Alex and I love to go antiquing. We love it because its relaxing, entertaining in that we can always find fun and interesting items, and best of all cost-saving. What with the market the way it is, any way to pinch a few pennies is a great way for us to shop! Plus we have our house, and while we’ve been in it for about six months, we still have a ways to go with the redecorating and expanding of our decor from apartment life. As part of that antiquing we have found a few favorite stores in the area that are basically ginormous (oooo look at me ticking off spell-checker with that word. ginormous ginormous ginormous) warehouses of stuff. Some good stuff, some bad stuff, some really weird stuff. Old and new, poorly used and well-kept, useful and kitschy it is all there for us to peruse.

Sometimes we get lucky and find something we need like our dining room table that seats up to six with the leaf installed, or even eight if you want to get a little closer over the holidays. In this case we were able to purchase the entire set for only $200. Identical sets retailed at the local discount furniture warehouse for $600 or more depending on the finish.

Sometimes we even get so lucky we find that one item we couldn’t find in the furniture stores, and just when you think Josh Turner bought it, you find out its really yours! Our kitchen hutch falls into this category, everything I was looking for in a hutch what with its glass doors for our china, its cabinets for the odd stuff, the serving trays that extend from the cabinet area, and a great place to keep the “booze”! (although sadly, the “booze” in this case is an un-opened bottle of champagne from our wedding that is personalized. Mostly because neither of us like champagne nor have we found a good time to open it.) Again in this case, something similar to this retailed us around $800 in the store and we paid only $300 for this piece.

Alex's Bday gift to me

And then sometimes you wander through finding absolutely nothing. That is why this is a hunt. A safari if you will. (Just make sure to strap on that oh so sexy pith helmet and your many pocketed vest!) Have you ever wandered through one of these stores? They can be a bit overwhelming what with no sense of order and often poorly lit. But I encourage you to try! I’d pick one or two stores that you can visit on a regular basis so that you can get to know the inventory. You can see what moves in and what moves out.  This way you can know what vendor to shop in when looking for a particular item and what vendor to avoid. Plus you’ll have a good idea of who carries the quality stuff and who does not. No sense in saving a bundle if you are purchasing items that are of poorer quality and won’t last as long (or are items you don’t really need at all!). I’d also recommend you walk in with a budget that way you do not get caught in the “sale” and spend more than you intended or the item is worth.

As part of that bonus of perusing  your local stores on a fairly regular basis, occasionally when you go in you’ll find the ever elusive SUPER FIND! (doesn’t wording it as a super find make it seem just that more awesome?! Well raspberries on you then, it sounds cool to me! and speaking of raspberries…that just so happens to be the color of our newest find. Coincidence? NAH!) In our case, last week we went hunting for a butter dish. I wanted a classic crystal dish that we could use and if we ever decided to purchase more crystal we could easily match the design too. While there we also passed by this lovely hand-blown glass bowl.

Not an item we needed per se, but nonetheless too gorgeous to pass up. Sides, it makes a lurvely (oooh look at me ticking off spell check again) fruit bowl. In our case, bananas! Plus it cost a whopping $10.

So next time you pass one of these stores, maybe check it out. You never know what you mind find! If you do find a genie lamp though, please contact me BEFORE making all three wishes. Thank you ever so much!