovely. If I tell you, however, that in 3 1/2 days, I only made it to the beach once, and the pool for 1 hour, would you believe me?? Honestly, with such a gold mine of thrift shops and antique malls, I was beginning to fantasize about moving! I am planning a buying trip in the near future....a DRIVING buying trip where I will fill the back of a van with vintage furniture!

These are some of the beautiful things I wanted to take home. I just love the quintessential Florida style!



One of my favorites was a store called "Sensibly Chic"; a home decor shop filled with beach and cottage style furniture and gifts:





Of course, sometimes a girl just wants something a little playful!


Another of my favorites was Shirley Street Antique Mall.. I could have stayed for days!! The furniture, the vintage prints, the linens! Here are two tables I fell in love with in a booth owned by a terrific and helpful man called Regan. He gave me some great tips on working with vintage furniture which will greatly assist me with my store items! I considered bribing my parents to drive them back to NJ when they come up for the summer....but the guilt of such a big favor overcame me...


All told, I filled a huge suitcase and a computer box (a desktop, not a laptop box) with the things I bought...vintage bedspreads, linens, prints, and a set of dishes for me. My parents are going to drive it all up to NJ when they leave Florida for the summer. I love you & miss you Mom & Dad!!



I had a wonderful time, and met some really terrific people. I'll say this about people who love to collect vintage and antiques...they love to share their "finds", their stories, and they're so friendly!

I have purchased some travel books on southwest Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, as many of the people I met told me that there is a wealth of vintage and antique shops in these areas as well. If any of you have ever traveled these areas and have some favorite places and/or shops, PLEASE share! In the mean time, it's going to seem like Christmas morning when I get to open up my boxes of the things I bought when they make their way to NJ...and see my parents again! I'll share my finds in a couple of weeks.

Back to reality...looking forward to garage sales in NJ this weekend!

MK

5 comments:

  1. I'm glad you had a great time in FL. Maybe you should do the worlds longest garage sale in August! I've been trying to get my sister to go with me for years. I'm afraid we would need a semi to bring everything back though :)

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  2. Sounds like you ended up with quite a hull! We didn't really notice any thrift shop along the way in the outer banks but did happen upon a little antique mall that was housed in what appeared to be an old strip mall. It stunk because there was lots of cute furnature at really reasonable prices but we had no easy way to get it home. boo! OH Well! Really liked your post!
    -sarah

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  3. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who needs to rent an enormous vehicle when on vacation! And...world's longest garage sale???? Wow!!! Did not know about this. I may need to take vacation in August!!!

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  4. There is a beautiful tiny town in central Florida called Dunnellon (on the it's-too-pretty-to-look-real Rainbow River). There are several fantastic antique stores with really reasonable prices, plus the prettiest nursery/gift and antique shop in a big old house.

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  5. Perfect post to use for the Everything Coastal Style blog! thank you thank you thank you - so nice to meet you btw!

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