Monday, May 24, 2010

Out Junking All Weekend

My mom and I agree that the best thing about summer is the never ending amount of garage sales, estate sales, and flea markets. This weekend was no exception. Along with the warm weather came lots of opportunities for finding goodies. We really get a thrill out of hunting for anything chippy and worn. We can spot a dresser with a bad finish and good "bones" from a mile away and we seem to have a radar that detects old, ornate frames that can be painted. I have actually seen my mom run past people toward something she's spotted ahead. Here are a few of the fun finds her and I wrestled out of other shoppers' hands this weekend.
We aren't 100% sure what this cool machine is, but I overheard a lady saying she thought it was used for calculating payroll. When you press any of the buttons, the total at the bottom changes. I tend to be more fascinated by this type of item than my mom. I like old buttons and labels and I'm really attracted to black and white vintage things. I would put this in my house as a piece of art, just because it's neat.

This is an old garden statue of a girl holding her skirt. It has the original paint and she is perfectly weathered and worn. I thought she was the sweetest thing when I picked her up and I knew we had to have her for the store. I'm pretty sure she's concrete because she's pretty heavy. I put her in the baby section and she's holding one of our little barrette sets.
I think my favorite find of the weekend is a collection of over 200 old photos.  I'm so intrigued by the clothes, the furniture, and the look of the people in the past.

Are you seeing what I'm seeing???  I couldn't believe it when I pulled this out of the pile.  He has to be like 10 or 12 years old.  It's so weird!
These two are just cute.

A fun old rocker with white paint and a little green showing through on the edges.  It would be to-die-for on an old wrap around porch!
This little old table has a towel bar that slides out of the side.  It has the original paint so it's perfectly shabby.

This headboard is going to be awesome once we paint it.  Knowing us, it will probably be white.

Some fun vintage purses and a hand mirror.  The blue bag says, "Made in Italy" inside.

A pink wire dress form.  So cute!
This table had ugly 60's knobs and I replaced them with glass and gave it a whole new look.
This half table was already pink when we found it.  Woo hoo!

Can't decide whether to do this one white or black.  Hmmm....
This old box with drawers could be used in so many ways.  I think I'll have to paint it because the yucky stuff on the front isn't coming off.  We use Windex to clean everything and it almost always works.  (A little tip though, don't use the Powerized Windex because it has bleach in it and it will leave spots.  Learned that one the hard way!)

Super cute baby booties, a lampshade with pink ribbon around it, and a baby image.  Another lady had the round baby picture in her hand and I kept thinking, "put it down, put it down, put it down," and she did!  I snatched it up right away for our baby section.

And last but not least:
I'm already collecting the charming retro Christmas goodies for a display I'm envisioning for Christmas.  Yes, that's right, us retailers have to think about the holidays when everyone else is thinking about relaxing in the sun.  It's really fun though because I think our customers are going to love it!

Well, those were just a few of our finds this weekend.  There are more pieces of furniture that need to be painted like a coffee table on wheels, a gorgeous sofa table, and lots of mirrors and frames.  Next weekend, we're setting up a booth at Gypsy Caravan, a huge flea market at The University of Missouri St. Louis.  Maybe you can stop by and have your own junking weekend!  See you there and pictures of the event will be posted soon after.  Can't wait!         -Lindsay

Friday, December 18, 2009

Christmas Sale in Progress!!

All of our Christmas merchandise is 30% off this weekend.
We still have alot of really fun, beautiful decor and gifts available.
The sale will be December 19th & 20th (Saturday 10-5 & Sunday 11-4)
Hope to see you!!

