Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold. Vacation this year found Chris travelling south to visit his brother on his horse farm in Citra, Florida.  If you read our earlier, I Found Waldo, you will know there is quite good antiquing in and around the Citra / Ocala area.  It was fun to visit old friends but, as is often the case, some old friends have disappeared while new friends appeared.  And in one case, there was a resurrection!

 

The Ole Cracker House Antique Mall, located close to my brother’s home, is always stop one. Filled with a variety of fairly priced items, I contemplated purchasing a Chase chrome and Bakelite lamp. With minimal damage to some of the Bakelite and after a lot of thought, I walked away from it.

 

A cool looking deco style tea set was tempting. Unmarked, I wanted to do some research on it before making a commitment.  Another tempting piece?  A mid-century Silvercrest wood and aluminum box. The lid on this is extremely heavy gauge and heavy in weight.

 

There is also quite a good selection of mid-century cocktail shakers there and some vintage Fiesta, but I ultimately walked away empty-handed.

A short ride to downtown Ocala and we arrived at our next stop, and new one for me, The White Elephant, a small store, jam-packed with a variety of interesting and offbeat pieces of all eras. Be careful picking items up as it is easy to start an avalanche of breakables! Luckily, I didn’t break anything, although it was a close call at one point. Items are fairly priced and the owner is friendly and helpful.  She directed my brother to her furniture warehouse across the street as he is looking for a storage piece for his house.

 

Directly next door is another new store for me, Tumbleweed. The same size as the prior store, the friendly proprietor deals primarily with larger pieces.  He too has a warehouse and willing to search his on-line inventory. Unfortunately, he didn’t have anything available at the time of interest to my brother. Next, a quick trip across the street to The White Elephant’s furniture warehouse. It has some unique items but nothing of interest for us.

 

Just a block away, we ate a delicious lunch Ivy on the Square. A tasty roasted chicken breast sandwich satisfied and filled me for the rest of the day. Directly across the street is a fully restored, art deco building, the Marion Theatre. Designed by Roy A. Benjamin, it opened on September 11, 1941 and is built in the streamline modern style. More on it in another post.

 

Late in the day, we headed back to the farm but with one more stop. If you read my article, I Found Waldo, I mentioned Digger’s.  A few years later, Anthony and I visited and found, sadly, an empty storefront. So, imagine my surprise when our last stop for the day – Digger’s!  (See, I promised you a resurrection!)

 

The new store is large and bright with spacious aisles. A great mix of merchandise from higher end antiques to usable and collectible household goods.  Well laid out, prices are more than fair. The front building is mostly better-quality items in cases and as you move toward the right, the aforementioned household items, then larger furniture pieces. I purchased a passenger list booklet from 1936 for the S.S. President Polk, part of the Dollar Steamship Line, for Anthony.

 

Don’t forget to say hello to the owner, John! He is friendly and knowledgeable about his merchandise. While we conversed, I directed him to our blog.  He got a kick out of seeing his old store.  He informed us the Wagon Wheel, an old friend, had gone out of business.

 

Our adventures continued on day two starting with the Ocala Antique Mall and Estates. They had just opened on my first review years ago and I said it is one to keep an eye on. There is quite a bit to see from kitsch to class. If in the market, they have an excellent selection of cow hide rugs that are very reasonably priced.  County, mid-century and art deco co-exist in more than one eclectic booth.

 

Stop two and we explored Traditions Antique Mall. Bigger than it looks, the prices are generally fair though a few items are a tad “pre-recession” in price.  One dealer has a beautiful display of Lalique.

 

If you need a great costume, they have a fantastic lady’s Mummers style suite. Be sure not to miss the back rooms. More warehouse in set up, there are lots of nooks and crannies to explore.  But be aware, the furniture room at the very back is not air-conditioned.  It is quite warm even on a mild day. Still, I have yet to walk away without something from this place. Two small vintage Fiesta bowls ($3.00 each!), a pair of postcard size silhouettes and a mid-century serving tray are no longer in their inventory.

 

Wildwood Antique Mall in Wildwood, Florida is just a few miles away.  A nice choice of merchandise greets you, but, this place is hit or miss. Items can vary from quality to crafty. Still, it is worth stopping by as you never know what you will see and be lured into buying. FYI: the Wildwood name is branded and there are several associated stores under the same name.

