I thought it appropriate that my first post for The White Elephant shed light on how I became obsessed with collecting and the reason why I love the thrill of the hunt.As an avid collector of conversation pieces for the past decade, I have always searched out flea markets, antique stores and curio shops wherever I have lived or visited. I usually have an idea of what I'm looking for going in, and it's the hunt that brings on the rush. You never know what you'll uncover as you sift through boxes and boxes of junk.
It all started with garages sales. Growing up outside Cincinnati, Ohio, I can vividly remember my Mom sitting at the kitchen table with the classified ads circling all of the garage sales that piqued her interest. As a kid I dreaded being dragged from house to house, waiting for my Mom and Grandmother to sift through every last item displayed haphazardly on card tables. It wouldn't take me long to look through the boxes of toys, and then I would instantly be bored.
It wasn't until high school when I really took an interest in other people's junk. In the suburbs, everything just blends in... There's a sameness to the houses, the clothing, the stores. So I searched for places, people and things that were different. That's when I found the joy of thrift stores. Ah, thrift stores! Where else can you get three giant garbage bags full of vintage clothes for $10? Clothes, shoes, tacky jewelry, books, electronics... you name it, I bought it. I really loved finding the beautiful in the ordinary, and I still do to this day.
Throughout my college years, I would continue "thrifting", exploring large outdoor flea markets and antique stores. At this point in my collecting career, I began to really search out unique objects — true conversation pieces. I strived to be a knowledgeable collector.
During one of my regular trips to the antiques mecca, Waynesville, Ohio, I met Bob Gilbert, owner of Bottle Works. He must have collected thousands of bottles over the years. From floor to ceiling, the 2-room store was covered in bottles. Bob taught me how to analyze bottles – everything from how to determine a bottle's approximate manufacturing date just by looking at the seam, to how to decipher the special markings etched on the bottoms. To this day I still collect bottles. I find the varying shapes and color mesmerizing. The way the light shines through a collection of multi-colored bottles on a windowsill brings happiness and life to a room. Unfortunately, Bob was placed in a nursing home and his bottle collection was split up and auctioned off a few years back. For a fleeting moment, I fancied flying back to Ohio and buying both the building and the entire bottle collection. But I came to my senses, and decided it was best that I take what I had learned from my bottle mentor and continue to build my own collection.
Once I moved from Cincinnati to New York City after college, I had a whole new city of flea markets and antique stores to explore. The antique stores can be a little daunting, not to mention expensive. I've found more luck going to the flea markets found in parking lots and garages around town. Unfortunately, the markets in the city are a dying breed with all of the new building development going on; but I'll save that rant for a later post!
I always look forward to traveling back to the Midwest and taking time to hunt for additions to my collections. I've really been focusing on collecting 19th and early 20th century bottles, skeleton keys, bones and antlers, and mid-20th century modern furniture. This year, I look forward to the obscenely large flea market in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, as well as a 9-day flea market in Friendship, Indiana. The latter promises to be an interesting time — a place for hunters to sell their goods. Hopefully I will finally find the perfect elk antlers I've been looking for!
The White Elephant will be a place for me to write about my discoveries, share interesting information about flea markets and artifacts I stumble across during my travels, and give insight into the ever-changing world of collecting. Enjoy!
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