Two years ago my friend Heather from Massachusetts and I took a trip up to Bar Harbor for a little winter getaway and one of the places we stopped at along the way was an antique store in a big red building.
Only I couldn’t remember the name of the antique store and have been searching for it ever since because they had a really cool lobster sign there that I wanted {to recreate}.
Well yesterday while The Girl and I were out and about we found the antique store! It’s called Country Store Antiques and it’s in Trenton, Maine.
And not only did they have a similar lobster sign to the one I saw 2 years ago, but they had a bunch of other fun signs as well. I have NO idea where I could put one of these signs… but they’re unique, made one at a time by a real human and they make me smile.
They’re also painted on old pieces of barn wood or doors which I think is kind of fun too.
I don’t know about you, but I love antique stores. You never know what you’re going to find or if the prices will be crazy high or a total steal and I think that’s part of the fun of going to them.
$395 for an old fashioned butter churn. WOWZA. Cool, but $395 buys a lot of butter {but then again, maybe not for long}.
An old apple basket $45. I love the handles on old baskets. It’s like they were meant for carrying. š
Another cool thing we spotted was an antique hooked rug that was mounted on a wooden backing.
I’ve been wanting to hook a large rug to hang on our family room wall for sometime now, but didn’t want to just tack it up on the wall {like I’ve done with other rugs}. Seeing how the rug was mounted onto a wooden frame and how the sides were wrapped in wool strips was very helpful.
Now I just need to design something special to hook so I can display one of my rugs.
$3.00 for an old rusty can of beer. It kind of makes me want to start collecting the old Fireball bottles we are always finding alongside the road. Who knows, maybe 20 years from now they’ll be collector items.
My old phone!!! Did you have one of these when you were a teenager? If you did, you probably had a Swatch watch, big hair and wore stirrup pants too. š If yours is sitting in a box in your parent’s basement the vendor at the antique store was asking $40 for their phone.
$225 for an old dresser that you probably could have bought at The Salvation Army 5 years ago for $20. Yikes.
And last but not least, an attic full of books. I could have spent a solid 2 hours up there going through the American folk art and gardening books if we would have had more time.
Antique stores, you just never know what you’re going to find. š
Here’s to a sunny and productive weekend,
~Mavis
P.S. What is YOUR favorite thing to look for when you’re out antiquing? Curious minds want to know.
Country Store Antiques
410 Bar Harbor Rd
Trenton, ME 04605
Kathy in PA says
I love going to antique shops to check out their housewares and old time photos. I would have also spent 2 hours or more in the book attic!
Meg C says
Iām a total sucker for vintage dishes & glassware that I donāt need but canāt seem to stop wanting. LOL
Iāve started gifting it just so I have a āreasonā to look for it & a reason to buy it. haha
Itās definitely a problem. Luckily, I donāt get to antique shops or flea markets very often so Iām not too out of control.
PS I also love vintage dish towels, bath towels, etc. I think Iām weird!
Michelle S. says
I am your weird twin! I collect vintage tea towels, bath rugs, pillowcases, and kitchenware. I love it!
Mary says
It’s not weird at all. I’d probably spend 3 hours in that book attic! Lol
Margo says
We LOVE antique stores. My faves are old stoves, but you canāt buy many of those for your house, antique cups and saucers, , and I always look for old glass covered storage dishes or bowls. Mavis, I know you were commenting about the prices of those earlier, but I still love them. Itās one more way to ditch the plastic storage, and reuse old things, but costly. We also collect local history items, which is fun.
Lissa says
vintage hankies
Carla says
Hi Lissa,
I intend to make a small quilt with my relatives’ vintage handkerchieves. What are your plans for them?
Carla
Lynne says
Antique or vintage prints have been a favorite souvenir of mine from trips abroad for years. Some are of places of interest based on where I stayed, or something I saw while touring around, and others are just images I liked. It’s fun to have a “quest,” a reason to go into an old bookshop or print store when I’m on vacation, the price is (or can be) reasonable, and they are easy to pack.
Cindy says
I like to look for vintage beads. Sometimes I find them at a 2nd Boutique for a good price.
Susan H. says
Omg, that phone! I still have my Swatch watches and at least one of them STILL WORKS!
Linda says
Yesterday we dropped into our local charity shop and lo and behold we found a Windsor Chair for $10.00
It is very very old but we were thrilled.
Have been looking for one for a very long time.
Diana says
I love looking for Seth Thomas clocks. I used to work for the parent company and have been to the plant in Boscawen NH – although they are now out of business. (Very sad – they started in the 1700s and closed about 20 years ago).
Quality clocks. I tend to go a little overboard though, lol. I now have two grandfather clocks, several mantel clocks and several wall mount clocks. I just can’t resist…
Judy says
I am a freak for vintage linens.. Doilies, tablecloths, and white cotton sheets. I hope that sometime in the future I can turn thr sheets into embroidered cotton pillow cases
Cindy says
Antique sterling silver thimbles.
Angie says
Mason jars. Vintage Pyrex. Quality ceramic mixing bowls.
Cheryl says
This used to be so much better. Hope it survives.
Dee says
Vintage kitchen tools. Unique baskets. Turquoise jewelry. It’s fun to use some of the tools. I wear the jewelry. I have many baskets, but they are useful and it’s hard to resist another good one.
KCB says
Although I no longer buy any, I like to look for Jewel Tea Autum Leaf pieces. I have some that belonged to my grandmother & I have added a few pieces over the years. I can remember in the early 1950s when the Jewel Tea truck would come to my grandmotherās house.
Chris says
I was there just last weekend, and so wanted that butter churn, but yikes I also thought that was a bit much for it. I really did enjoy the place it has a lot of really cool things. I’m staying only 45 minutes from there so may have to go back for a second look.
Judy says
Vintage aprons, clothes pegs. But my very favorite is a can of Sportman’s tobacco. A memory from my childhood, just looking at it reminds me if my Dad. Couldn’t ask for a kinder more loving Father. He passed in 2007 at 93, my Mum almost exactly a year later. They were married for 70 years.
Kathleen Zvanovec says
Jeff Barrett is the name of the Maine artist who made the lobster signs you admire! His work is also found in the Kerr & Jones Gallery in East Boothbay, Maine.