All Things Must Pass

It's a bittersweet week here at Antiques on Cannon. To quote George Harrison - "All Things Must Pass", and this week we close the doors at our sister shop Chestertown Antique Mall.

It is, I think, a sign of the times. We have read in the antiques trade publications and heard dealer lamentations for some time now about the absence of young people at shops and shows, and the graying of the customer for traditional antiques categories. It's certainly something we've seen evidence of in our own shops and travels.

One of our goals in opening Antiques on Cannon was to provide the kind of merchandise the younger collector is looking for - a hipper, more modern look that is functional and affordable. It's an interesting parallel to the rise of 20th century modern design - a move to make quality, unembellished furnishings that were affordable to the average person. Judging by the response of customers, we believe we have hit our mark in doing so as well.

Now we will incorporate "the best of the best" of our antiques dealers from Chestertown Antique Mall, bringing a diverse selection that ranges from classic to modern all in one shop.

We're celebrating this happy union during downtown Chestertown's First Friday event on January 4, complete with champagne and wedding cake! We hope you'll join us - we can already feel the love!

Cheers!
marilyn

On the road to find the next treasure!

I consider myself to be one of the very lucky people whose work is their hobby and vice versa. Really. I love what I do. I get to go shopping all the time, buy great things and put them together to create wonderful room settings, see them being enjoyed and on their way to new homes. Who couldn't love doing this?

The "finding" is both the most challenging and the most fun. I NEVER know what I will find. A place will yield lots of things one time and nothing the next. A day can end with a van full or just one small item. There is no rhyme or reason which, of course, is one of the things that makes it so much fun - a "find" is that much sweeter for having appeared.

So this weekend, when I found a crushed velvet orange striped club chair AND (in another place altogether) a fantastic striped loveseat with chrome legs, it felt like hitting the jackpot. Top it off with some great vintage posters and accessories and I will ride the high for days!

Best part is I discovered some new places to go and that's always a plus - the more resources we have available, the more we are able to provide a diverse selection and keep prices in line.

I can't wait to get these treasures in the shop! Better get some sleep so I can tackle it tomorrow!

Sweet retro dreams to you -
marilyn

Hollywood Glam is Back!!!

I know I just posted yesterday but honestly, I just couldn't contain myself!

Many of you know I'm a fan of vintage mirrored furniture and accessories. I grew up with a set of 1960s Italian provincial mirror-top tables in my parents living room, and the nested tables from that set reside in my living room today. I am contstantly on the lookout for vintage mirrored items - dresser and tissue boxes, lamps, little wastebaskets, hampers - and furniture. I sometimes find the accessory items, and usually buy them when I see them. But the furniture is out of the reach of most of us - there's a cabinet I've been lusting after in Lambertville, New Jersey, but it's priced over $3000.

There's a reason for that. In the 50+ years since Hollywood Glam (think 1940s Rita Hayworth) was been in fashion, many mirrored pieces have suffered breakage that's significant enough to devalue or discard them. Pieces in pristine condition command top dollar. Wish I looked as good after 50+ years as these pieces do. I am happy to content myself with accessories.

Bombay Company (which is going out of business, if you didn't already know) has had a piece called a Glamour Chest for several years, a little mirrored cabinet that's quite marvelous. It has been the lone example of glam mirrored furniture in mainstream stores. But yesterday I walked into Pier 1 and almost fell over - they have introduced a complete line of mirrored furniture - dresser, vanity, tall cabinet, low stool. It's really quite fantastic.

So now Hollywood glam is mainstream. Wonderful! It represents a great opportunity to "marry" vintage and contemporary. I'm not normally an advocate of this philosophy - particularly if the contemporary equivalent of a vintage piece is made in Southeast Asia of particle board and priced more than the vintage piece. But when vintage isn't accessible to most of us - in this case because of both price and availability - mixing old and new, IMHO, is a perfectly acceptable approach. Buy a currently made piece (and no, it probably won't last 50+ years, but you can enjoy it now), and accessorize with authentic vintage.

I'll be on the prowl for those accessory pieces.

Come in and "mix it up" with us!
marilyn

Shop retro - it's retro priced!

We love the holidays! Ok, we LOVE shopping, and the holidays give us that many more reasons to do it. But, even better, we love shopping for YOU. We've been stocking up with great finds - lots of dining tables and chairs, daybeds, a pair of incredible powder blue side chairs, and lots of little treasures in every price range.

