Pickin' in NJ - Block Sale in Kendall Park!

I LOOOOOVE me a block garage sale! Everyone is so friendly, which I find to be the case with garage sales in general. But there's something about all the neighbors out and about, doing the same thing, running into other neighbors from other streets...it's a lot of fun!

Those of you who follow my other blog will understand that I almost swooned when I pulled up to this house:





AS it turns out, right here in my own neighborhood, lives auctioneer Joe Bodnar, of Bodnar's Auction Sales. Believe me, I will be checking out his monthly auctions in Somerset - see the website for details. The next one is Sept. 9.



All told, there were about 6-7 families.




Look at these cute little cows!!! I have a thing for cows, especially vintage cows. I bought all of them :)



Here's my haul:


Let's just have ONE more look at that sweet little night stand!



It's always great to find treasures in your own back yard. What did you find this weekend??

'Til the next pickin' weekend - have a great week!

Mona Kay

Okay, here they are!! Two garage sales in NJ, both are on Craigslist. The one on Woodrow Road is a block-garage sale....YIPEE!!!

http://cnj.craigslist.org/gms/1922416262.html

The other one includes a shed full of collectibles. That's enough to get me up and out early with my coffee!!

http://cnj.craigslist.org/gms/1922740865.html

Have fun...see you out there!!

Mona Kay

Clinton, New Jersey - Vintage Abounds!!

I recently did a "North Jersey" tour of estate sales, including a liquidation sale at a fabulous shop in Clinton, NJ. I have blogged about Blu Daisy before (Antiques with Urban Attitude), and now that I have visited their shop, I have to say, I am sad to see them go. However, the visit allowed me to be introduced to Clinton, NJ, and all the other vintage shops, antiques, and overall charm of the town! While I unfortunately had not brought my camera, I still wanted to share what I learned about this town, and encourage you to check out this great website. Some highlights:

The Hunterdon Art Museum and the Red Mill Museum Village

The Riverside Victorian Bed & Breakfast

Events (from the Clinton Guild brochure):
Aug 30, 1pm: Music Grand Finale on Main Street and Center Street

Oct 30, 4-9pm: PumpkinFest. Carved pumpkin contest and carriage rides

Nov 27-29: Dickens Days. Olde fashioned holiday celebration with daily performances, carriage rides, holiday decorations and more!

Dec 13, 1pm: Anual Christmas Parade

Dec 17, 5:30pm: Candlelight Night. Late night shopping, carriage rides and in-town specials.

Finally, I would like to specifically recommend a lovely shop called "HeartStrings" (no website), 10 Main Street in Clinton (908-735-4020). The beautiful cottage-style furnishings and home decor will leave you breathless, as it did me.

Enjoy! Until the next pickin' weekend...

Vintage in Historic Asbury Park, New Jersey

Besides the obvious, what do Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen have in common? They have both shopped at Carla Gizzi in Asbury Park.



I first met Carla in the antiques section of Red Bank, NJ, where she has another shop filled with "vintage inspired jewelry and home decor". I was entranced from the moment I walked through the door.




In early May, the beginning of the season "down the shore" in New Jersey, Carla opened a second shop in Convention Hall on the boardwalk in historic Asbury Park.



She absolutely loves her second location, and talks about how wonderful it is to be a part of the revitalization of the area. She's not alone - she told me people come from all parts of New Jersey as well as New York. They feel nostalgic about Asbury Park...they loved going there as kids, and want to be a part of the re-birth - they want it to succeed.




In fact a recent article in the Star Ledger discusses the come-back of Asbury Park. Mark Di Ionno writes:

"Three years ago, a plastic bag blowing down the Asbury Park boardwalk would have bounced like a tumbleweed as far as the wind took it.

No more."

There are fireworks every Wednesday at 9pm, and many weekend events. In fact, some people "like" Carla on Facebook simply to keep up with what's going on in Asbury Park, as she posts events and happenings on her page.

Carla has a beautiful assortment of large and small items in both her shops.





She has more furniture in her Red Bank location (169 West Front Street) - gorgeous, shabby-chic, romantic, furniture, some with mosaic detail. Bon Jovi has some of the mosaic tables - I have to confess, I made her repeat that about three times, because I just thought it was SO COOL!!! She has also chatted with Bruce several times when he was in her shop.




What are some of the most popular items in her Convention Hall shop? She can't keep her "I Love You to the Moon and Back" sign in stock!



