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!

SISTERS ANTIQUES at Pacific Galleries

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

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/



Nighty-night, Santa…

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!

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!