A Tradition Comes To An End

Every trip we make to the coast there has been one thing I have always done. That one thing is go to the huge antique mall just a few blocks from the house. It has been a simple trip that not only give me something to do for atleast an hour. The trip has helped me acquire some great finds for not just myself, but a few cards that I have sent to other bloggers.

After making the stop in on our week at the coast in July. I was skeptical that the place would even be open for this weekend getaway. The upper level had a major vendor wrapping up everything, and moving it all out. Most the other vendor spots were either empty, or their merchandise was discounted to clear it out.

As we rolled into town on Friday I was pleasantly surprised to see that the mall was still open, and knew I had to make a trip in on Saturday.

Making my way up in the afternoon I was sad to see that while it was still open it was basically a shell upstairs. The entire upper level had a fair amount of display cases, bookcases, and any other thing they used as displays that were for sale. Some were already sold, and just waiting for their new owners to take them home. A section about the size of a master bedroom was filled with items that were all listed at fifty percent off.

In what most might consider a glimmer of hope. The downstairs was a full, and functioning business with tons of antiques for the purchasing. A sight that a normal me would be happy to see as I'd say 95 percent of my purchases have been from downstairs. The bad news was that now this downstairs is a cramped dungeon of antiques.

From what I can tell the antique mall has downsized to just the downstairs area, but has added more things into the mix. The what used to be spacious area has now become a cramped dungeon that is hard to move around in. With the large amount of people that were all in there at the same time I was. It was a very tough adventure to walk through the place, yet alone stop and see something to buy. Any stop you made would bog things down as people can no longer get around each other due to the tightness of each aisle.

While a part of me is glad to see this place is still open as I've seen a few things that might fit into the hobby room walls one day. The other side won't be letting me make this the ritual it had become. Stops in may, or may not happen at all. Everything will be decided on how the room comes together at this point. If I don't think the stuff there needs to go in a frame, and on the walls. The days of going here will be very few, and far between. Odds are at this point I'd say new adventures await me.

Now I will  have to drive up north, and hit some of the shops up there every trip. Creating a new ritual, and new treasures to search, or I will have to start looking for new antique stores I have never ventured into. They say change can be good so hopefully this change will be just that.

In honor of this last trip, I leave you with the last thing purchased at the antique mall. Three mini baseball helmets that I found at the trip in July. All three are real sweet, and honestly something I wish I had for every team. While space in the hobby room is becoming a premium, I know a full set would find a home in the room.