Monday, December 7, 2009

OPEN HOUSE FUN

Wow! What a fun weekend. It was great to see so many of our super customers and friends. Thanks so much for loving our store as much as we do. We went through a lot of champagne and cookies and 3 lucky customers won some prizes in our drawing.
We go to the Atlanta Market in January to buy merchandise for the year. We will update you with the trends in decorating for 2010. We don't always follow trends, but sometimes we can incorporate them in a small way to stay fresh.
We have been so blessed to have several local designers keep our store full of their unique items. Susan Medart, Knollwood Lane, keeps us supplied with her "Vintage Inspired" baby onesies, tees, and suitcases, plus aprons, cards, and ladies tees, all with a sense of humor Susan supplies. Diane Martin, Diane Martin Designs, is responsible for her fantastic frames with large bows which coordinate with beautiful papers she uses on the front of the frames. Jan and Adonna, Old Barn Rescue, create fun art from old door panels, windows, hardware, etc. adding fun quotes or words on some of the pieces. Our newest addition, Phyllis Eckoff, Iron Wings, creates one of a kind jewelry using vintage watch parts, dominoes and other interesting finds.
We are also very pleased to have a new part time employee, Aimee Gronborg, who many of you have had a chance to meet. She works full time for Barnes-Jewish during the week and has a teenage daughter and 18 month old son that keep her very busy. We wish she could work at the shop every day!! She is very smart and funny and is one of the best employees we have had. She will only be at the shop on the weekends through the holidays. Did we mention she has a super, master carpenter husband, Martin? He has crafted the "cubbie" you will see filled with Knollwood Lane baby goodies, and headboards made out of old doors. Maybe our dream of The White Rabbit Cottage Furniture Collection will actually come true!
Stay tuned as we add pictures and links to the blog.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR OPEN HOUSE
DECEMBER 4TH-6TH
FRIDAY-SUNDAY 10-6
LOTS OF FOOD, DRINKS, FUN, & A SALE
15% OFF THE ENTIRE STORE

Thursday, November 5, 2009

SNOWY SALE!!

The White Rabbit will have a sale this weekend-
Friday-Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m, November 6th, 7th, & 8th.
20% Off Storewide
Get a start on your Christmas gift shopping & decorating for the holidays. We have a great selection of trees, ornaments, and decorative accessories including your favorites like: Bethany Lowe, Cody Foster, and K.D. Vintage. We have lots of fun jewelry and baby gifts too.
Hope to see you!!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Back From Atlanta

I'm back from the Atlanta Mart, an exhausting week of walking for miles and miles to find great new merchandise for the shop. I wasn't going to go to market again until January, but when Jennifer from Dazzle Boutique called and asked me to share the drive and a room with her I could not resist. Besides, we could really use some gift items for Christmas to add to the mix. I found plenty of fun things I think customers will love, and Jennifer and I enjoyed our evenings looking at catalogs and sharing new companies we found.
One new vendor had the coolest shabby, french stuff. I ordered tons of things from her. Also ordered some new jewelry lines and some great handbags. Things should start arriving next week.
I ran into Debbie from The Curious Sofa in a showroom. I would love to see her shop in Kansas City someday, it looks like my favorite decorating styles.
Next weekend we're having a sale with Tiger Lily and Dazzle right next door to The White Rabbit. They are bringing loads of merchandise that will be reduced by as much as 75%. The sale will be Saturday 10-5, and Sunday 11-4. Don't miss it!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Welcome To Our New Blog

I cannot believe it has been 8 months since the flood in September and one year (June 10th) since my mastectomy. Time sure flies when you are trying to survive disasters.
I have been given an all clear from the breast cancer and the flood turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to my daughter & I. Our new store is 3500 sq ft and has room to grow. We have more parking and better visibility from the street. Some of our customers have decided they liked the old store better, but in time the new one should be more cozy and vintage feeling.
We were so lucky to have stumbled onto Sara Duckett, (Sadie Olive), who put together our awesome new website and blog. Donna Courtney, from The Decorated House, drew our new rabbit logo which is the same shape as the old rabbit, but has more charming detail. Both Sara and Donna are featured in the May/June/July 2009 issue of Artful Blogging.
Lindsay and I are planning to start a "Ladie's Night Out" shopping event. Stay tuned for the details coming soon. We are looking forward to seeing you all this summer. We will be bringing Daisy with us to the shop now that the new floors are down. (I should probably say a big "Thank You Honey!" to my husband, Brad, who installed our floor along with Lindsay. His knees are not good to begin with, but he did the job well.
Gotta go, dinner time!