SISTERS ANTIQUES

The Sound of Silence

2012-01-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

... is wonderful, but only when you are ready for it.

For me, it’s been too quiet lately. It started snowing on Saturday, a week and ahalf ago. Roads were almost impossibleto navigate, especially living at the end of a long, narrow driveway and beinga little remote. But I love the snow andthis was to be an adventure... an excuse to play and not work.

But then we lost power last Thursday. It was dark and very cold. We couldn’t even leave the house for thefirst few days. And when we were ableto, we didn’t go far or stay long because we just couldn’t leave our animals alonein a house that had become colder inside than the temperature outside.

Layered in long underwear and sweats, multiple long-sleevedshirts, three pairs of socks, a knee-length down coat with a hood and coveredwith blankets I shared with two cats and two dogs, I heard something. And then the bulbs in my chandelierflickered.

Finally, late yesterday afternoon, we were no longerpowerless.

Powerless... I’dnever thought about that word having so many meanings before.

This morning, our home is warm again, the animals arecontent, I am “powerful.”

And I am happy. Veryhappy.

Little Stuart

2011-12-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

True story... November 26, 2006

It’s5:30 a.m. and we have finally captured little Stuart. He happily rests atop a piece of whole grainbread in an antique pickle jar (which up until moments earlier contained drycat food).

WE -- because this wasa team effort led by Rocky (cat) with Pita (dog) and Shadow (dog) bringing upthe rear. The adventure began last nightwhile we were enjoying the massive snowfall, from the inside looking out, of course. On the telephone in her bedroom, Katie loudlyannounced, “Mooommm… Rocky has a mouse!”

DespiteRocky’s attempts to catch and hold the fuzzy little rodent, he was so tiny thathe quickly escaped the feline grasp. After Katie tossed me a large plastic cup to hold the wild critter, thefive of us ran in and out of rooms throughout the house in hot pursuit.

Soclose so many times, but he eluded us! Our evening was filled with watching the snow fall, checking the news towatch more snow fall, and keeping watch for our furry friend as he scurriedacross the hardwood floor.

Finallydrifting off to sleep around midnight, all was quiet… The dogs were nestled asleep on their beds; nota creature was stirring, not even… ButWAIT! The soft pattering of cat pawsbecame louder and more deliberate, as Rocky once again encountered his new-foundpal. Rallying the troops, he soon chasedthrough the dining room, into the family room, back through the hall and intothe bedrooms, playing tag with Pita and Shadow and a not-so-willing little Stuart. Despite my attempts to put this game offuntil the daylight hours, the race resumed several times during the weehours.

Shortlybefore 5, as one of the team members ran across my sleeping body, obviouslytaking a shorter route to catch up with his pal, I decided to join in. Through the hall, into the kitchen, backaround to the dining room, around the boxes (note to self: finish unpacking or throw this stuff into the garage…),under the coffee table, behind the couch and between the blanket chest, littleStuart was getting tired. Not so for theteam! With Rocky at one end and myflashlight and cup at the other end, I attempted to carefully poke a broomhandle between the couch and chest to prod our furry friend into the safety ofthe cup. Without hesitation, littleStuart squeezed himself under the couch, turned around, and poked his twitchinglittle nose out to see if we were still waiting for him.

Anotherchase behind the buffet, under the dining table, back behind the couch, andunder the fireplace hearth led our buddy to safety behind a stack of suitcaseson the floor. Again, with Rocky at oneend and my flashlight and cup at the other end, I was able to slowly and safelymove the stack away from the wall to expose a very tired, nearly sleeping,little Stuart. Gently, I reached behindthe suitcases and carefully cupped my hand around this little creature andplaced him safely into the plastic cup.

Rockyis still waiting at his end of the suitcase stack for his friend tore-appear. The other two members of theteam, totally exhausted from the chase, are fast asleep on their blankets. And hopefully, sometime this morning whenKatie finally rolls over on the couch (whereshe fell asleep watching the snow) and is face-to-face with the pickle jarsitting on the coffee table, her screams won’t awaken a sleeping little Stuart.

