Yesterday we went to an indoor antique mart . . . It’s a big place, and we spent a few hours going through it. Booth after booth of dealers trying to peddle old stuff.
The thing is, it did not occur to me to snap any pictures until I saw this thing . . .
Don’t know what it’s called here, but it’s got wheels, and a kid can scoot along the floor by pushing with their legs . . . A Scooter!!
That it was in the shape of the shuttle, is what caught my attention. Now, you would think I would have gone out to the car to get my expensive camera. But no . . . I used the camera on my Droid X. I really like the phone, but it’s not known for the quality of the pictures it takes. Especially in a poorly lit environment.
Some of the pictures are so bad that to include them in here I played around with them quite a bit.
Thankfully, most are passable . . . if not up to my usual anal-retentive standards.
Old duck decoys.
For people who do not find antique shops interesting . . . well, you are probably young, and antique to you means iPhone 3. These places can be overwhelming, as this place was.
Some booths are organized, but crammed full of stuff . . .
. . . while others are just crammed full of stuff.
The presentation of some is obviously geared to evoking a certain memory . . . of times gone by, when perhaps our world was a tad simpler.
Sometimes it’s the things themselves which bring back memories.
This particular thing stirred memories from my youth . . .
You see, when I still lived in Italy, I met the Queen, and she gave me a coffee grinder. I remember it clearly . . .
. . . no, wait. I remember the coffee grinder. Whenever my mother would make coffee, and I was not in the doghouse for being a very annoying and difficult child, she would let me work the grinder. I think I used it twice.
Sometime you come across a dish, jar, or other item which had shared a part of your life. It may not have been the exact same design, but one of the canisters in the back looks very much like one that had shared a part of its life with mine.
There were many such items that crossed my field of vision during the time spent there.
Sometime it’s just a bunch of stuff arranged to capture your attention.
It’s not just booths . . . there are display cases as well . . .
Many hold memorabilia from times gone by . . . stuff that might hold a place of importance in someone’s life.
Or even stuff that holds a different kind of interest.
Knives, yes, but also . . . walking canes with swords in them. Me Want.
Here is one case that captured my attention . . . Wizard of Oz cookie jars. Big cookie jars.
That scarecrow . . . always hamming it up!
All in all, it was a fun few hours looking back at times gone by. Why, I even found an early wireless keyboard!
There are a few more photos in the SmugMug Gallery HERE. As I said, the quality is not there, but it may hold some interest just because of the content.
As usual, thanks for stopping by, and I hope it was worth your while. If it was, tell everyone. If it wasn’t . . . eh! . . . maybe next time.
Salvage the Effort
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. . . my FP ward . . . chieken shit.
I usually don’t like these antique markets (i’m a bull in a china shop) but you made this look like fun. And the phone did a fine job in this environment.
That’s a lot of stuff…I enjoyed your photos, even from a phone….
. . . imagine a hundred times more . . . then multiply by two.
From now on, whenever I accompany my wife to any of these places, the big rig comes with me.
And probably lots of people, too? What were YOU doing there? ;)
You still captured the essence of the place and things with the phone, and in that setting, that almost seems to be enough…but have fun with the big rig. :)
Melisa was shopping for a few items she’s interested in. I just like looking at all the stuff.
And . . . me and the big rig? . . . we always have fun.
:)
That was some antique market! We used to go to antique markets in Aberdeen, Scotland. It’s pretty scary when you start to relate to stuff being sold as antiques, perhaps if I just think of them as “collectables” it will make me feel better.:) The phone camera is brilliant, it gives the ability to take photographs where a camera is an encumbrance.
Yeah, it says something when things I’ve owned are collectibles . . .
And the regular camera is no encumbrance . . . the phone is somewhat cumbersome to use because of how they have the buttons positioned. Or maybe I’m just not much of a phone-photo-taker-guy.
My better half would love this place; just as well it’s too far away to drive to.
I would have thought there would be lots of these places in Europe. Or are the younger generation not bought into the idea that anything more than a few years old is not worth keeping?
Let’s just say that communism didn’t leave that many antiques with style; I love the colonial or even Victorian look of some of the old furniture.
I’m all for second hand, it’s the ultimate in recycling.
What an eldorado, the right place for me. But I have forbidden myself to buy anything more of the old stuff, so I would go to the car and get my real camera. Even if your photos are good enough to be tempted..
I have to admit that just a few years ago I would have walked out with a few of those things . . . now I’m content to capture them for my memories.
These are great! My husband and I have spent many hours in these types of places. He tries to look at ev.er.y.th.ing … while I tend to walk much faster up and down the aisles, only stopping where I think book treasures may be hidden. That sewing machine – my dad brought one home just like it and put it in the basement. It may have been my grandmother’s. I tried to teach myself to sew using that old thing. I didn’t accomplish much, but if was fun.
I have some memories of a similar machine, but I’m not sure it it was my mother’s or my grandmother’s. Either way, it was pedal-driven . . . and hence of interest to me. No, not for sewing. Purely from a mechanical standpoint.
emilio, the people of today, have missed one of lifes paths. it is called (YESTERDAY). it is their path that is more important than someone elses. the picture of the old sewing machine is great. that shop looks great too. i love going to places like this. and going back into time and wondering about other peoples lives.
The pictures are great and so is the variety of things to look at on each photo. By the way, when we visited the Canonica a couple of years ago I was very pleased to see that the macinino di caffe that nonna used was still in the kitchen cabinet along side a bag of coffee beans. Like you, that item brought back many great memories of wonderful times gone by.
I remember my fascination with the thing when I was young . . . easily entertained, we were in those days.