Saturday, November 24, 2012

"Black Friday" Finds

As much as I love hunting for treasures, I don't really go in for the day-after-Thanksgiving "Black Friday" shopfest. TVs, video games, appliances, and all the other electronic gadgets that seem to be the focus for shoppers that day don't really appeal to me much, and you couldn't pay me enough to be in those crowds. Instead I sleep in, then eat breakfast while watching the news stories of riots at the local Walmart. Fueled by Captain Crunch cereal and self-righteousness, I then go the opposite direction, visiting my favorite little independently owned shops in small towns.  My goals are chiefly: 1) supporting them, in an effort to avoid nothing but Walmarts in our future; and 2) seeing how they've decorated for the holidays.

So yesterday found me in a little "County Store" in a remote area, as far from the malls and big box places as I could get. This particular store, housed in several old farm buildings, specializes in holiday decorations along with some local crafts and baked goods. Occasionally, an antique toy can be found in its densely packed display cases, too.

And this trip didn't disappoint: I spotted this little doll's legs sticking out from under a pile of tinsel. Just a tiny 3 1/2 inches tall, this dollhouse doll was made in Germany between the 1890s-1900s, and is still wearing her original clothes.





Other finds included these old Christmas ornaments. The 3 inch snowman is made of cotton batting, and dates from around the 1930s-40s, while the chenille Santa is likely a bit older.




Who needs Best Buy's "door buster" deals when there are things like this out there, just waiting to be discovered?

8 comments:

  1. I'm with you! Went to my local used book store Friday-- we're lucky to have one still in business -- and the owner saved an old paper doll book for me. Will post soon. My husband and I always shop our local main streets for the holidays to avoid the crazy mall hysteria. These guys need us!

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    1. Congrats on your paper doll book find: can't wait to see it! We still have a small book store here too, and I shop there as much as I can, even though of course the books are more expensive than they would be online. I agree: we need to save our local merchants and small businesses. A world without bookstores would be very sad.

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  2. Wonderful finds - and a much pleasanter shopping experience, I'm sure!

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    1. So is your art: I just discovered it! I particularly like your robots.

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  4. I don't blame you for heading in the opposite direction of the 'maddening crowd', and you surely were rewarded. The dollhouse doll may be tiny, but she surely looks to be a force to be reckoned with!

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    1. I think she looks as if she's ready to shoulder her way through a Black Friday shopper crowd! She has a very determined expression.

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