GIVING THANKS

2011-11-24T19:33:00.001-08:00

It’s not that I don’t have plenty to be thankful for, Iguess it just becomes more apparent this time of year.

I found myself complaining (hopefully tomyself and not others) I never felt like I got my fill of summer.

Having grown up in Southern California, I always loved theheat. Even though I’ve lived in the PacificNorthwest for the past 22 years, it seems like there were always distinctseasons... until this year.

Sure, therewere a couple of days in the 80s, but my measurement of what kind of summer I’vehad comes in the form of how many times I’ve watered the lawn and my rosegarden, and whether or not I’ve turned on the fan/air conditioning system wehave.

Sadly, not only have I not wateredthe lawn at all, nor have I turned on any fans, I just noticed today that the Styrofoam protector to keep the pipes from freezing is still onone of the faucets from last year! Andthe only reason I watered my rose garden once or twice was to soften thesoil so I could weed the beds.

I started thinking... how is it that I can feel so youngand so vibrant, but I have outlived all of my relatives except for my childrenand a couple of nieces? Does that makeme the matriarch now? Gulp!

Then I remembered that my oldest son and his wife will behaving their first child in April. Myother son lives a few miles from me so we can visit often. And my daughter is getting married nextJune. I have a second daughter and willsoon have a third son. I will be agrandma for the very first time. Ialready have a wonderful mother-in-law buddy because of my son’s wife, as wellas her sister and a son and daughter. And now I’ll be getting two more in-law buddies next June.

And I am blessed to have the most wonderful man in mylife. He is my best friend, my mentor,my sweetheart. He shared his incrediblemom with me soon after we started dating. Add to that a brother and his wife and family, and a sister and herhusband and family. And the icing on thecake are his two wonderful daughters. One has a great husband, two little boys and a baby boy. The other has a very special man in her life.

You see, sometimes we take for granted those things that should be so obvious. I don’t care if it isn’t hot andsunny all the time; I really don’t care if it rains most of the time. Well, I try not to care about the rain... butliving here and enjoying the lush greenery year-round and the wildlife certainlymakes it all worthwhile.

What a perfect day to think remember how blessed I am and truly be thankful for what I have.

I hope you take the time today to count your blessings as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

CHRISTMAS 2011 -- THE BIRTH OF A NEW TRADITION

2011-11-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

Please realize this blog isn’t “anti” anything. Quite the opposite, it’s “pro”.

PRO-AMERICAN

This was shared on Facebook by Heart Vintage Design, a store in Mount Dora, Florida (a self-proclaimed purveyor of quality vintage items). I think it’s very worthy of being shared again and again.

CHRISTMAS 2011

THE BIRTH OF A NEW TRADITION

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods – merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year should be different. This year Americans need to give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese-produced wrapping paper?

Everyone – yes, EVERYONE – gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement. And for those special furry critters – what about pet groomers?

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants – all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint? Remember folks, this isn't about big National chains – this is about supporting your hometown Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

Okay, you were looking for something more personal... Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner-operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre? Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese made lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of lights, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

May it be your tradition as well.

My Brother’s Baby Girl

2011-10-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

(Written September 6, 2011)

Today I met my brother’s baby... another girl, ten years younger than her sister. Combined with two stepdaughters from his wife’s first marriage, this makes four. Four girls... Four girls in one house!

Can you imagine?

Yikes! The dresses, the hair bows, jewelry, perfume, hats, scarves, tights, leggings, socks, shoes, slips and unmentionables, jeans, coats, purses, gloves...

The ballet lessons, modern dance classes, soccer, piano, singing, T-ball, modeling, glamour shots...

And then they start Kindergarten!

Something is missing. This exclamation is long overdue. I started writing this last night about yesterday’s revelation.