There's the authentic 1960s "Best Friends" key ring - yin yang and other symbols - keep one half for yourself and give one half to your best friend - a great $5 stocking stuffer! And grab a vintage ornament - just $2.

My favorite little tidbit dishes in Picasso-esque patterns - $12 each or $40 for a set of 4. Wow! Candy dishes & platters in the $20 to $40 range. Cocktail shakers, martini sets and barware - lots of choices in the $30 to $50 range. There's even a set of dishes for 4 - an authentic 1970s pattern called Circle in a Square - priced at just about $100.

At Antiques on Cannon, it's not only retro merchandise, it's retro priced too! When we're out and about shopping we see many of the things we offer, priced at two to three times as much or more! Remember that great set of Italian chairs we had for $295? We saw their twins at the Piers in New York for $1,425. No kidding.

And do I need to mention, giving antiques is a gift to mother earth as well - 100% recycled, totally green.

I'd love to stay and "talk antiques" some more, but I'm off to do some more holiday shopping for you. Send us an email to let us know what's on your list: antiquesoncannon@comcast.net!

Happy Holidays -
marilyn

LIVE from NEW YORK!

That's right - the Antiques on Cannon crew was LIVE in NEW YORK at last weekend's famous Piers Antiques Show - a stunning event featuring hundreds of dealers - some the very top of the top and others offering a wide representation of items sought by the general collector.

Whatever the price range, the Piers Show is the trendsetter for fashion and furnishings - if you want to see what to get RIGHT NOW, you will see it at the Piers. And BOOM, you will see it in the magazines and all the hot spots.

So, what did we see? Our team fanned out to cover the most ground. Without a doubt, we saw one of everything imaginable - from oversized termite sculptures (we are hoping they were used for display in an exterminator's office!), to the most spectacular furniture and silver you could imagine. For those of us who love antiques, it was like being let loose in the candy shop!

And then we got together on the radio - "Emerging" sponsored by Antiques on Cannon on Fridays at 10 on AM 1530 WCTR - and compared notes. Here's our top picks for 2008 trends:

LUCITE! Wherever we turned there was lucite - lamps, tables, accessories, ice buckets & serveware. Lucite is back in vogue everywhere imaginable.

TECHNO/INDUSTRIAL: The look is sleek, cool and steel! From vibrantly painted machine molds fitted out with mirrors, to steel carts and bins and lockers and grids turned into wall art, this is the urban loft look meets the rest of the world! Our personal read was that this craze is inspired by the popularity of stainless steel kitchen fixtures, but whatever the reason, we love it!

FORM AS ART: Interesting lines, objects that were once functional take on new life as art. Glove forms, clock faces, robins eggs under a glass dome - there is an appreciation for the aesthetic of the form that catapults it into a class of "art" that is truly hip.

MID CENTURY MODERN (RETRO): It's back with a vengeance! And what a look! From the '50s space age through the postmodernism of the '70s - WOW! We were inspired by the adaptability of these pieces! Mid century low profile consoles and cabinets are the perfect pieces for big screen televisions. Teak nested tables with the minimalist lines that are re-emerging now. The technology that inspired the mid-century designers is the hallmark of the 21st century as well!

MIX IT UP: To sum it up - there are no rules! Painted cupboards, industrial steel, mid-century modern furniture, Italian tole painted accessories and lucite lamps - all shown together in vignettes that actually work! Collecting and collectors are no longer categorized by style or period, it's about what you love, put together to become YOUR look.

We at Antiques on Cannon let inspiration run wild! You'll see evidence of all these trends in our shop, with more coming in all the time! Who needs shopping malls and catalogs when we've got everything you need for fun living right here?!

Happy shopping!
marilyn

My latest love - a red leather chair

Sometimes you are lucky enough to come upon something that is so wonderful you can just barely stand it. Our newest arrival - a red leather chair - is exactly that thing.

You can see for yourself why I'm smitten with it - talk a look at our Newest Arrivals page. First of all, it's red! How can you not love that? Curled up with a book? Opening holiday presents? Tucked in a corner of a bedroom or by a window? And take my word for it, it's verrrrrrry comfy.

But more than that, take a look at the line. In this chair, which dates to the 1950s, is an historical footnote to the transition from traditional styling to the sleek, modern line that we associate with Mid Century furnishings. It retains some traditional design elements: nailhead construction, a slight roll to the upholstery - yet the feet, the low slung seat and arms, the squareness of the back - these are the markers of things to come. Unlike some of our later chairs which are all straight lines and corners and sharply defined edges, our new red chair marries some of the best elements of two design periods.

