TREASURES

    

            Some of my most treasured possessions are things I’ve picked up over the years at a flea market, a swap meet, a garage sale, or at a thrift shop.

            I didn’t discover any of these venues until I moved to Los Angeles but once I did I was hooked (what’s that they say about one man’s trash being another man’s treasure?)

            Years ago I would frequent the Rose Bowl Swap meet (second Sunday of every month) on a regular basis.  I found some terrific buys there including two chairs imported from Germany, a Haywood-Wakefield china cabinet, an art deco lamp, and more.  At the Ventura swap meet I bought a mid-century standing ashtray with an alabaster lamp, an antique floor radio (someone actually offered to buy it from me as I was leaving), and a statuette of Louis Armstrong.

            Thrift shops are a little trickier to navigate and one really needs to be able to differentiate the good stuff from the junk, especially now when those running the shops are more discerning and aware of the value of some of their items (Of course there are the rare occasions when someone lucks out.  Last week a man in the south purchased a painting for three dollars that was apparently worth close to $200,000. Doesn’t happen too often).

            I became aware of thrift stores when I would run into antique dealers I knew scouting the thrift shops in the area for merchandise they would purchase, bring back to their stores and resell (for a jacked up price). I did much the same thing when I briefly had my own antique shop.  One of my favorite thrift store finds was an oval mirror encrusted with vintage rhinestone earrings.

            I’ve discovered treasures on Ebay (an antique kitchen island with a solid marble top) and at garage sales (a pair of Gucci earrings and several collectible plates).

            The thrill is always in the hunt.

            What was your greatest “find”?  Feel free to post it here.

Have a great weekend and thank you for joining me along Rhodes Less Traveled.

And don’t forget to check out my newly released book, GROOMED FOR MURDER now available at Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

Vivian