But this should have been written nearly four decades ago. Yes, my niece is 39 and will turn 40 in a few months.

Thanks to Facebook, Andrea (she said, “Call me ‘Andy’”) and Aunt Patty have been reunited... or should I say... united? There’s no “re” about it. None.

For whatever reason, although my folks and I were made aware of the birth of this precious angel from heaven in January 1972, we were never allowed to meet her.

Born near San Diego, a mere 140 miles from my home at the time, my little niece never knew her aunt existed. Worse yet, she never knew she had doting grandparents.

So sad... so tragic... I found out yesterday that she was told her grandparents (my parents) and her aunt had no use for her or her family (including her father) after they were able to bear their own child.

You see, my brother was adopted. My parents “picked” my brother when he was in-vitro. They heard of this poor young couple who were expecting their fifth or sixth child, and the mother was a mere 19 years old. This was about the beginning of World War II. Times were tough, but they were thrilled at the thought of becoming parents.

And one day, after going to the doctor with continual stomach pains and nausea, my mother announced to my father that it wasn’t the flu – she was pregnant! My brother was thrilled! He was going to be a big brother.

My brother married at a very young age and he and his wife had a baby girl. Sadly, the marriage didn’t last long. Another marriage, another failure. A third marriage... and my second niece! And shortly thereafter, another baby... again, a girl!

Sadly, my brother died in an accident just three days before my second child was born. With little to no communication with his widow, we were left wondering about these two little girls. Would we ever see them? Did they even know we existed?

Somehow... and I don’t recall how... my brother’s first daughter had contact with him and his family. She had met her two older half-sisters when she was about ten. And one day she was contacted by one of these girls and found where her younger half-sisters lived.

Although I’ve kept in close contact with my oldest niece over the years, Andy chose not to be found. She finally did make contact with her step-sister some time ago, but refused to acknowledge that she had grandparents or an aunt. Unfortunately, her grandparents died sixteen years ago and they never had the chance to meet her. It was because she had questions that she contacted me.

(Written October 25, 2011)

Andy, who lives in Texas, told me a couple of weeks ago that she was going to be visiting her friend in Portland this week. This was my chance. I’ve waited nearly 40 years for this day. I left at 8:00 this morning and arrived in Portland shortly after 11:00.

Today I met my brother’s baby...

Monticello Antique Marketplace in Portland, Oregon

2011-09-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

This blog isn’t about SISTERS ANTIQUES. Aren’t we supposed to blog about ourselves and promote our businesses??? Sometimes. But this blog is all about a wonderful antique mall in Portland. I love it. My friends love it. And I don’t get there nearly as often as I’d like to...

Last week, I was lucky enough to tag along on my boyfriend’s business trip to Oregon. The first stop was a business meeting in Portland. Even better, he prearranged his meeting at Monti’s Café, right next door to MONTICELLO ANTIQUE MARKETPLACE just for me! That gave me an hour and a half to stroll and drool... Oh my gosh. Seriously. Incredible. I’ve been a dealer in malls for twenty years and I’ve NEVER seen anything like Monticello.

When I came into Monticello’s, I went to the desk and showed them my camera bag and announced, “I’m going to take some photos!”

And the cute gal at the counter looked at the other cute gal at the counter and said, “Ummm... o-k-a-y...” And I proudly marched toward the back where they were hosting their 8^th Annual Fall Event – The Fall Premier Show. Camera on and ready to shoot!

Over a hundred photos later, I’ve pared these down to about a dozen. Nothing more to say. And really... the photos speak for themselves. Make sure you visit next time you are in the area: www.monticelloantiques.com

This Little Light of Mine...

2011-09-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Perhaps it will end up on the cutting room floor... and that’s okay. It was the thrill of the moment... a little shot at stardom.

And seriously... It really doesn’t matter one way or the other. Really...