I just love it. I hope you will too. Come see it soon, before it finds a home.

hoping you too have a graceful transition into the weekend -
marilyn

Leopard hats, italian chairs, '60s art - flying out the door!

It's been a fun weekend here at Antiques on Cannon. Lots of local folk and visitors out and about in town to see the tall ships, the Schooner Sultana Downrigging and the Artist's Studio Tour. Also fun because we expanded our space and converted what had been an office into more shopping fun for you!

What's been most interesting is seeing what people are responding to and how they are interacting with things. Being in the shop is a totally sensory experience - colors, textures, shapes, contrasts, the unexpected and the juxtaposed. You have to take it in, wrap your mind around it, experience the objects on many levels.

Many of our favorite treasures found new homes this weekend: the wall hanging in the shape of eyeglasses fitted with mirrors; the fabulous '60s cubist framed wall sculpture (oh how I loved that one!); that set of smashing Italian chairs (if you missed seeing them you can catch them on our website on the Newly Arrived page) - those were a fantastic find!; a very versatile 1970s gateleg table, a style borrowed from the 19th century, that folded to 9" and opened to 55"; a camel saddle, faux alligator luggage, lamps and champagne buckets, and every leopard hat we had!

And the best part - people were having fun! To quote one customer "I love this shop! I just can't leave because every time I turn around there's something else wonderful!" Or another customer's perspective: "It's so nice to see such DIFFERENT things".

Well yes, we are different. Many of our objects are one-of-a-kind and unusual. And many are things you use everyday - chairs, dining sets, coffee tables - but we have hand picked them to be fun and interesting. So when you bring that new chair home it becomes a focal point, a statement, it adds character. And you feel good every time you see it, sit in it and are complemented on it. Life's too short to live any other way!

Here's to every day harboring an adventure -

marilyn

Somebody pinch me!

This one is short and sweet - just cracked open the latest issue of Country Living and can't believe my eyes! Sandwiched in between the exquisite photos and articles about country furnishings and decorating, are two very notable features.

The first is on a woman whose business is built completely around repurposing. Yup.

But the second - dare I believe my eyes - is something like "country meets mid century modern"! The lines of the furniture, the mod globular lamps, the mirrored dressing table (!!! in Country Living???!!!) - it is just too chic! And look at the lines on those chairs - straight out of Kelly Wearstler's "Modern Glamour". And they are positioned next to a red painted twig table - quintessential country decor. Wow!

It all speaks to a transition that's taking place and lines that are being mixed and crossed to create a personal style that's hip, chic, sophisticated and homey.

I'm off to do an antique show this weekend, the Mid Atlantic Antiques Market at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, Maryland. Can't wait to "get out among it" and see who's showing what. If you're out and about, come see us!

Here's to luxuriating in the bounty of Autumn -
marilyn

the joys of repurposing

Straight off the bat, I’m going to come clean. I am an HGTV junkie. Give me a room to redecorate, a house to makeover, a choice between the urban loft and the ranch in the suburbs, a floor to tile and I’m loving life!

And I have to admit, it’s a real rush to see one of those celebrity decorators use something in a room that’s identical to something I’ve just brought into Antiques on Cannon. It happened just this week when I bought in a little Formica bistro table (paired with two turquoise [!!!] swivel chairs) and then saw its twin being used in a pricey kitchen makeover.

So when “repurposing” got “discovered” in TV land, well, I was one happy girl. Just so we’re all on the same wave length, repurposing is taking an object originally made for one purpose and extending its life by converting it to use as something new. Like using vintage furnishings, it’s the ultimate recycling.

There’s a natural division, in my mind, to repurposed things. There are the very straightforward: this used to be a machine mold. I put a piece of mirror in it and now it is my bathroom mirror. Easy. Then we have the gentleman I wrote about a few weeks ago who gathered up all the lampshade forms from a factory that was closing, and started welding them together to make table bases. Oh the creative mind!

Once you get in that mindset, it just starts to flow. I picked up a terrific old leather steamer trunk last week. With the addition of some legs it will make a great coffee table (and your friends will be so envious!). Then there’s the fantastic bar we have in the shop; look closely and you’ll see it was a sewing machine cabinet that someone lovingly re-outfitted. And now that I think about it, we have another bar – perfect for a rec room – the countertop is a salvaged ship’s hatch. Bottoms up!

