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Raleigh Antique Furniture Store Worth Investigating…

Brandy — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:48:25 +0000

When you’re out furniture shopping in Raleigh, do you only think about new furniture? What about antiques? When I hear that word, the first couple things that come to mind for me are auctions and $$$$.

Well, Glenwood South Antiques is neither of those things really. They sell furniture in the store with prices marked right on the furniture. No haggling or bidding. Though, I wonder if you could negotiate…everything is negotiable, right? But the written price on tags are comparable to Raleigh furniture stores that sell new furniture. You can buy this lovely Victorian Mahogany Love Seat for $600.

Antiques strike a chord with me ‘cause I remember going to auction houses when I was a kid. BasicalIy it was an extremely boring experience for a kid… uninspiring, several hours long, couped-up-indoor-torture. But I thought it was funny when the auctioneer would get up there and rattle off the bidding and emphasize all the last raised dollar figures. It sounded like he said Yee-Haw! after everything. And, I always wondered if they made mistakes ‘cause it went so fast…like in a ‘blink of an eye’ and the hammer went down and a piece was sold. I guess that’s how they get through all the items.

My dad was a collector of rugs, vases, paintings… you name it. He got rid of most that stuff. That’s the benefit of antiques. You can sell some antiques for possibly a higher price than you purchased. Imagine that… as a piece ages, the price goes up! Very different from store-bought furniture that you end up donating, throwing out, or selling at a yard sale as cheap, used furniture .

Glenwood South Antiques is the smaller of the two stores. They carry mostly 18th and 19th century pieces. A lot of English and French influence, although there’s a lot of very eclectic, tasteful array of antiques like this piece which is a Chinese inspired rosewood chair with French Empire front legs.

The co-owner David Lindquist whom I met, also owns Whitehall Antiques in Chapel Hill off the main drag, Franklin Street. David gave me a tour of the Glenwood South store. He mentioned that most pieces are not touched up ‘cause of the preference for the patina finish. I’d actually never heard that word before. But he showed me wood, that had a shinier finish (…ooh like shiny!). It keeps the value of the antique. He also showed me some chandeliers that were sold to the White House in the early 19th century. He encouraged me to come back which is a good idea as they get new pieces all the time. Btw, in case you have any antiques, they also appraise and may purchase from you to resell. Sounds like it could be a fun hobby for some.

Raleigh Silver Jewelry Shop You’ll Love…

Brandy — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:34:46 +0000

For women who love silver jewelry but not the silver tarnish, I’ve got the store for you! Men…take note.

Have you heard the brand name, Brighton? Their signature logo is the heart. In case you don’t know, Brighton makes and sells jewelry, handbags, shoes, wallets, and other accessories. Their style is very scroll-y, and decorative with hearts and flowers.

What makes their silver really unique is it doesn’t normally tarnish. They double dip their silver in silver again. I guess that keeps it from tarnishing and looking dull. That’s what I’m talkin’ about! My biggest gripe with silver is that it tarnishes — even when you put ‘em in Ziploc bags. Who has time to clean silver these days? Especially if it’s a bunch of little silver pieces like on a silver bracelet. You can tell Brighton makes quality too ‘cause the silver looks real sturdy.

They have a very smart way of getting a following. Basically they point you to their website where you can create ‘a wish list’. They also have a paper version you can pickup in any store. But you can’t buy their stuff online…not sure why that is though. I was told they don’t usually have sales unless a piece is going to retire. The store I was in had minimal sale pieces. Just a few wallets mainly. Jewelry is priced fairly usually ranging from $40 to $75. Most pieces I saw were in the $50 range.

They position each piece as special and can retire at any time. Scarcity…that’s smart. Remember the Beanie Baby craze? Well, I still have about 50 or more of those stuffed animals around. But the Beanie Baby company did the same thing to keep the craze going… they kept retiring certain animals so they would stay hot. A lot like the Beanies, Brighton sells many items.

By the way, one of my Beanies that I still have on a bookshelf is a ‘lil Doberman. My Apollo looks like him ‘cause of the his markings even though he’s a Chihuahua mix.

Speaking of Apollo, I’ve wondered more than a few times what he’s thinking. My guess is not A LOT. His doggy mind is probably just mush. But we can learn a lot from our pets and dogs. They’re so ‘in the moment’…not worried about yesterday or tomorrow. This morning on our walk, he lifted his leg up on his usual number of 30 or so neighborhood bushes… and then on this one bush, where he kept his leg up there like an acrobatic gymnast for 10 seconds or more. The well was dry but he just kept staring at me with those big Chihuahua eyes, while holding that pose. It just made me laugh. I wanna see his yoga, Downward Dog pose.

The Best Tea Store in Raleigh

Brandy — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:17:28 +0000

Teavana sounds like a heavenly place, doesn’t it? Well it actually means Heaven of Tea. And it is… the Teavana store in Raleigh recently opened in 2008.

This place is paradise for tea lovers like me. I’ve always loved teas and the idea of teas (see my cabinet collection pre-Teavana photo).

I had my first tea party when I was 4 and got my first plastic tea set…it was that awful 70s Kermit the frog green that was so popular…and I think making a comeback today. My teddy bears and I in the late afternoon would sip our favorite imaginary tea. Perhaps we were dreaming of flavors back then. But it didn’t end there, I had my bridal shower or I should say my bridal tea shower at the Ritz Carlton. But that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Back to Teavana…they have dreamy flavors that can be endlessly mixed and matched. You can try certain tea samples in the store but for other more customized flavors, you can have one of the knowledgeable and well trained tea assistants open a signature big tin can and waft the tin can top over the leaves… believe me, your nasal senses will be delightfully aroused by this experience. The tea leaves are so aromatic and strong, it’s hard to not be pleasantly knocked out and fall in love with the complex tea scents, ranging from biscotti, to lemongrass, from ginger coconut to apple pie, to name a few. Ummm…if that doesn’t get you interested, I don’t know what will…

Teas are getting such buzz these days…most teas have high health benefits including antioxidants and vitamins. There are so many different types of tea including the colored named teas such as white tea, green tea, black tea, red tea… also called rooibos tea. Then there are other types like herbal, and oolong tea.

And speaking of catching a buzz… for caffeine or coffee lovers, mate tea can be a great substitute. The ingredient mate is a stimulant and hunger depressant (…hmmm, great if you’re trying to lose a few pounds?).

Oh, and they sell German Rock Cane Sugar. Remember rock candy on a stick? This is the same idea. For people like me with a sweet tooth who may have eaten one too many spoonfuls of sugar as a kid (really!), I can eat those sugar crystals like candy. But you can also add them to your tea which is what I think it was meant for.

Teavana has a great business model to get repeat customers, including a tea of the month program. But for casual tea drinkers like me who drink a few cups a week, we can buy their small or large Teavana labeled tin container with tea that we can bring home, and bring back to refill. See the photo of my Teavana collection. This helps to remind us customers when we’re running low on tea, and gives us a reason to go shopping at Crabtree Valley Mall;-)