We recently took in a truckload of new old treasures to Pacific Galleries in Seattle. Although I promised I would just unload stuff and wouldn’t start decorating and displaying... I lied. “Just a couple more minutes... honestly!” I protested. “I’ll be done soon... seriously... it won’t take long at all!” And I added, “Look! I’m almost done!”

... and then there's the stuff on the roof rack!

And it didn’t... take long that is, depending on how you define “a couple more minutes” and “I’m almost done.”

Then this nice man and this nice woman came into my space and started oohing and ahhing. Isn’t that just the best thing to hear when you have a shop or a mall space or a booth in a show? I think so. The nice man was discussing a really cool hanging light fixture with the nice woman and turns to me and said, “Is this your booth?”

I nodded my head “yes” and he asked me to tell them about the lamp. I explained that I bought two strainers, perhaps originally part of a cream separator from a farm, with the intention of transforming them into a pair of farm chandeliers, of sorts. I told him the toughest part was convincing Al, my lamp genius, that I wanted heavy duty chain, not chandelier chain. “You know... the kind you’d tow a car with!”

Lots of heavy duty chain (weighs a ton!)

One of a pair

At this point the nice man identified himself and the nice lady... he’s Roger Hazard, the Designer from SELL THIS HOUSE on A&E Television and she’s Lee Christofferson, Executive Producer for Screaming Flea Productions. They explained that they are working on a new show, EXTREME SELL THIS HOUSE, which will air on October 29^th. This industrial fixture will be the perfect addition to their renovation of a house boat on a certain lake in Seattle.

To my amazement, they asked if I would be willing to return to the mall the following week when they returned with their film crew to film a short segment for the show... and to be included in that clip. Duh... And when I came in Tuesday, I brought my own camera and admitted that, although it was tacky, I sure would like a photo of all of them... with me (that’s the tacky part).

L-R
Celeste Glende, Lee Christofferson, Christina Kindwall, Patty Green, Roger Hazard
and taking the photograph, thank you to Kevin Johnson

So that’s my little claim to fame. Not exactly Schwab’s Soda Fountain in Hollywood... but it still made my day!

SISTERS ANTIQUES at Pacific Galleries

2011-04-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

I just returned from re-stocking our huge mall space for the second time in three days! Isn’t it funny how the bed of my pickup truck is totally full as is the entire back seat and most of the front seat… and once I put everything in its place, the space seems to absorb everything! How does that happen? Now I need another load!

Here are a few photos:

This is on the right side of our corner, looking up to the “second floor”. This is the biggest space in the mall. I hired one of the very talented dealers to build a four-foot deep ledge on the back walls with a staircase coming down the side.

Talk about a lot of white walls to cover! This was quite the challenge, but I bought a couple of huge drama school backdrops from an auction and hung them on one wall. They aren’t for sale just yet… what else can I put there?

Hmmm… didn’t look so cluttered when I was looking at it but the photo tells another story!

The other second story wall… still need more to cover all that white!

Coolest-ever vintage hair dryer with its original beautician’s chair.

These iron gates are sooo heavy! They say “Pine Acres” and were attached to an enormous rock wall surrounding a house on Pine Lake (Sammamish) from the 1930s.

Love the old iron chair with burlap seat and back (there are three!). Note the 50s RC Cola thermometer on the post behind!

This is absolutely the coolest antique mall! It’s in Seattle, near the stadiums where the Mariners and the Seahawks play. It’s always full and there’s a waiting list for new dealers. There’s a little (or a lot) of everything here and it takes forever to wander around and see it all. Definitely worth the visit!

2nd Saturdayz

2011-04-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

WHAT A BLAST! SISTERS hasn’t done a show for nearly five years and I was privileged to be invited to be a vendor at 2nd Saturdayz this past Saturday.

This is a local show held in Seattle at Magnuson Park (Sand Point) on the second Saturday of every month. What a group of wonderful vendors! The camaraderie is unbelievable… everyone is positive and upbeat! And the customers make it so much fun as well.

