Spreading My Wings

I finally did it.

Ye Olde Schoolhouse Country Store in Sodus, NY

I am stepping out in faith and spreading my wings to fly to the next level.

Live retail!

I had been thinking a lot about taking my love of vintage and passion for thrifting to a real live brick and mortar store. Selling on Etsy is great but I have so much stuff and I want to buy more stuff so I needed another outlet.

As soon as the idea entered my mind, I would dismiss it because of the cost of renting a booth, where it might be and just for plain and real fear. What if I didn't sell anything?

I found myself sharing my desire out loud again though, to my friend Susan, who has been in the retail world for a long time.

I believe that the Lord gives us the desires of our heart when we follow and obey His word the best we can. He also uses other people to put the puzzle pieces together to make it all happen.

Thanks to Susan's connections with a lot of the people who run the country, primitive stores in the area, I was able to grab the last open booth at Ye Olde Schoolhouse Country Store in Sodus, NY. As soon as I went to look at the space and talk to Larissa there, I was in. I told her she didn't even know what I sold and she said she trusted me and if Susan said I was good, then I am good.

The door has been wide open ever since and I am still walking through it!

It is the sweetest place.

Only 6' x 11', my space is perfect for me. Just big enough to get my feet wet. I already feel like I am in over my head though! Lots and lots of trips and work to get it all set up and priced.

And then there is that fear again. What if nothing sells at the Open House coming up this Friday, April 29th?

Or, what if a lot sells and then I have to fill it all up again?

Well, that part is not too hard, as I will be shopping this week at two church rummage sales and whatever else I can find to pick at.  

It was very bright the day I took these pictures, the front of the schoolhouse facing north, with Lake Ontario in the horizon. The building is the cutest thing and it was an actual schoolhouse. Old wood floors, great windows and rafters make it so quaint. It was a country shop when I lived in the area 20+ years ago and then closed. Reopened last year, the vendors and the quality of product offered are top notch. I am humbled to be a part of it.

I shopped my house and my Etsy inventory to fill my little space. I even brought out the button frames and bracelets from my Button Lady days. This is the "Think Mother's Day" table!





There are some theatre items too from the community theatre my husband and I have.



Lots of smalls....

Some more button items and my upcycled pant hangers.



A pig, a basket and a pair of roosters. 

It's a start.


If you live nearby, I hope you can stop by the Open House this weekend at Ye Olde Schoolhouse Country Store, 7290 Maxwell Rd. on the corner of Lake Rd. in Sodus, NY. It will be Friday 11-5, Saturday 10 - 5 and Sunday 12 - 5, April 29-May 1.


Visit their Facebook page here where new pictures of the whole shop will be posted soon.


AnnMarie xoxo


I am linking up here this week:
Let's Talk Vintage
Vintage Bliss Tuesdays Linky Party
Share Your Cup
Simple & Sweet Fridays
Best of the Weekend
Anything Blue Friday
"Anything Goes" Pink Saturday
Talk of the Town

You Know It's All About Getting One For The Land

Cleve-land, that is.

That's a HUGE billboard of LeBron James on the building in the background.

LeBron James said that about getting a championship win for the Cav's - the Cleveland Caveliers NBA basketball team.


But we weren't in Cleveland this past weekend for the Cav's game. We were there for the Cleveland Indians vs. the New York Mets baseball game.


Why go to Cleveland, Ohio for a Mets game and not New York City when we live in Upstate NY?


$$$ vs. $$$$$$......It is actually less expensive for the tickets, the gas, the lodging and almost everything else you spend money on for a trip. And it's closer.


It was a three game series for the Mets and the Indians and we had tickets to see two of them, Saturday and Sunday. This could have easily been a guy's only weekend for my husband and son but I like a live baseball game too! And I found out that the once a month flea market in Cleveland was to be on Saturday! We had all day to roam the city before the 4 p.m. game so we stopped there first.

Located in a parking lot behind some buildings in the city, it was full of all kinds of stuff, including my favorite....vintage. The railroad tracks were right there, with trains going by above the whole lot.



Not a lot was affordable enough for me to buy and resell but I did buy a few things. I paid too much but they were unique.


This was the best upcycle of vintage suitcases that I have seen yet! The music was very loud coming out of them!

With a few hours to go before the game, we decided to check out the Westside Market on 125th St. It is an indoor market with vegetables and fruit, meat and bakeries.


It literally blasted all your senses as you walked in the doors.

 Ewwww.....

 Italian goodies....

I am AnnMarie (no e) and my husband is Frank. How cool to see this cute dairy first.....

and then just to the left.....

