as if you couldn't tell, i am no stranger to thrift stores, antique malls, swap meets, flea markets and garage sales. of course ebay has made it alot easier (OK maybe too easy) to get my hands on whatever vintage item i just can't seem to get enough of at any given time. ebay and i are very close friends but there's nothing quite like the feeling when you find something really cool at a thrift store. i was lucky enough one day to be at st. vincent de paul when they were just putting out some stock. i had to do a double take when i saw the girl plop down an amazing piece of architectural pottery priced at $6.99. i felt like i had just won the lottery. i scooped that baby up just seconds before a dealer honed in on it. he offered me cash on the spot to take it from me and then after i purchased it he followed me outside and the offer tripled. i thanked him, declined the offer, told him i was having a really bad day (which was true) and that my new purchase made my day. i bought a very nice succulent to put in it and i enjoy looking at it each and every morning on my deck.
i really think that ebay has changed how vintage is bought and sold, mostly for the better but sometimes for the worse - especially in the case of antique malls. so many of them have gone under or are struggling so hard to stay in business. there is a block of antique malls in pomona, california where i used to find so many great things. i actually found most of my edith heath dinnerware there - at very good prices i might mention. but lately it has not even been worth the trip because most of the shops have shut down and there is mainly junk in the ones the remain. but i recenty found myself out there and thought i'd give the shops another chance. i saw a few nice things but nothing to write home about until i spotted a basket filled with matchbooks. don't ask me why i started digging around the basket (i don't collect matchbooks) and lo and behold there they were - a big pile of la fonda del sol match boxes! how excited i was to get my hands on someone's souvenir from a place i would love to be able to get in a time machine so i could visit. OK so they are trashed and there are only 7 (originally came in a set of 8) so they are not museum pieces nor could i make big bucks by reselling them. but i got a kick out of "discovering" them and they only set me back a dollar each. i think i'll put them on that shelf next to my desk where i keep some of my treasures.
Wow! Finding just one of these match boxes would make my day! They are wonderful -- thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Scott | April 08, 2008 at 06:47 AM
The matchboxes are fantastic! I would encase them for display in a little lucite box!
Posted by: Ellen Bloom | April 08, 2008 at 10:42 AM
Loved the post today and yesterday!! Topics close to my heart! Thank you.
Posted by: Pam Harris | April 08, 2008 at 11:10 AM
awesome - i am so jealous :-)
Posted by: chris | April 08, 2008 at 12:12 PM
what amazing design those matchboxes are! i love the colors too!
Posted by: annie | April 10, 2008 at 05:52 AM
dude, I wanna see the $6.99 AP.
Posted by: Andy | April 11, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Oh wow, I would've died if I found an Architectural Pottery piece! What a great find... and those match boxes aren't too shabby either. =)
Posted by: Bryan | February 10, 2009 at 01:28 PM