May will mark 2nd Saturdayz one-year anniversary. To celebrate, there will be a ROAD TRIP! The show will be held in Snohomish to allow for the 30 regular dealers as well as several who are on the waiting list to do the show in Seattle.

Amazing what great photos you can take when you show up on show day by 6:00 in the morning! Sorry I didn’t include everyone… but this will give you an idea of what you can look forward to in the upcoming months.

Vintage cream strainer and colander transformed into hanging lamps / SISTERS ANTIQUES

And the piece de resistance...
I am now the proud owner of this fabulous vintage bird cage!!!

Further information on 2nd Saturdayz:

http://2ndsaturdayz.blogspot.com/

http://www.2ndsaturdayz.com/

KISSING TOMMY

2011-04-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

I dreamed about Tommy Ennis last night. He was just another boy in my Kindergarten class many years ago; he moved away the summer before we started first grade.

I saw him as an adult, just starting to sprint down stairs on a huge campus. He was the same Tommy I remember more than half a century ago. His boy face had grown into a man face, but I knew it was him. I shouted out, “TOMMY ENNIS!” and he spun around with a questioning look on his face.

Smiling, I said, “It is you… Tommy… isn’t it?” He started to grin, obviously not sure who I was and how I knew him.

“I was in Kindergarten with you. At Plainview. I’m Patty. Patty Bakey, then.” I told him. He smiled slightly and nodded his head. I don’t know if he really remembered me or not, but I was convinced he did.

We talked about Kindergarten and I told him I live in Washington now. He and his family live in upstate New York where he has a medical practice. Judging by a call he got while we were talking, he also has a new granddaughter. What seemed like such a long conversation barely lasted two minutes. He was off to a meeting.

When my daughter was young we were looking through old school photos, many of which were taken outside of the entire classroom, with all the children organized on bleachers by height, the teacher and principal standing alongside. She asked me to identify my friends. Amazingly, I was able to name most of them and tell her a little about each one.

My recollection was that Tommy Ennis was a little boy that I liked and despite my shyness at that age, I chased him around the playground with every intention of kissing him. She always thought that was funny and to this day, still will tease me about Tommy Ennis.

Whether or not I would have kissed Tommy even if I could have caught him (gosh, could he ever run fast!), it’s a fond memory of days gone by… Simple times without fear of disease and financial ruin and the atrocities of war. Every day was a sunny day; I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning so I could get outside and play. I would go in when called for lunch, but be back outside with the last piece of my sandwich in hand. I didn’t want to miss one minute of playing time! Life was wonderful.

Thanks Tommy for bringing me back. It’s a very tough world out there now and I needed that.

One of my FAVORITE things to do?

2011-03-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

Attending Palmer Wirf’s Antique & Collectible Show in Portland with an empty pickup truck!

The first show of 2011 was last weekend (March 5th and 6th). I had high hopes of spending a good share of my time taking photos of all the wonderful booths… but I got caught up in shopping instead!

Unfortunately, we didn’t take my pickup truck! But we managed to totally fill every available cubic inch inside an Explorer as well as strapping a huge wooden locker to the top. And even though I insisted I’d be more than happy to hold things on my lap and rest my feet on boxes full of treasures… I kept hearing this faint voice saying, “No more! You don’t need any more!” Harrumph… That’s YOUR opinion, not mine! Oh well, the drive home was 3½ hours so maybe a little comfort was in order.

Two of my favorite vendors include Debi Burton (Ormolulu)... http://ormolulu.blogspot.com/

Incredible clock!

I want it all!

John getting a big hug from Debi after he ran and got the caffeine-deprived girl a cup of coffee.

Make sure you check Ormolulu at Pacific Galleries in Seattle, 2nd Saturdayz, Retreat... She's incredible!

and Randy (Madison Park Antiques)...

Seriously, I have the perfect spot for that gate!

Randy's space at Monticello. He also has a shop in Sellwood.