It was so tempting to load up on all the food that surrounded us.....and how about those apple fritters?! But we were good and had juiced veggie drinks and some fresh fruit as a snack.

On our way back to the car we ran into Guitar Man, Super Hero for Hire. His slogan is "Saving Cleveland 1 Song At A Time".

We weren't quite sure how to take him but he was super fun to talk to.

Time to get to the game. The weather was gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky. Frank got us great seats, right on first base. It was a really nice field, called Progressive Field.

The Mets came out to stretch a little.

This struck me so funny. How many guys does it take to hold a hose?

Apparently 15.


Even though it was warmer back in NY, we all got sunburned from sitting out in the glorious sun for 4 hours. Not complaining!


Mets lost 7-5.


But we had some pretty good food. The best veggie pizza I have had to date!

The next morning our plan was to go to breakfast and then off to the second game. There was a Bob Evan's restaurant across the street from the hotel that the guys wanted to go to but I didn't want to go there. I wanted to find a cute diner to eat at. I googled a few places and we set off.

It would all turn into a comedy of errors.....three times!

Yours Truly was our first stop. When the GPS said "your destination is on the left" this is what we saw....

A building torn down to the studs.

I googled again. Another one that sounded cute....can't remember the cute name. This is what we found when we arrived....

Shut down for who knows how long.

Across the street was a grocery market with a huge Café sign on the building. We went inside to find out it too was closed down.

Guess where we ended up going to breakfast?

Yup, you guessed it, Bob Evans!

The game on Sunday was an early afternoon game at 1 p.m. The Cav's were playing at 3 p.m. The baseball field and the basketball arena just happened to be right next to each other. We got caught in the middle of two major sporting events going on and it was lively! Thank goodness for being able to make reservations for a parking spot online a month ago!

The weather was perfect again but we were on the third base side this time, in the shade most of the game. I was dressed in 3 layers with a scarf around my neck and a jacket over my legs. It was a great game though. Mets won 6-0.

On our way out, another colorful character was hanging out by the parking garage.

It's always a fun time in a big city! You never know what you'll see or who you'll meet. It was a memorable trip and I got to tag along with the guys!


What are you doing this weekend?


AnnMarie xoxo


I am linking up with these fun blog parties:


Thoughts of Home
Share Your Cup
Best of the Weekend
Anything Goes Pink Saturday

Church Rummage Sales Are The Best

Small town church rummage sales are the best.


Especially when you walk in and there are sweet, elderly ladies chatting behind the check out table.


It tells me that it is an older congregation and there will be some good stuff!


This past Friday's picking falls into the thrifting on a whim category. I had my granddaughter Cassidy for the day and I had errands to do. Of course we had to stop at the church rummage sale around the corner first.


I scored pretty good!


I bought all of the large Pyrex glass percolators they had....

Available

These are such classic 1950's kitchen items. I just can't imagine having to clean them every day though! They are heavy Pyrex glass with a fragile glass stem and basket.

Postscript: I made a pot of coffee the next morning in the pot for my husband and I and we both agreed that it was pretty good. Not for a morning when you are in a hurry though!

This Pyrex Friendship Cinderella Bake Serve and Store Set are also a classic 1950's kitchen item. They are so pretty in their red, yellow-orange, and white and they are in perfect condition.

available

I will have to research them both over at Diana's blog, Adirondack Girl at Heart. She has a Pyrex Price Guide on her sidebar.


Train cases are great sellers so I always look for them at rummage sales and usually find at least one. This one is in pretty bad shape but for a buck I grabbed it anyways. I plan on painting it like Altered Art Works did and give it new life.

 

These sandwich makers for the campfire are very popular with buyers. This one is from Toas-tite. It is in great, usable condition too and just in time for pbj's by the fire.

Available

All of these great metal kitchen tools were in one bag for a buck. I think they are great collectibles to repurpose or use for their intended purpose.





When I got home with my goodies and started playing with them I realized that one of the percolators was missing an inside metal part. One of the sweet ladies at the sale tried to give me a bunch of metal parts but I didn't take them! I went back the next morning and got the whole bag for a quarter. I only needed one, but like the kitchen tools, I thought maybe they would be good for a repurposing project. There was an extra glass lid in there too.

I will be sorting and listing these things in my Etsy shop soon. If you are interested in any of them before they make it there, send me an email!

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up to these fun blog parties:

Thrifty & Vintage Finds Link Party

Let's Talk Vintage

Talk of the Town

Vintage Bliss Tuesday's Linky Party

Share Your Cup Thursday

Thoughts of Home on Thursday

Vintage Charm Party