A cart from a textile mill becomes a kitchen island. A stack of suitcases is transformed into an end table. Mount a ship’s wheel on a base, top it with glass, and a coffee table is revealed. A large painted oriental wooden screen is reborn as a headboard, as is a fabulous three part etched and gilded mirror.

Back in the days when I was working as a psychotherapist, I used to think my work with people was like peeling back the layers of an onion; the deeper you went, the more compelling the story. I find the same intrigue with repurposed found objects; they all have a story, you just have to get under a few layers to find it. Last week I met someone who was selling out the contents of a factory. Lots of low carts and high carts and desks make of steel grid, painted different colors. By the time I got there he only had one left in the size I wanted and it was covered in contact paper, but I was willing to chance it that I could clean it up.

As I was peeling off the layers I was thinking “Wouldn’t this be great painted high gloss black, fitted with glass shelves and decked out with chrome cocktail shakers and barware?” Yes, it would. But underneath all the layers, written on the grey paint on the top surface is “Annie’s Cart – Carding Room”. A story. A piece of American history. A person, who worked in a mill, in the carding room, who everyday sat down with her cart and did her job, carding the wool that made the clothes that our grandparents proudly wore, looking so serious, in that picture we have on our dresser. Annie’s story. The cart’s story. Our story.

So I’m holding off on the painting. I’ll leave that decision to the next person. Meanwhile, a woman named Annie who will always be unknown to us, has a place in the present here on Cannon Street.

marilyn

Grrrrrrrr! Animal prints are hot!

Seems like everywhere we look we see animal prints – decorator magazines, designer websites, high end home furnishings catalogs and department stores. Leopard, zebra, cheetah, giraffe, alligator, snakeskin – it’s all hot!

And even better, it’s classic. Throughout the 20th century, fashion and design turned again and again to animal prints; many of us personally recall the leopard collars and cuffs of the 1960s. Weren’t we sophisticated?

Here at Antiques on Cannon we’re pretty inspired; it’s got our decorator juices flowing! In fact, it must be contagious – I no sooner started writing this blog than our great animal print finds started flying out of the shop. No matter, we’re always on the prowl. For now, we are pleased to offer vintage belts in leopard and snakeskin, faux alligator travel cases, reptile purses – even our signature zebra print hide rug (not old, but classic!).

We updated some great retro pieces, like a 1950s blonde dining room set and a rattan daybed, with a fabulous cheetah print and they were a big hit – all the way out the door! So next up we’ll recover a Lucite stool, some little benches, and see what other treasures we can find. The hunt is on again!

Let your wild-ness run free –
marilyn

What's "Emerging"?

This is an exciting week at Antiques on Cannon – it’s the debut of our new radio interview show “Emerging” on WCTR AM 1530. Now what’s an antiques shop doing on hosting a radio show, you might ask. Good question.

My interest in antiques is deeply rooted in my love of folk art; objects made by everyday people, untrained in any form of art, but whose drive for self expression and fundamental need to create compels them to make objects that are often thought-provoking, whimsical, sentimental – and always created with passion.

It is the spirit of the folk artist that intrigues me. It is true that in the days when people made their own entertainment, much time was spent whittling, sewing, making baskets, carving and so on. The folk artist took that task one step further by making functional objects and then embellishing or crafting them in such a way as to become works of art. They couldn’t just make a pitcher, for example. They had to give it eyes and ears and a snout so that it took on a character of its own. In contemporary vernacular they were proclaiming “I gotta be me!”.

I see this same spirit in today’s entrepreneurs. Here in Kent County we are fortunate to have a significant number of hugely talented young people who have struck their own path – as retailers, in the service industry, as artists, artisans and authors, as restaurateurs. They have chosen the road less traveled over what others would perceive as a safer, more secure path. Their work is their art.

And frankly, I think that’s fabulous. It is that spirit that turns the wheels of this country. And just as our antiques shop preserves the creations of folk artists of generations past so that their attempts at self expression continue to bring joy to others, so do we wish to recognize those who are doing just that today.

Emerging will air at 10:00 a.m. every Friday. Each week we’ll interview someone who has set their own course or whose passion has led to something extraordinary, and we’ll find out what makes them tick.

This Friday, as a preview of our First Friday festivities, we’ll interview Bonnie K. Connelly, artist/author of Everything’s Coming Up Sock Monkeys, and Philadelphia sock monkey collector Elaine Golak whose collection of vintage sock monkeys has taken on a life of its own, inspiring paintings, greeting cards, calendars, photographs and gallery showings.