I love all of Carla's things, and her shops are just so prettily arranged, you'll want to browse around forever. Visit her website for more details, and treat yourself to a trip to her shops!




'Til the next "picking weekend"...have a great week everyone!

Mona Kay

Disclaimer: I blog about shops and markets that I love. Unless otherwise disclosed, I have not been compensated for my opinions - I just love sharing the great places I find!

Early in the Week Post: DON'T MISS THIS SALE!

Let's see if you can beat me to this Estate Sale in Stirling, NJ...because TRUST ME, I am going to be there!!! I'll race ya to the furniture & the porcelain!!

There is nothing immediately local (i.e., Kendall Park or South Brunswick) so far, but it's a little early in the week for garage sale signs...I will update on Friday if I see any postings. Here are the Craigslist garage sales for central NJ.

See you in Stirling! After that, I'll be painting furniture...because that's what I do :)

Ten Things I Wish I Knew as a Junking Newbie

While I have been collecting on and off for many years, and have been saving curbside treasures for most of my life, I only became serious at the beginning of this year. With the help of great junking communities, forums, and blogs, as well as 6 months experience under my belt, I've learned a lot - although I'm still pretty inexperienced! Here are some of the things I wish I had known from the start:

1. BRING CASH! LOTS OF CASH!! Include singles!!
2. Don't be afraid to make purchasing mistakes when you're new; i.e. pay too much, not the treasure you thought, can't use it after all (the back of my garage is full of them).
3. Choose your words carefully when bargaining. "Will you take this amount?" may go a little further than "I'll give you this amount"
4. Ask questions about items in which you're interested. An aged-looking piece from Bombay Company can look like a vintage goody to a beginner's eye (trust me)
5. Don't bargain at thrift shops. They typically donate proceeds to some type of charity
6. Never underestimate the size of the transporting vehicle you need! Make friends with someone who owns a truck.
7. If you love something, BUY IT. You will find a place for it. Lack of space beats regret every time.
8. Don't decide to "come back later" for a flea market item. You will probably lose it to a quicker buyer.
9. Find an expert, or an experienced collector who doesn't mind being a resource. He/she will be a wealth of information
10. Don't expect non-junkers to understand why you get up at the crack of dawn on your only days off


What didn't you know when you first started, or what did you learn at any time that was most helpful to you? What advice do you have for us newbies?

Picking in New Jersey-Upcoming Garage Sales and Vintage Sales

Happy Weekend everyone! It looks as though there will be a slight break in the heat tomorrow - better weather for picking! There are actually three garage sales in Kendall Park this weekend. Here are the details:

39 Kendall Road, 9am-2pm on Saturday
34 Sturgis Road, 8am-4pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
8 Tiffin Road, 9am, Saturday and Sunday (sorry, there was a truck behind me, so I couldn't see the times)

Here's the big one: Somerville Center Antiques is having a moving sale - up to 75% off their items. I will definitely be checking this one out!

Have fun out there & be sure to comment & let me know what you found this weekend!

Mona Kay

Repro Vintage

As a newbie garage sale diva, I'm finding that July and August are tricky. It's hot (REALLY hot, depending on where you are, like in New Jersey), and people are on vacation. A weekend has not yet passed where there wasn't at least one garage sale, but it can make for slim pickings, and it's just not as much fun to walk around the flea markets in 95 degree heat. I found myself looking for alternatives this weekend.

Even the most die hard lovers of vintage seem to be okay with mixing some new or at least reproduced items into their decor. Beautiful, soft towels perfectly compliment a distressed bathroom cabinet, fresh candles dress up vintage holders. Sometimes a decorator is going for a certain look, and a reproduced vintage item is used to fill in the space next to a collector's "finds". I let myself indulge in this type of decor this weekend with my birthday gift certificates to Anthropologie.

I love home decor books which feature flea market items, or a relaxed/shabby style - I sit with coffee and page through them on weekend mornings...these were too tempting to pass up.





Lately I have been intrigued with bottles and glass decor, especially if there is some silver detail. This reproduced silver votive holder fit perfectly with my vintage finds from recent estate sales:






I wandered around for quite some time with my mother and my sister. We gravitated to very different items, so calling each other over to investigate a "find" was like having three different shopping experiences - possible at Anthropologie because of their variety. It was a treat to do some retail shopping with my mother and my sister, complete with drinking fruit smoothies at a table in the shade. It was even more fun because I didn't have to leave my passion for vintage behind!

Where beyond the "usual suspects" have you shopped to indulge your passions?

Mona Kay