Ohio Valley Antique Mall

One of my favorite antiquing destinations is the Ohio Valley Antique Mall in Fairfield. That’s in the greater Cincinnati area so it’s a bit of a haul over there but always worth the trip because they have so much stuff and typically good prices.

Best of all, there’s not a lot of the flea market junk we have at some stores closer to home. Instead, there’s a lot of quality booths brimming with treasures.

Someone likes green. This entire booth is devoted to items in various shades of green. It’s the only place I’ve ever seen this done to this scale. This is actually less than one half of the booth.

Then there are the suitcases. So many suitcases!

And a fair amount of ingenious upcycling.

Booths like this always make me think there’s a guy out there who got married and whose new wife wouldn’t let him keep his man cave. I mean, it looks like some dude’s rec room just got packed up and moved to a corner booth!

If you’re into Fiesta, there’s a booth packed with new Fiesta items. Honestly, they have so much stuff here that if you can’t find it, you probably don’t need it.

Want to go? Check out their website for hours and information. They do have restrooms, vending machines and a snack bar. There are also a couple of fast food restaurants in adjacent parking lots.

The Brass Armadillo

Antique malls tend to offer a variety of goods that aren’t actual antiques. From handmade crafts to vintage toys to books, soaps and a litany of other things, it seems you never know what you’ll find.

Imagine a big treasure hunt.

It’s a fun thing to do any day but I usually seek out an antique mall on vacation. It’s a good source of unique souvenirs but it’s also interesting to see what’s available in other areas and how it’s valued.

There are huge regional differences in how many things like vintage Christmas decor, dishes or even Coca Cola products are valued. A Coke crate can be picked up for cheap in central Indiana where there’s a big manufacturing and bottling presence. Whereas they’re about twice the price in Ohio.

As an aside, the company’s iconic contoured bottle was born in Terre Haute over a hundred years ago. That’s a different story for another day.

At the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall in Denver I found a lot of aviation related items including a nice print and this vintage Pan American carry-on bag. It’s in great shape and was under $20.

It’s hard to even find this sort of thing locally and it would cost significantly more around here.

I also like to seek out old snapshots like the ones pictured above with the bag. These photos can be acquired for as little as fifty cents or a few dollars. The Brass Armadillo had a ton of booths with boxes of pictures and I finally just had to cut myself off. These are especially neat souvenirs as some can be found with regional interest that show local architecture and landscape.

I like vintage photography and always think it’s sad to see family photos tossed in a box for sale. So I collect the ones that draw my eye and affectionately think of them as “The Family.”

We didn’t know it at the time, but this store is actually part of a regional chain. It’s enormous with over 600 vendors and a ton of variety.

Literally, friends. You don’t know what you’ll find around the next corner.

I was dying to bring home any number of vintage suitcases but the logistics of air travel with a somewhat fragile old suitcase were too much to deal with. Another time!

If you’re in the Denver area, I highly recommend checking out the Brass Armadillo. Learn more about them on their website or maybe find a location closer to you.

Seeing Red

The color red draws me in like a moth to flame. This is never more apparent than when scrolling through my camera roll after an antiquing trip.

The day I found the lunchboxes, I also found this adorable kiddie tractor.

Nifty wall art, reproduction but cute for a kitchen.

This fabulous red typewriter that I badly wanted. It’s the sort of typewriter that great novels should be written on!

A great Coca Cola cooler.

And an even better Coke machine.

Of course, I bought none of these things but they made for great study during my little field trip.

Is there a color or a type of object that catches your eye?

Post Covid Bucket List: Shop For Summer Clothes

I’ve been thinking about all the things I want to do when this is over and one of them is extremely simple. I want (and need) to go shopping for summer clothes for work.

One thought has repeatedly crossed my mind these last few weeks. If I had known my last trip to TJ Maxx would be my last trip, I would have appreciated it more.

This is where I tend to find good deals on cute dresses and tops for work. Not to mention shoes, cute bags, and fun household goods.

I am not a trendy person but tend to stick with more timeless styles and especially enjoy a good bargain.

My summer wardrobe consists of many things that are either too big or too small and a handful of things that fit. It’s time to buy new clothes but purchasing new online is just a miserable experience.

In fact, I recently read a story about how online shoppers buy multiple sizes of a piece so they can try on and return what they don’t need. That’s great except that many retailers throw away the returned items. It evidently is more expensive to pay someone to check the item for quality and repackage it for sale than it’s worth – an appallingly wasteful system that I’d rather not engage in. Plus I’m not going to the office right now so it can wait until clothes shopping can again be an experience and treat!

Meanwhile, I can’t help but wonder – does TJ Maxx miss me too?

Doing My Part One Book At A Time

The nice thing about being a reader is that this simple act allows you to move freely through time and space without leaving your chair.

The nice thing about the internet is that you can shop for books without leaving your house.

I’ve been doing my part to stimulate the economy and to support small businesses by buying books from the website Alibris.com. It’s sort of like Amazon for books only it’s mostly small booksellers. You can buy new or used and so far, I’ve found fair prices on everything I have wanted to buy.

In fact, every title I have purchased so far has cost between .99 and $2.99 for both hardbacks and softcovers. New and newer books obviously cost more. You do pay to ship but it’s typically $3 or $4 and some retailers will reduce your shipping costs if you buy more than one item from them.

You can search by title, author or ISBN. You can also browse by topic or store. The books are listed by the store and include full descriptions including condition and edition. This is helpful because you may want the newer reprint of an older book.

So far, I have no complaints about condition or quality. If you’re accustomed to free and quick shipping from Barnes and Noble or Amazon, this can take a little longer but not by much.

I try to buy from small Ohio booksellers although the only chain stores I have seen listed are Half Price Books.

There are few bookstores in my area and they’re all closed right now. Plus, I like supporting the mom and pop stores. Even though my orders are never for a lot of money, I hope that it all adds up!

Meanwhile, my reading stack is piling up again and I look forward to opening my mailbox every day. And I always say that having something to look forward to is a key to happiness!

Plus, instead of adding them to my bookshelves, the new titles are stacked together in my laundry room and when I’m ready for a new book I go “shop” the new stack!

Post Covid Bucket List: Antiques Village

It’s not a village and they don’t just sell antiques but Antiques Village is one of my favorite places to search for treasures. It’s in Dayton and I’ve been going a couple of times a year for the last two years.

It appears to be an old grocery store in a strip mall and it’s packed with over 350 vendors selling antiques, crafts, reproduction items, books and all manner of other fun things.

You can absolutely get lost in a place like this.

If you’re a record collector like me, there are tons of records here. I’m actually ashamed to say how many albums I’ve bought here so we won’t dwell on this topic. . .

One large corner is devoted to books which are sold to benefit a local charity. There’s a vendor that specializes in vintage clothing, hats and bags. Their prices are a bit high but it’s a fun booth to browse. Plus there’s lots of furniture and a couple of booths with high end farmhouse decor that I always admire but that doesn’t fit my personal style.

And then there are the more traditional antique mall kind of booths where you find everything but the kitchen sink.

It’s Covid closed right now but when things open up, I’m thinking this will be a day trip. If I can time it right, maybe I can stop and see my pilot friend for a ride in one of his vintage biplanes. There’s a restaurant in downtown Dayton that can make a vegan version of almost every menu item so that will be a must as well.

Click here to visit their website for locations and hours.

There are tons of vendor malls, junk shops, record stores, book shops, and antique stores that will be grateful for our business including many in my own area. Don’t forget to give them some business when you can!

What’s on your bucket list when this is all done?