Vintage

What in the world is the big deal about vintage and why has this word become so popular?  When I say vintage, I may very well be referring to an antique item; however, I always try not to call something antique unless I know that it is truly very old.  I know an antiquarian would take offense to that 🙂. 

I have discovered that the word antique may be overused by industry standards. According to the actual Merriam-Webster dictionary definition, antiques should be at least one hundred years old while vintage is just basically defined as old.  I didn’t even bother to know any of this and called all of our own vintage items antiques until we started ..bring Mae’s flowers. I wanted to be as truthful as possible when selling old and well loved items.  We are slowly self-educating ourselves and learning to identify the differences between antique and vintage.  

Treasure Hunters

Anyway, Kenny and I are not really antique collectors.  We refer to ourselves as treasure hunters.  Of course the treasure is in the eye of the beholder. We love looking for old things to give character and charm to our home or to our customers’ homes.  We buy things no matter what the age of the piece if it appeals to us or we think it will appeal to our customers. 

For instance, I love old, unique furniture and always have my eye out for those types of pieces.  We both love an interesting chair and buy way too many of them.  I can’t pass up a pretty mirror, especially if it is in a pretty frame.  Kenny loves old bottles. However,  I don’t enjoy cleaning them up, and recently (post kidney transplant for him) that has become my job.  Have you ever tried to get fifty years of gunk out of a bottle?  It is not easy! 

Sometimes we ask our customers what they like to see. Then, we make a point of looking for those items whether the style is Victorian, English cottage or farmhouse.  We are getting to know our repeat customers pretty well and know when a particular piece is just right for someone.

Benefits of using vintage

I believe that the right vintage or antique item can instantly make a room cozier and more interesting.  It’s unlikely that lots of other homes are going to be decorated with an item similar to mine if I am using a vintage piece.  These pieces can also be an investment if we care for them properly.  What is vintage now will be the antique of the future.  Reusing items can also help our environment which is just an added plus in my opinion!  I absolutely want the little ones in my life to be able to enjoy the same things that I have been able to enjoy in my lifetime.  

The name of our business, ..bring Mae’s flowers, is symbolic of many things. However, one of the things is that finding a beautiful flower is like finding a treasure. Everyone’s treasure is different and can mean the big things and the small things that bring us joy. Give antiquing or thrifting a try.  There really is something for everyone’s style and it is fun to boot!