Very camera shy, I told Randy I'd take a photo of him in front of someone else's booth if he didn't cooperate!

It's going to be a very l-o-n-g wait until the July show!

Christmas in January… I love it!

2010-01-29T21:34:00.000-08:00

As much as we tried, two of my friends just couldn’t get together with me to celebrate Christmas before the end of the year. All the better! With all my decorations packed away and the tree out the door, it was so nice to have yet another celebration! Three ladies with three significant others, eight children, all the responsibilities of momhood… but we finally got together a few days ago for a lovely dinner at a local Italian restaurant. And there were presents!

We all opened our gifts and were totally delighted! I brought my beautiful champagne gift basket home and took photos to share! And I did my best to put everything back very carefully, gathering the cellophane with the elegant silver wired ribbon, so I could take after and before pictures. Yes, after and before pictures.

What more could a girl want? Two bottles of very nice champagne, a magazine entitled “Champagne” (who knew?), a box of divine champagne-infused truffles, an exquisite hand-painted champagne flute, a velvety-black hand towel with glittery silver embroidered snowflakes, an ornament in the form of a miniature champagne bottle and an elegant crystal topped champagne stopper, all swathed in a sparkly black lame’ scarf and presented in a beautiful silver basket!

Thanks, ladies! What a perfectly appropriate gift!

Nighty-night, Santa…

2010-01-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

Nighty-night, Santa… I will miss you… I really hate to put you to bed, but it’s time. You’ll be among friends… Mr. and Mrs. Snowman, the delicate strands of heavy old tinsel, my beloved crèche, the glass garland and the feather trees. I will lovingly wrap you in layers of soft tissue to keep you warm and cozy. I will awaken you in autumn, after the last few leaves haves fallen from the trees. You will be the first to emerge along with all the vintage boxes of worn glass ornaments, collections of Tavern candles, strands of lovely antique Noma lights, and the old felt stockings. Close your eyes… sweet dreams…

I always feel a bit in limbo after Christmas and New Year’s are over… it seems like we should be celebrating Spring! But barely into Winter two weeks, we have a long time to wait until March 20th, the official first day of Spring.

Maybe I can enjoy a beautiful chandelier to remind me of Spring.

Perhaps a bouquet of silk flowers in an iron urn will inspire me to start my garden on time – for once – or to visit the local nurseries as soon as the last frost has passed.

Then again, I think I shall take pleasure in the beauty of winter and wait for the next snowfall. I will admire the deer in our field grazing for sweet grass and watch as Canada Geese fly overhead on their way south. And I will continue to relish in the beauty and craftsmanship of this incredible bird’s nest which was presented to me after the last windstorm caused a large branch to fall from the top of our birch tree.

Best of everything to everyone in 2010!

We're Back!

2009-09-20T19:31:00.001-07:00

Thank you Matt and Cat (Catherine) for being such an incredible bright spot for 2009! Your wedding was fantastic – everything a mom could ever dream of and you planned the entire event by yourselves! Who needs a wedding planner? I am so very proud of you both. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Proud moms, Beth (Cat's) and Patty (Matt's)

What a tumultuous year – and we’re not quite three-quarters of the way through it yet. I really don’t like to whine… but things can only get better! We started the New Year with a terrible flood. It devastated all seven of the businesses in our little complex. Sure, it had been raining and there was snow melt, but really no warning that we would flood. A fallen tree obstructed the flow of Issaquah Creek into Lake Sammamish. This created a surge of water back up the creek which, in turn, flooded our center around 2:00 a.m. January 8th.

We arrived at 8:00 in the morning to find the parking lot several feet under water. It took almost five hours for the water to recede enough for us to “wade” in to assess the damages. Once we could get closer to our doors, we found 12 inches of standing water throughout the shop.

