It was cold this weekend. I won’t say it was dreary but it was an excellent day to go shopping indoors.
There is a particular cluster of businesses in Uptown to whom I’d like to give a shout out. They are all right next to each other, not far from a parking lot (so you don’t have to parallel park if you don’t want to), and, if you’re lucky, there’s a restaurant open right next to them. Then we’ll round out the trip with a visit to Books & Crannies, our local independent book store.
Before we start though, I just wanted to mention to any who didn’t know that the Daily Grind has branched into donuts. I belong to the wine club there and had to pick up my December and January bottles. Naturally, I came home with donuts too. Pictured in the photo above are the Bacon Waffle, Salted Caramel, the classic confectionary sugar, and the Trashcan (so named because it is topped with whatever is left over from making the other donuts). They are all wonderful and substantial. I do not want to know about the calories.
Fido’s Finds & Kittie’s Collectibles
119 E Main Street
Fido’s Finds & Kittie’s Collectibles is entirely volunteer run and all the proceeds benefit the local SPCA. They are not normally open on Saturdays because it’s difficult to find volunteers to work on the weekends. They do have “basement sales” on weekends every now and again but that’s a completely different thing.
Recently, Fido’s put out a call for more donations. Particularly furniture. Fido’s is essentially a thrift store but, after a recent move from a couple of storefronts down the street, they have become a great deal more upscale.
The old storefront was quaint and significantly smaller. Now, they have room to spread out and really show off what they have. And they have some beautiful things.
If you have items to donate, they have a long list of things that they cannot accept. This list includes things like clothing, car seats, christmas trees, computers or computer accessories, electronics, exercise equipment, entertainment centers, big appliances, mattresses, pianos, or outdated media like VHS tapes or cassettes.
What they do have now are some really exceptional finds. Like this vintage Royal typewriter. And it’s sitting on an antique school desk priced at $75.
Or this vintage “gentleman’s chair” that was on sale for $199.
Normal business hours for Fido’s are Tuesday through Friday from 10 to 5. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for special weekend openings (like this one) and basement sales.
Pieces From The Past
115 E. Main Street
(276) 336-8812
Outside Pieces From The Past, there is a sandwich board that says “Always Buying Nice Old Things”. Inside the shop, owner Vince Reis operates Doctor Cane Chair Caning and co-owner Terri Reis meticulously researches and labels the oodles of antiques they have in the shop.
The displays here are gorgeous and they have an eye for what is colorful and pretty. If you are collecting a particular line of glassware, this is where I would look first. You can tell that they take pride in the things that they sell in the way that they are displayed and the prices are extremely good. In the Harlequin collection below, the individual pieces are marked from $3 to $8.
Everything is meticulously clean and cared for. Here, they have noted that the Oklahoma clay used in this Frankoma Pottery set gives it its unique color. I love the little extra that they are giving you in these displays.
This handpainted Lefton tea set is absolutely gorgeous. The picture doesn’t at all do it justice because I’ve scaled it down for loading speed and storage space. In real life, the colors are bursting with vibrancy and the image is just as crisp as it can be. It was priced at $45.
There is much more here than just glassware. They have furniture. There was an antique bird cage for $40 and a nice bistro set in the window. They have antique books. They even had roller skate keys. If you are looking for quality, possible upper scale antiques at very good prices, this is your store.
Normal business hours for Pieces From The Past are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:30 to 2:00.
Junk & Disorderly
107 E. Main Street
Junk & Disorderly specializes in upcycled furniture and always has a selection available and more coming in. I don’t know how she finds so much.
But, beyond that, this store has every kind of antique you could possibly think of and some that I’m pretty sure that you can’t. Much of it is standard fare but, if you are good at farmhouse chic, this is a good shop for the antique milk can to use in a flower arrangement. I discovered this store last fall when I happened across it on a Sunday afternoon. This may be the only place open for shopping on Sunday afternoons.
This standing mirror was priced at $75 and ended up coming home with me.
Pro tip: come in and go straight to the back of the store, past the outdoor items and the home decor and the kitchen antiques. This area is where the kid’s stuff is but I always find something incredibly unique back here. I once found a huge doll house for $30. There was once an adjustable dress form for sewing. And I’ve already mentioned the mirror.
This time there was this guy. If I had grandkids, this would be in my house right now. Is it just me or does $32 seem incredibly low for something like this?
Normal hours for Junk & Disorderly are Thursday and Friday from 11 to 5, Saturday from 11 to 3 and Sunday from 12 to 3.
I wasn’t in luck with the restaurant this time. It was closed. So my last stop was to Books and Crannies, our local independent bookstore.
Books & Crannies
50 E. Church Street, Suite 4
The first time I went to shop at Books & Crannies, I couldn’t find it. The address is Church Street but it faces onto Broad Street. It was only because I took advantage of the big parking lot across the street that I eventually found the entrance.
I’ve been in many times since then and the owner, DeShanta Hairston, has always been extraordinarily helpful. She seems to remember me and my preferences and I’ve always enjoyed what she has suggested.
This time I had an idea. As I said previously, I belong to the wine club through the Daily Grind coffee shop and, although you always get a choice of wines each month, I’ve learned that I do better if I let Danny (the owner) pick for me. When he says a wine is outstanding, it really, truly is.
My thought was this: what if the book store could do the same thing with books? She seems to know me and my preferences and I trust her judgment. This could open me up to a lot of good books that I might not ever try on my own.
The owner wasn’t in but I decided to take the same chance on Rose, the lady who was manning the desk. She was reading Moby Dick and we got into a discussion on classics and I think I could be in good hands. I told her the last book I read and really enjoyed was They Both Die at the End. I think that may have gotten us on kind of a death theme but I’m alright with that because, since that book, I’ve reread Mort by Terry Pratchett and its sequel, Reaper Man. This is a fairly persistent theme.
So, I’ve come home with Under the Whispering Door and Piranesi, and a free advanced copy of Alice Isn’t Dead. I’m quite happy with my idea and her choices. I don’t know if I’m being lazy or adventurous. I haven’t read the books yet, so I could be wrong. The descriptions on Good Reads look fantastic though.
If you’ve heard the news that Books & Crannies may be moving, Rose reports that this is likely later in the year – possibly even next fall or winter. The shop needs more space and I know that I’ll love to see it grow but I’m a little spoiled by having easy parking right next to the store.
No one wants to see this gal attempt to parallel park.
Life In & Around Martinsville-Henry County 