 

Speaking of which, we drove to Wildwood Antique Mall in Eustis, Florida next. A slight detour, due to some questionable GPS directions, and we made it safely.  It has a good inventory and is generally well laid out. I found a most unusual and creepy food mold (which I did not buy) and quite a bit of deco and mid-century items. I picked up a complete mid-century drink set and for my brother, success! He bought a beautiful, reasonably priced sideboard with plenty of storage. Unfortunately, we came in a car and not one of my brother’s trucks. Luckily, Wildwood in Eustis is a relatively short drive our next day’s destination, Renninger’s.

 

Renninger’s is combination flea market and established business consortium. I recommend you do the outdoor flea market first then the buildings. Do I follow my own advice? No.

 

A street of quaint stores greets you and friendly (and in some cases, talkative) proprietors are on hand to assist. Several commented on a slow selling season and they are willing to offer deep discounts if interested in any items. Next to  “antique alley” is a large enclosed main building. It is roughly built in the shape of a capital “E”.  So many tempting things called to me but I managed to resist. My brother? Not so much. A charming small secretary made its way to the farm that day. My only purchase; a small Caledonian vase.  Mandy’s Grub Hub Café (in the center “arm”) offers a satisfying and reasonably priced menu.  Highly recommended.

 

Behind the main building I struck gold. There, for want of a better description, is a shack. It is large and sprawling with remnants of straw and hay ground into the slightly muddy dirt floor. The shelves groan under the weight of hundreds of items and a thick layer of dust and grime covers most of the stock. Newer stock has less grime while the older stock needs wiping to see what treasures lie beneath. Best of all, almost everything is 50% off the ticket price (assuming you can read the ticket price!). I found a pair of Consolidated vases and a small French deco or early mid-century  horse bud vase.

 

Most of the outdoor vendors were packing or already packed upped. As with most flea markets, the merchandise varied from “quite good” to “really???”.  (Reminder note to you and self: Do outdoor vendors first!)  We made one last stop to pick up the sideboard purchased the day before and off to home for a night of rest and relaxation.

 

My last day, Sunday’s goal: Waldo Antique and Flea Market.  A nice change of pace for Lady, my brother’s dog, as the flea market is pet friendly – as long as the animal is leashed. Some interesting but non-tempting items.  There is an odd mix of used toys, WW II memorabilia, and confederate merchandise, as well as livestock found here.

 

The main building is a warren of rooms and dead-end nooks and crannies. Almost everything is fairly priced. For less than what I have paid in the north, I picked up a couple of mint condition Riviera dishes. The building is animal friendly IF your pet is carried resulting in my brother and me taking turns sitting with Lady outside.

 

 

Heading home the next day, I stopped at Buffalo Exchange Trading Co. A lot of second-hand furniture and glassware, I picked up a 1939 Ford News magazine, featuring the 1939 World’s Fair, for Anthony.

 

Heading home I stopped for the night in Roanoke Rapids, Virginia. Unbeknownst and unplanned, I happened to stop 2 miles from the Riverside Mill Antique Mall, Weldon, NC. One guess where I went the next morning. (Ding, ding, ding. You are a winner!)

 

It is larger than it looks from the outside. It has an eclectic mix of mostly older and vintage items alongside reproductions and, strangest of all, a home décor store!  I thought the prices a bit on the high side with few vendor sales.  If in the area, I would go again as there is a treasure lurking there somewhere.

 

Back on the road, I saw a sign for Hickorycreek Antiques, in Ashland Va.  Located in a strip mall, I almost went driving- for- deco right by it.

The store has 4 rooms with Vintage and collectible phones, better collectible glassware and ceramics are in room #1. Vintage and newer Christmas items are in room #2; Kitchen and dishware in room #3 and tools, maps, etc., in room#4.

As an added bonus, the owner provides a selection of light refreshments, coffee, water and iced tea as well as several pies and cakes. I choose his wife’s homemade fruitcake (yes, I am that one person you know who likes fruitcake) and it was one of the best, if not the best, I ever ate.

 

In the first room, I saw and ultimately purchased a Wolfgang Hoffmann Art Deco Swing Arm Smoke Stand. While I didn’t know this at the time, I sent a picture to Anthony who was all for buying it.  A little long distance research on his part and… The price online is well over $1700.00. My price? $40.00 (bargained down from $45.00).

To be completely honest, it is in need of professional restoration as a previous owner “improved” it by painting over the original painted areas and chrome tray with white house paint. Please, DO NOT “improve” an item unless you are a professional at refinishing!

So, there you are. A real driving for deco adventure with mixed results. If you are near the Ocala area, be sure to check the stores out. And remember:  items lasting this long is a testament to the quality and pride put into producing them. Antiquing is recycling and generally, for less money, you can get better quality than the disposable merchandise manufactured today.

 

Chris (One half of the Freakin’ ‘tiquen Guys)