Six months later, after dealing with soggy carpets we had to remove ourselves, a cracked and chipped concrete floor underneath, black mold growing inside the walls, faulty electrical outlets, a broken heating system, no running water or operational toilets, a v-e-r-y slow insurance company, no help from FEMA or the SBA, and thousands of dollars in lost and damaged inventory, SISTERS moved a few doors down – right next to the antique mall.

We took over a space that used to be a hair/nail salon. We just about completely gutted the inside, removing all of the walls that once formed several “rooms”. The next step was painting the walls and beams, and then glazing the walls. We had to scrub the floor several times (on our hands and knees!) to get them clean and we’ve added several area rugs to soften the look. The hardest part was deciding where all the shop fixtures were to be placed. After 14 years in one location, we had to start all over… layer upon layer upon layer. But this was the fun part and we couldn’t wait! At least that’s what we kept telling ourselves.

I did this all by myself!

One month later, during a routine physical and mammogram, I learned that somehow I had the big “C”. Me? Impossible! I eat well, work hard, have a great attitude, and I’m as healthy as can be. Another mammogram, a few ultrasounds, and an MRI confirmed it. I kept the news from my family until after my son’s wedding. Two weeks before my scheduled surgery, I told family and friends and assured them that all would be fine.

On September 15th, I had a lumpectomy (partial mastectomy). Part of the procedure also involved removal of three lymph nodes under my right arm. Thanks to a great surgeon and wonderful team at Virginia Mason Seattle, I came through with flying colors! In less than an hour after my surgery, I was out of the hospital and on my way home. I am thrilled that other than being a little more tired than usual, I have not had any pain or any problems whatsoever. I haven’t even taken a Tylenol! Doctor’s orders are to take it easy for a week… I’m trying, but still need to take care of things. It’s hard to sit on the couch looking at laundry that needs folding and wondering when the last time was that I dusted the furniture and washed the windows. (I returned to the shop Saturday afternoon and it was wonderful to be back!)

And now back to SISTERS… It’s a wonderful location! The shop is bright and cheery with lots of windows and a huge covered area outside. We’ve had great fun filling the patio with plants and birdhouses, vintage iron tables and chairs, bird baths and Adirondack chairs, lawn furniture and ladders, benches and old swings.

We have lots of new (old) things and as usual… we never stop buying! The inside of the shop is filled with sunshine and we often don’t even turn on the lights! We’ve “divided” SISTERS into sections reminiscent of the old shop. The cottage area is on the east side – again, lots of windows and all the things that make a cottage a home (or is it, make a home a cottage?). We have lots of things that are “lodgey” or camp style, as well as the more refined treasures including sterling and crystal, books, china and ironstone, American pottery, art and mirrors, vintage clothing and linens, and tons of jewelry! We are still passionate about chandeliers and lamps as well as vintage iron furniture.

Remember… We have everything you never knew you always wanted! ™

One of the sweetest vintage iron sets we've had!

Just being silly...

How many of you remember these things?

WOW! One of the prettiest Italian tole chandeliers;
professionally rewired and ready to hang!

Just a quick update...

2009-01-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

We spent all day packing stuff up and moving it into a RUBY'S rental truck (U-Haul in Issaquah) to transport it to a recently vacated space just on the east side of Graybeard's Gilman Antique Gallery. Thanks to our wonderful property manager, Bryan Briscoe, for allowing us to utilize this space for our "stuff" while we wait for the clean-up crew to rip up the soaked carpet and cut out at least two feet of drywall!

What a challenge! We had been planning a major overhaul in the shop -- remerchandising, repricing, refurbishing, all those "re" words -- but we had hoped it would be at our pace and not mandatory!

Please -- we all need your support now more than ever! Lombardi's Italian Restaurant will be closed for at least 10 days. Leathers is just about back to normal as is West Coast Armory. Casual Dining (Lee) is working so hard to get things back to normal, and is still open. Noel, the owner of Graybeard's Gilman Antique Gallery has worked non-stop since Wednesday and is open for business, despite all the work that is going on. And Sisters... you might have to climb over hoses and cords and deal with squishy floors -- but we are open as well! Again -- please shop us! We need you!

