15 minutes? No problem!

As I've stated in a previous post, while living in the city, I was used to the conveniences of Walmart, Target and grocery stores being close by.  Since moving here, I've become accustomed to driving 10 minutes to the grocery store, 20 - 25 min to the Walmart, and I almost never go to Target (much to MY chagrin, but much to my bank account's happiness) because it's in the next state over.  15 min to meet someone to pick something up? No problem.  20 minutes to get to the t-ball field? Sure!  Time has taken on new meaning.

No longer can I walk into our grocery store and peruse the wine selection at my leisure.  No, to get a bottle of wine, I must either to go a winery or find a "state store".  Needless to say, I've not bought a bottle of wine since we moved in August.  Not to say I haven't had wine since being here.  I belong to a book club, so you KNOW there's going to be wine a-flowing there! Good times!

I've been searching for a dresser for our daughter, so I've been searching the Facebook garage sale pages and learning about some of the before unknown antique stores around here.  I went with a friend of mine to a little shop she knew of in a neighboring city and this place was quite literally a hole in the wall in an industrial area.  I don't know how she found it to begin with!  Another friend suggested a couple of stores in a little town not far from here that I have yet to explore.  Needless to say, I'm excited to explore, distance and time be darned (within reason)!

Since I've broached the topic, there's this fantastic antique store in Portland, OR called Monticello.  I have gone to this store every trip since our son was a baby - there's always something new and they have this great book section and cafe.  I can easily spend a couple of hours browsing there.

I've not always been a fan of antiquing, as it were.  Those stores used to give me a major case of the heebie-jeebies with all their old, other people's things.  The dust, the claustrophobic cacophony of "stuff" that was usually very unorganized - my head would spin and I would practically beg to get out of the store.  That was until my husband needed to start doing prop shopping for his graduate work as a theatre designer.  We lived in Detroit (yes, IN Detroit) and there was this fantastic place called the Eastern Market.  If you're ever in Detroit on a Saturday, especially in nice weather, be sure to find your way there (even in this trying economy, I hope it still runs!).  There are vendors outside, there are 3 huge buildings full of vendors and all this is surrounded by older buildings housing a butcher, a wine shop, greasy spoons and THE antique store.  Room after room of  mostly organized "stuff".  It's a prop picker's dream.  You never know what treasures you'll find  hidden in an antique store.  That's half the fun!