I’ve been spending lots of time lately at the usual haunts around town. After meeting a new friend late last year + kicking off 2020 with a piddlin’ streak, you could say the antique bug has bit once again! There are SO many fun stops around Metro Atlanta; this helped make our decision to relocate here so easy. Pro Tip: the areas that surround Atlanta are full of piddlin’ potential for miles for those willing to put in the travel time.
Sometimes you just gotta leave town to get a fresh look!
This past Friday I traveled a couple hours away to do just that. I found a lot of fun, saw some wonderfully unique things + also brought a few home. It was sensory overload with all the pretty booths + vignettes throughout the vintage market, though I’m forever on the hunt for a classic antiques show like the ones I cut my teeth on.
So here’s a few glimpses from the “show” + a few items that spoke to me that came home!
Piddlin’ finds that came home with me!
Does anyone remember Metrolina?
This quick day trip was a great change of pace + I’m beyond lucky my family can provide the flexibility to be able to let me go. I love the pause I’m given to think + reflect. I also found myself smiling, reminiscing about the time I snagged my first deal at Metrolina in Charlotte. I circled a very primitive wood bench (probably quite obviously, looking back), 😂 until I finally worked up the courage to make an offer. To my surprise, the dealer + I bargained a bit until finally settling on the exact price I wanted to pay for it. I have been hooked on hunting for treasures since. I still have that bench + have always treasured it as a symbol of the self-confidence I gained that day as well as the love for piddlin’ it instilled in me.
I so wish we could find another place where we can take a walk through piles of chippy, patinated junk as previously seen at places like Metrolina + Scott’s. I miss those days of meandering amidst endless cardboard boxes falling apart at the seams with chipped china plates + scuffed up architectural pieces. You just haven’t been piddlin’ until you’ve seen a show like that!
I’m talkin’ piddlin’ finds worth the bargain made for them. Those awesome things that hadn’t yet been dusted off or brushed up; rusty, dusty, fabulously forgotten finds. There is a bit of authenticity given to the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” when you are actually digging through the tangle of tossed things found at a great antique show. Bonus points if the piles of stuff are found outside! There is simply something added to the whole experience when it’s out in the elements.
I also got to meet up with my mom!
This was an awesome time for the two of us to spend some rare one on one time + we both really enjoyed the spontaneity of the meeting in the middle for the day. One thing we are equally interested in is antiques-!
When I was in middle-school, mom’s mom + her aunt took my cousin + I to “The Flea Market” at the Gaillard in Charleston on many occasions. While we honestly didn’t love it at first, we grew familiar to the experience what, with all the visitin’ with my grandmother + great aunts friends, + we began to look forward to picking out the souvenir hankie we would take home. We ended up with quite a collection. Though we grew away from those trips, mom continued to go until the building was renovated. I can still remember the last time I went with her while it was being held at an adjacent building—that was where we found my beloved Bermuda bag! Such memories made at an event that I would have never asked to go to otherwise.
Mom has also taught me a few of the tricks of the trade over the years, like how to make a deal, how to stay nourished while piddlin’—always pack a piddlin’ basket for the “intermission” tailgate, + how to efficiently pack up the car for the ride home. When I go piddlin’ I always carry my cash in the sterling cigarette case she gave me. She has a lot of stories from all of her trips with friends + encourages me to make a few of my own with my girlfriends too!
Over the years our styles have evolved, but the silver lining is we can now appreciate each other’s eye + pick side by side, while helping each other a little along the way. Remember this tip: the best piddlin’ partner is one who is willing (eager) to go check out a few local spots before heading back home.
A friend of mine also made a girls’ weekend trip to some of her favorite spots + they snagged a church pew for $125 (steal) – at their FIRST stop!! Doesn’t get any more meant-to-be than that. They also ventured to an auction which is what drew them to the area + walked away with some lovely Americana pieces—a beautiful GE fan, a sturdy wooden pulley, some enamelware frigidair refrigerator drawers with beautiful art deco type, a wooden checkerboard with loads of charm, a ladder for almost nothing, some nice vintage metal bin labels with great type, vintage ice skates + roller skates!! It’s so fun to make a girls’ trip out of these journeys because even if you haven’t found what you came for, you walk away with such memories!!
Have you done any hunting lately? What’s your favorite thing to collect?
I’m already looking ahead to see where my next day trip might be + making a wish list for it. Until then…keep piddlin’!
…but of course, we ran out of time. Overall, it was a such a great trip, and a much needed break from reality. mom’s are great like that.
piddlin' 