I hope you’ll join us – on the air and at Antique on Cannon. Did I remember to say we just got in some wonderful furniture and decorative accessories?

Here’s to seeing the world from the eyes of a spirit unleashed –
marilyn

"Where do you find this stuff?"

People are always asking “Where do you find this stuff?”, so I thought it would be fun to give you some insight into a typical day of hunting.

Out the door this morning (Sunday) at 5:30. Not even the dog is getting up to say “good bye”. I am heading to a flea market in Lambertville, New Jersey, about 3 hours away; I got too late a start for the 5 hour drive to Connecticut.

Lambertville has been an antiquing destination for a long time. I’ve been going there for almost 40 years (I started antiquing early!). With two good outdoor markets and several group shops, it offers great shopping and a quaint atmosphere. I always find some wonderful things, and the dealers are friendly. It’s a beautiful day – cool enough to start with a jacket, and sunny. There are pumpkins and mums for sale along the way.

I am not disappointed. I find a several lamps, a vintage poster and a 1960s clock right off the bat. A side table around the corner, another lamp, two more posters and a cowhide rug. Time for the trek back to the van to unload. Down the next aisle and BOOM four great finds in a row!

First, a small faux alligator suitcase (red!) and travel case (brown, with original mirror). Then, while making a “pile” of small things at one table I see leaning up at the end a terrific 1960s wall hanging – over 5 feet long in a big wooden frame with a metal grid interior and in one corner, three blocks – each a different color. It is as retro as it gets – I’m looking forward to researching it!

My luck holds, in a ‘60s kind of way. Two fiberglass stools in an abstract mushroom shape, and a low matching table. The dealer says he got them from a beach house at the Jersey shore. They’ll look great on the blue and green shag rug with circles I just picked up.

Around the corner again where the next surprise awaits me: a group of wire table bases. The dealer is happy to tell me their story. When a lampshade factory was going out of business, he salvaged the wire shade forms and began creating these functional sculptures with them. It is a joy to find such cool repurposed objects, and I gamble and take them all.

I’m feeling pretty pleased. I find a couple more small items before trekking back to the van again. I’m disappointed not to have found furniture, which is what I was really hoping for, but there are a few more stops I can make before heading home.

I am at my happiest doing exactly this (only being with family or girlfriends can compare) but there is one drawback – no indoor plumbing. Think I’ll see if I can find a coffee shop nearby.

By 8 this evening I’m home, the van is unloaded, and I’m ready to head out again later this week. In the meantime, there’s cleaning, research, inventory and pricing before it all hits the floor – I’d better get to work!

May your week be filled with unexpected treasures -
marilyn

Welcome to our passion!

Welcome to Antiques on Cannon and our very first blog. Maybe you’ve found us because you already know us or heard about us, or maybe you just stumbled upon us. However you got here, we’re thrilled!

Antiques on Cannon is a small shop full of fabulous vintage finds & furnishings stocked by antiques dealers who are passionate about the hunt, who love seeing old things brought to life again – used as originally intended or “repurposed” for our contemporary lives, and who believe antiques should be fun and bring joy and be relevant and useful in your everyday lives. We are stylish, funky, whimsical, hip, retro, colorful, cool. If you walked in the door today you’d find a great pair of painted oriental screens that would make incredible headboards; a pair of Scottie dog cocktail tables that make even non-dog-lovers smile (they’re a great match for the Scottie dog napkin rings on wheels); lots of lucite – napkin rings, lamps, paperweights, candlesticks, even a set of nested tables; a lamp made from a trumpet; comfy chairs in leather, suede – even a leopard print. And you just missed a fabulous ‘70s rocking footstool! Are you having fun yet?

We are. And we are particularly proud that antiques are “green” – the ultimate recyclable. All things you can use everyday, spreading pleasure throughout your home. You will regularly find glassware and serving pieces, pillows, lamps and coffee tables, terrific oriental rugs and great vintage and found object jewelry.

Here are some of the things we’ll be writing about in the near future: modern design, organic elements, repurposing for the contemporary home, found objects, industrial machine molds, mixing up styles, and always – what’s emerging!

This week’s books on our nightstand: Jonathan Adler’s My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living, Kelly Wearstler’s Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style; Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers by Leonard Koren, Modern Retro: Living with Mid-century Modern Style by Neil Bingham, Andrew Weaving, and Andrew Wood.

Peace & happy trails - Marilyn