With the warmer weather, Chris and I hit the road again making this our second road trip in 2017. It might be that we have jump started our 2017 “freakin’, tiquen'” season. Saturday, April 22nd our first stop was at the Golden Nugget Antique Market outside of Lambertville, New Jersey.

The Golden Nugget is only 20 minutes away from where Chris lives. He goes there often and usually when Chris goes alone he ends up finding great things. Two weeks before he picked up a couple of Fortune magazines from the late 1930’s and two vases. One of the vases has a mark that is unfamiliar to us and is Arts and Crafts in style. The other vase is an Australian Regal Mashman fantastic Art Deco three handle vase with a wonderful colorful glaze.

 

On this trip, I joined Chris and true to routine, it was disappointing. Now the weather threatened rain so many dealers stayed away. It didn’t take long to do the entire flea market and we did not purchase anything. Since our main destination was a Salvage Goods in Easton, Pennsylvania, I was ok not finding anything. But I have to say that when full with dealers, Chris and I find many items at really good prices.

 

The trip to Easton from Lambertville, is a pleasant drive up along the Delaware River. Driving north on Route 29 takes one through the towns of Stockton and Frenchtown. At Frenchtown, we crossed the river into Pennsylvania. At the intersection of Routes 32 and 611 we spotted an arrow shaped sign that said antiques. Even though in the opposite direction we decided to take a chance. I’m glad we did. Less than five minutes south on Route 611 (Easton Road) we came across Gristie’s Bucks County Antiques and Oddities.

 

Located in an 1888 grist and saw mill at 9730 Easton Road in Kintnersville, Pennsylvania, Gristie’s has three floors to explore and one out building called the bunker. This antique mall has 23 dealers and they sell a wide variety of items, from books, to pottery, furniture, garden accessories, dishes and other collectibles. I came away from my first visit there with a bank from the Corning Glass Center at the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair. Made out of a glass block, it is not in perfect shape, but the price of only $10.00 was too good to pass by.

 

 

Leaving Gristie’s it was off to Salvage Goods in Easton. Except that no more than five minutes away from Gristie’s along Route 611 we passed Antique Haven and again we made another unscheduled stop.

 

Antique Haven is another multi dealer store with items from Jewelry to housewares to furniture. Well laid out that makes shopping easy, the store has a relaxing atmosphere. It is such a classy looking store Chris and I were surprised at the reasonable prices. I almost picked up a cobalt blue Fiestaware mixing bowl. Then I found a very Art Deco door knob set, that just had to come home with me. Now I need to find a door to attach it to.

 

 

By now it was past 1:00 and  Chris and I were hungry. Luckily almost directly across the street from Antique Haven we spotted the Someday Cafe & Roastery. We both had very large sandwiches and the staff was very friendly. I know we will go back to eat there again. Someday Cafe & Roastery is located in a wooded spot next to the old Delaware & Lehigh Canal and in the summer it must look beautiful.

 

 

After lunch it was back in the car for the half hour ride up to Easton, Pennsylvania and Salvage Goods. As its name implies they sell architectural antiques but there is so much more, items both large and small. It is a roomy store that makes browsing easy, whether looking at furniture, smalls on shelves or a box of old photos. They also sell a nice variety of lampshades at very reasonable prices. Since Chris is in need of a couple of shades I know we will be making another visit there before the autumn.

 

 

Immediately next door to Salvage Goods is the Easton Antiques Emporium. With 30 dealers, this mall will surprise you by its size, it is much larger than it appears from the street. The staff is attentive and friendly and they sell everything you would expect from an antique mall of this size. Although we did not find any Deco item to come home with that day, it is another store that we will go back to.

 

 

After leaving the Easton Antiques Emporium we got back into the car to return to New Jersey and two antique malls just on the other side of the Delaware River. As we drove through the center of Easton we passed the Easton Antique Co-op. So we had to stop. On our to the Co-op we came across an empty Art Deco building with the name Mayer on it. Apparently this used to be the Jacob Mayer mens clothing store, established in 1894. It appears the store expanded and received a modernized facelift around 1930. After the clothing store closed it became a bank. It would be nice to see this building repurposed again, without an alteration to its facade. I wonder if the clock seen in the postcard still exists under the ugly green entrance awning?

 

 

 

The Easton Antique Co-op is also on the town center square and down the street from the old Mayer Store. The Co-op sells items both old and new and has a great selection of antique rugs. Some of the new items is furniture that is reminiscent of George Nakashima’s work. Although we didn’t pick up anything there it is a worthwhile store to check out.

 

 

A nice medium size antique mall Harvest Star Antiques, in Stewartsville, NJ is less than a half hour drive from Easton. I always try to get there a few times a year and more often than not come away with something. A circa 1940 two-tier Royal Chrome table designed by Wolfgang Hoffmann for $21.00 was my best purchase from the store.

 

It seemed strange to us as we pulled up that there were no cars in the parking lot. Then we realized that Harvest Star Antiques had gone out of business. It is another antique store that Chris and I will miss.

 

 

After the disappointment of the closed Harvest Star Antiques, we headed for the biggest antique mall in the area, The Black Rose Antique Mall in Phillipsburg, NJ. Up until last year the Black Rose was in Allentown, PA. We loved this mall and we always found something to bring home. After many delays, the relocated Black Rose opened in this new location just after New Year. Unfortunately when we made our first visit in January it was still half empty. And worse the layout of the store is very confusing. It is in an old J. C. Penney department store and they have utilized the existing floor layout. This layout is circular rows with the walls of the booths going up close to the ceiling, this makes it difficult to tell where you are and where you have been.

 

 

I am happy to say that on our last visit there were more dealers and hopefully it will be full to capacity with dealers soon. The layout is still confusing, but they do have maps by the entrance, which you will need. I only bought one item, a circa 1915 78 rpm Victor phonograph record of Nights of Gladness played by the Victor Military Band. I like the song and it was only $2.00. By the time we finished at The Black Rose it was getting close to dinner time, so we ended our full day of antiquing.

 

The next day, Sunday the 23rd, turned out to be sunny and warmer than the day before. Tempting fate, we tried our luck at The Golden Nugget again. On this morning there were many more dealers there. And we did see a few interesting items, but a patinated bronze vase by Carl Sorensen was the only purchase. This makes the fifth piece in the collection. Sorensen worked in Philadelphia in the 1910’s and 1920’s and his pieces have a hybrid Arts and Crafts / Art Deco look. Identifying a genuine Sorensen is pretty easy, look on the bottom for the engraving of his name in longhand and an “S” in a “C” with the word bronze above. Plus the verdigris finish usually with gold trim is another identifying characteristic of his work.

 

 

 

With our 2017 “freakin’, tiquen'” season kicking off, I can’t wait to see what else will come into our collection later this spring and summer.

 

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’, Tiquen Guys).

If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy these earlier posts:

The Start of the 2016 “Freakin’, Tiquen'” Season and a trip to two flea markets.

Freakin’ Tiquen Memorial Day Weekend 2015 – The Haul!