"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