Mitzi's Miscellany

Field Trip to Treasure Island in Naples, Florida

I've written about Treasure Island, an antique mall in Naples, Florida, before, and I've purchased quite a few "treasures" there over the years.  Last spring dealers Gene and Rachael Churnish contacted me and invited me back because the mall is under new ownership and there have been some positive changes, including extended hours of operation.  The new owner, Wilton Wood, has decided to keep the mall open on Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00, something I was happy to hear.  I've always loved Treasure Island, so I was eager to visit and bring my camera along during my last visit to Naples.

Many of the same high quality dealers are there, including this dealer that specializes in colorful mid-century furnishings:

 

 Lighting from this era is particulary whimsical and fun, isn't it?

Another Exciting Auction

Over the weekend I attended a special auction.  An antique mall went out of business, and Americana Auctions, one of my favorite auction companies, was hired to liquidate the entire contents of the building which included fixtures and stock left by the owner of the mall.

The auction was held in St. John's, Michigan in a great old downtown building which used to be the J.C. Penney's store.  Some of the old signage from J.C. Penney's was put on the auction block, as well as clothing and hat displays, showcases, jewelry, furniture, and everything in between.

I always loved the fancy brick work at the top of the old building:

Amazing Auction Action and Aftermath!

Saturday I went to an auction at the Eaton County Fairgrounds in Charlotte, Michigan.  It was a gorgeous summer day, and the items up for auction were from a great collection of advertising, old product tins, and primitives.  I stayed there from 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and spent quite a tidy sum of money. But there was good quality from beginning to end, and I wanted to take advantage of the situation.

The auctioneers were Stanton's, who are known for their auctions of vintage advertising.  One of the highlights of this auction was a huge tiger, a store display for Tiger Cigarettes.  The bidding reached around $1,500 but did not meet the seller's reserve, so it did not sell:

Barn Sale and Recent Finds

The other day I posted images from the sale I visited at a lovely centennial farmhouse and barn, and today I'd like to share a few more images along with what I purchased there and elsewhere.

Here's an attractive display inside the barn:

A Barn Sale on a Beautiful Day

Last weekend I went to an antique sale held outside of the small town of DeWitt, Michigan.  It was a beautiful summer day, and I took quite a few pictures.  I wanted to show off beautiful Michigan in the summertime!  

Let's start with this great old barn I passed on the way to the sale.  It's being covered with vines.  We've had a lot of rain this summer, and everything has been growing like crazy:

The antique sale was held on the property of a centennial farm, a fantastic place for such an event.  There was a beautiful old farmhouse, a large barn, and several other buildings on the premises.

An Amazing Auction & Recent Acquisitions

Over the weekend I went to an auction of a longtime antique dealer who was liquidating her lifetime collection of store stock.  I have purchased things from her over the years in her little country home, but she's now in her 90's and was ready to get out of the antique business.  The auction was held right on her property, which was a lovely setting.  The weather was absolutely beautiful, a perfect Michigan summer day.

When I drove up to the property, I parked my van at the top of a small hill as directed.  Once I started walking toward the auction setup, this is what I saw:

As I got closer, I couldn't believe my eyes!  I've never seen so much stuff at one auction....

Row after row of tables, filled with boxes of ceramics, china, books, and glassware.  Dozens of framed prints hung on a fence.  An amazing sight!

Inspiration from Anthropologie, Part II

I hope you enjoyed some of the inspiring displays, products, and jewelry designs from the Naples, Florida Anthropologie store I showed in my Part I post.  Today I have a few more I'd like to share. 

I thought these large flowers were unusual and eye-catching:

Inspiration from Anthropologie, Part I

I just returned from Naples, Florida, where I spent about 10 days helping my mom move into her new condo.  Everything went well and she and her dog Jezebel are happy in their new place.  We were pretty busy the whole time, but had one day of shopping for ourselves and spent a good chunk of that time at Waterside Shops and more specifically, Anthropologie.  I bought some clothes for myself and was inspired by their product displays, as usual. If you would like to see my previous posts about Anthropologie, see here and here.

An amazing display of woven plastic decorations hanging from the ceiling in the entrance:

Quite possible the world's prettiest wheelbarrow:

Antique Mall Views: Spring Update

I zipped through the Antiques Market of Williamston yesterday and took my camera with me, snapping some pictures of items that caught my eye around the mall as well as some new things in my own booth. 

We'll start with my own recent acquisition, a pretty rose upholstered sofa.  I like to offer the occasional upholstered piece here and there.  They are usually good sellers:

June is almost here, and I'm ready with this vintage bridal gown:

 A pretty spring frock in a yellow floral print:

I just sold several hats, so I restocked with some pretty straw and floral covered beauties:

 I just purchased this tole-painted lamp from the estate of a long-time antique dealer:

 A vignette of some of the offerings in one of my booths:

A pretty blue velvet Victorian-era photo album and a box full of vintage party poppers I just bought at an estate sale:

I always have a dress form covered with vintage hankies in my booth at the Antiques Market of Williamston:

A carousel full of beautiful postcards in my booth:

 Pretty lace:

 Horse show ribbons:

 I love vintage office supplies, like these letter keepers:

Venturing out from my own space, there's much more to see. These vintage flags were on display in mall owner Chris Rogers' booth:

Also in Chris's booth, this charming vignette:

Pops of spring color were all around the mall:

I'm warming up to furniture from the sixties and seventies:

This quilt has beautiful colors, doesn't it?

I took many, many more pictures.  I think I'll put them on my Facebook page for those of you that want to hop over there and see more!

Mitzi

Bright and Beautiful Italian Pottery in Naples, Florida

It's been a while since I returned from my visit to Naples, Florida, but I still have pictures to share from my trip.  For many years I have driven by the bright and welcoming shop, Taste of Sorrento & Positano on 430 9th Street North, but never stopped in until this year.

Owned by Raisa Soriero, Taste of Sorrento & Positano is packed full of Italian pottery from various regions of Italy.  It's a beautiful world of color and inspiration, perfect for the sunny Naples climate.

I'm sure local decorators frequent this shop:

There are large scale pieces and small items.  Something for everyone!

Raisa explained to me that each region of Italy has their own distinctive style of pottery.  I tend to favor the brightly colored pottery, but I can appreciate the more neutral variety too:

 

 

A Limoncino set, for drinking the popular lemon drink:

 

A delicious pomegranate:

The original shop has expanded to the storefront next door.  There are even more beautiful, large scale items in the new space:

 

I would have taken the time to write down the artist's names but I was on my way to the airport when I stopped in and my time was limited....

 

 

 

 This is the top part of a fountain:

And this is the base of a table.  It needs a glass top:

Fruit details on an urn:

 

 

 

 

Just look at these wonderful faces!

Even modern pottery is represented:

 

 

I really loved this lion:

Wasn't that a great tour?  I hope you will put Taste of Sorrento & Positano on your list of places to visit when you go to Naples/Ft. Meyers/Marco Island/Bonita Springs area.

Mitzi

Pelican Bay on Dwellable