Monticello Antique Marketplace in Portland, Oregon

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...

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!