Sorry, no photos tonight. I just couldn't do it! We will be back tomorrow, hopefully early, moving and packing and more moving! Thank you for all of your support!

SISTERS ANTIQUES VS ISSAQUAH CREEK

2009-01-10T09:09:00.000-08:00

Just in case you haven’t heard yet…

We spent Wednesday afternoon and early evening bagging sand, laying heavy plastic down on the ground and up the walls/doors/windows about 4 feet. We layered 2-3 sandbags along the base to keep the plastic up so we wouldn’t flood if Issaquah Creek went over its banks. Most of us have been through these flood threats before and didn’t think we would actually flood. I kept checking the flood hotline for updates on the creek and it seemed to be okay. It wasn’t until my last call around 6:00 a.m. Thursday that I learned 7th Avenue, (the street behind the shop just to the west) had been closed. We came down an hour or so later to check things out. When we arrived at the entrance of Gilman Square, the parking lot was totally flooded and water was pouring out onto Gilman Blvd. A truck parked in front of Lombardi’s was up to its windows with water. From the street, we couldn’t tell if water had actually risen above the plastic and sandbags in front of our stores or not.

I think it was some time after 1:00 in the afternoon that I was finally able to get to the shop without water going over my knee-high boots. I looked through the window to find nearly a foot of water throughout the shop. Once I pulled back the plastic and moved sandbags I was able to open the front door. This unleashed a virtual river of water. As I stood there in disbelief, I grabbed a small suitcase, bowls with shells, a tray with butter pats, and Christmas ornaments as they floated by. Once the water was through flowing we were left with about 3 inches of standing water. We spent the afternoon using Shop Vacs to suck up all the water and started dragging out rugs and other items we could salvage.

The landlord brought in a company late Thursday afternoon that “cleans up” after disasters like this and assesses the damage to the building. They placed two huge dehumidifiers in the shop that pull the moisture out. It was about 6:00 or so when we had to quit for the day and let the machines start doing their jobs. As necessary, they will use professional equipment to pull out water as well. We do know that all carpeting has to be pulled up and replaced. If the drywall is badly damaged, they will cut it out and replace that as well. The company came back Friday morning to start work again.

We aren’t exactly “Business As Usual” but we are determined and have already started this major restoration project. There's more work than you can ever imagine!

SISTERS is having a flood sale -- everything in the shop is 25% - 75% off.

Estate Sale - Ames Lake/Redmond

2008-08-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

So what are you doing this weekend?

We've been working on an estate near Ames Lake for a couple of months, just digging through it all and trying to sort piles and piles of stuff. Not for the faint-hearted, but worth donning some old jeans and boots and coming out! There's something for everybody, that's for sure.

We are advertising the sale for Saturday and Sunday, the 23rd and 24th, from 9 to 4. But... since you're reading this blog, you have my permission to come by tomorrow -- Friday the 22nd, between noon and 6.

Sad story... but we're selling everything we can out of the estate so that the two sons (20ish) have something to remember their dad by. You can't imagine the amount of things here -- it would take a couple of pages to list everything. Check out our website under "Upcoming Estate Sales" and you'll see what we mean!

The address is 3717 289th Ave. NE, Redmond. The best way to find it is to use a Google map. Hope to see you there! If you have questions, please call me -- Patty (206) 914-16150.

http://www.sistersantiques.com/

GLITZ!

2008-04-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture! It's just one small section in SISTERS, but it's what we are all about. We display (okay, cram) lots and lots of really cool stuff in vignettes throughout the shop. It takes awhile to take it all in... and even then you'll probably miss something.

Italian Tole Chandelier - VINTAGE!

2008-04-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

With all the chandeliers hanging from the rafters in the shop, I have to say this is probably my favorite! I bought it in total disrepair and had it professionally restored and rewired. And it was well worth it!