something happened to me when i lost my job this fall. after having to rethink my life, my job and my budget i found myself returning to handmade projects around the house and feeling a renewed interest in thrift stores and furniture that was affordable but just needed a little love. for the past few months i’ve been planning a road trip to check out some great flea markets and thrift shops in the north east where i could find some older furniture in need of a good home and a new coat of paint. the lovely thing about all this vintage research has been checking out all of the vintage etsy shops available. without opening a huge can of worms, i’ll say that i was skeptical at best of etsy’s decision to allow vintage finds on the site. rather than get into that whole topic, i’ll say that in reality, it’s been nice to have an easy place to find affordable odds and ends that come with a little bit of history and character. some of my favorite come from the abigail vintage shop- these little horses, owl and matchbooks are fun ways to add a little visual interest to a dull spot in my home without giving into the stuff i see sold in big box store windows. you can browse abigail’s etsy shop right here or click here to view the full etsy vintage page.
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i just snagged the little blue horses. i’m a total sucker for horses! the wallet is a little bare after the holidays, but I had to have these. thanks grace!
love those little horses!
Hi I’ve been a long time lurker and I think this site is wonderful! I just want to say that you’re not entirely alone into rethinking your life. I’ve been doing that lately and like you, I’ve been doing a few projects of my own. If you’d like to see, just click on the website I typed. Well, I hope you every success.
i love abigail’s shop! i’ve already made some of the treasures in her shop my own. she finds the sweetest things. i love her design blog, too!
Grace, please tell us you’ll post a guide of northeast fleamarkets and vintage-shopping hot spots! I’ve been wanting to do a similar road trip since I moved into a new NYC apt this summer, and would love to hear about your finds. Thanks!
i definitely will! i’m building a list as we speak :)
grace
I have those same horses — from Pearl River for like $2! I wonder if the mold is really popular?
Very cute owl! Where’s it from? I also love some of the vintage finds on etsy, particularly bluebellbazaar.
Bless you dear for tipping your hat in the direction of vintage on Etsy. I know it has been a controversial topic… but I think it is a great addition to the site. There are pros and cons of course… but that is the case with just about anything!
It just seems that handmade and vintage/upcycled/recycled sort of go hand in hand.
oh my god, another reason to get lost in the world of etsy. i love the matchbook… it reminds me of my stepdad’s matchbook collection from when he was in the navy. if he still had it, i’d send him one of these… but my mom made him throw it out.
I can’t tell which is cuter: the little owl or the little horses!
Can I make a recommendation for vintage shopping in the northeast? This past fall, my husband and I spent a weekend in Rhinebeck NY and went to nearby Red Hook, NY for a browse. There is a huge antique store there called Annex Antiques Center (among others). I picked up some vintage pyrex mugs, a beautiful desk, and other odds and ends. I cannot wait to go back.
This is unrelated to the post, but I am hoping you’ll soon have a design guide for Seattle and the pacific northwest! And, any tips for vintage finds out here would be swell, too! I’m a huge fan of your work, Grace!
Hi! Pen fanatic here – which type are those in your photo? :)
Regarding your thrifting endeavors, if you ever find yourself road-tripping upstate the best S. Army store I ever met was in Bath, NY. I’m pretty sure I died and went to heaven that day.
Oh great! Abbey is just excellent at finding vintage or stylish things and her blog is a wonderful place for tips and links. Love those little blue horses :)
Kate, the pens are PaperMate Flair Felt-Tip Pens, Medium Point and you can buy them at Staples. I’m obsessed with the pink and orange inks, which you can only buy in the assorted sets of 16 (sigh!).
I think that often times handmade and vintage do go hand-in-hand as well. The same love and care has to go into seeing that rough gem of a vintage chair, and knowing the beauty that it can be after a coat of paint and fabric, the same as in being creative in any other way. I apologize for the self promotion, but I have an etsy shop that happens to sell both- I think you might like!!! Bluebellbazar and deadbirdfinds are other great vintage etsy shops.
The best place in the country for antiques and thrift is Denver, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour outside of Philadelphia. There is a seven mile strip of antique dealers and you can find just about anything! The prices are amazing, too- I have found things there for a third of the price they would go for in California or New York.
I IMMEDIATELY recognized the Flair pens before anything else…I have been obsessed with them for about 9 years now! Isn’t it silly that I didn’t notice anything else at first??? Hehe :)
A great year-round flea in the northeast is the Elephant’s Trunk in New Milford, CT. It’s great because there aren’t only niche sellers who know to-the-t exactly what their wares are worth; they are mostly sellers who buy out new england estates and have everything from old type sets to old bikes to furniture that needs a little refinishing. http://www.etflea.com/
I am brand new to the world of etsy and all it has to offer!! I am so excited and I too beleive that vintage and handmade items do indeed go together.
If you’re planning a flea market/antique shop road trip, you MUST check out the Roller Mills and Street of Shops (within a five block radius) in Lewisburg, PA – just under three hours from New York. Lewisburg itself is a wildly cute historical district, and those stores are RIDIC. The furniture prices make my brain fall out of my head all the time- I found a vintage waterfall dresser for $20. I find all my best stuff there.
http://www.streetofshops.net/
(with my alltime fave flea market downstairs- so big and open 7 days a week)
http://www.rollermills.com/
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