Personal Shopper

This week, I get to do a lot of shopping, for a couple of different clients.  It's not my usual thing, but when it comes to digging around salvage yards and antique stores, it turns out that not everyone shares my enthusiasm, and would rather pay me to do it.  Personally, I cannot imagine not thrilling to the adventure of urban archaeology, but then, they can't imagine anyone not being excited at a sale on Coach purses, so to each her own.

We found these treasures at City Salvage, but one can often find similar things at Mustard Moon, and the other occasional shops, down south of the twin cities.

Tomorrow, I plan to hit the once-a-month shops in the nearby towns of Carver and Chaska.  They carry an eclectic mix of vintage and antique bits, running the gamut from fine furniture to rusty parts of old farm machinery...very flea market chic.  There are several open the third Thursday through Saturday of each month, but the easiest way to track them all down, is to start at Mustard Moon, and ask for directions to the rest of them.  mustardmoon.blogspot.com.  If not in my neck of the woods, Google "occasional sales", to find your local treasure troves.

Yesterday, after spending the morning with the Third Thursday Artgroup (check back here Monday for photos from that, most likely), my friend Sherry and I ventured into the big city.  I was grateful for a clear day and dry roads, because I do not love driving in Minneapolis. 

Just inside the front door of Architectural Antiques, we found a few possibilities.  Since I was on reconnaissance for a client, I took advantage of my sidekick for the day, the often mentioned Sherry Willard (the angel of a friend responsible for the sneaky weeding a few months back).  Having a human visual reference communicates size much more effectively than emailing measurements. 

I don't know if people steal the street signs in Minneapolis, or if it's budget cuts, but there are an awful lot of one way streets that are unmarked and no, I didn't just miss seeing the signs.  I know this for sure because I circled the same blocks multiple times, trying to figure out how to get to places in plain sight, but seemingly impossible to actually approach, from within a quarter mile.  I don't have one, but I've ridden with others using GPS in this city, and I don't think those gizmos make it any less likely that one will suddenly be facing the front grille of a Metro Transit bus.  After several harrowing aborted turns, and by the grace of God and the drivers behind me, we eventually made it to all three of our shopping targets.

Architectural Antiques had an enormous selection of lights, including this enormous chandelier.

Our first stop was Architectural Antiques. (archantiques.com), where we were pleased to find well lit showrooms and polite staff, who kindly answered our questions.  Lots of gorgeous stuff, but the prices reflect the time and labor involved in polishing it all up and displaying it nicely.

These terra cotta corbels are probably too small, but they might do the trick.  It will definitely take more muscle than I'm packing to install one as a console table base.  Bauer Brothers did have several options in this size, though most of the others were Victorian style wood.

And what would we want with roof drains?  Oooh, turn them over, hang from chains, insert a glass and add a votive!  This was just the first of many ideas.

Our second stop was Bauer Bros. Salvage (bauerbrotherssalvage.com).  This is the only one I had been to before, and in fact used to visit them regularly, when I lived in Minneapolis.  If you are looking to buy a salvage business with three unheated stories of treasures, it's yours for a cool two mil.  I just wanted a corbel and a mirror, but didn't find either in my size, this time.  Prices here can be good, but buy it when you dicker, because the next day the price may be completely different.

City Salvage charmed us with their cool old brick building, eclectic collection of beautifully useful stuff, and their randomly placed accents...vintage motorcycles pop up throughout like fabulous exclamation points.  I'm not into bikes at all, but they made me smile, both for their unexpected appearance among the polished mahogany and rusty tin, and for their truly sculptural designs.

 Back in the van, we warmed up, while navigating the maze of one way streets, and eventually arrived at City Salvage (citysalvage.com)  This was our favorite.  The vibe was a little funkier than Architectural Antiques, the attention a little more personal, and the prices a bit more tempting.  Oh, and unlike Bauer Brothers, it was heated, though of course that means a lot smaller.  Still we found the best selection of the types of things we were looking for here.  We'll happily return to all three, but next time, we'll start with City Salvage...after planning a carefully plotted route of the one-way streets!

City Salvage does have a few things outside, and a basement that you might have to ask about to gain admission.  We loved these cast iron corbels, even if they were too small for our needs.

If you have never shopped in a salvage yard, make it your next adventure.  You never know what treasures will tempt your fancy, or what echoes of the past will catch your ear.

When I'm not playing in the junk yard, I do play with paint in people's homes.  You can see my portfolio at theartofthehome.com.

If you are creating something from salvaged treasures and run into a tricky spot, email me or comment below, and I'll help if I can.  dawnmariedelara.@gmail.com