Stacyverb

Kudzu Antiques

I love poking around in junk stores.  Whether I buy anything or not, it's just fun to look at random crap.  Places that have "antique" in their name generally intimidate me, though.  They sound like they're full of old, valuable stuff that I can't afford and will probably break.  But I do love visiting Kudzu Antiques, just for fun.

This lady greets you as you approach from the west...

 

...and this one welcomes you if you're coming from the east.

 

One of my favorite sections is their salt and pepper shaker area.  I don't know why--I have no interest in collecting salt and pepper shakers--but they're fun to look at.  (I must admit, the Fonzie set did tempt me briefly.  It would go great with the diner theme we have going in the kitchen of Boogaloo Acres!  I resisted.  It is cute, though.  The juke box is for pepper and Fonzie gets the salt.)

 

Kudzu doesn't take itself too seriously.  There are crazy tableaux like these everywhere.  Some are using the word "antique" rather loosely, I'd say.

 

Some of the items are no doubt actually quite valuable, like this old shoe-shine chair.  When I see stuff like this, I get curious about so many things: Who will buy it?  What will they do with it?  I want to follow this chair home and see what happens.

 

How cute is this turquoise fridge?  And I can't believe I almost missed the fact that there was a small plane above my head.

 

This visit wasn't really about buying, just exploring.  We did make some purchases from the vintage beverage area before heading home, though.  These are all bottled by a company in Washington state, using the original formulas (real cane sugar! no high fructose corn syrup or nutra-sweet!).  Anthony chose his old favorite, Frostie Root Beer, and I couldn't resist trying the "private label" cola.  De-lish! 

Next time you're on the east side of the ATL, stop by Kudzu to shop, gawk around, or just pick up a tasty drink!

Monday adventures

One of the great things about Me-Made-June is that it has forced me to take a little time each day to do something other than work: shooting outfit photos, blogging, interacting with other MMJ participants online.  And guess what?  Relaxing my schedule a little bit hasn't affected my livelihood at all.  Obviously, all other things being equal, more goofing off is the way to go! :)

This Monday (my day off), Anthony and I set out to do some thrifting and exploring.  First stop: the Salvation Army thrift store on Marietta Street, where I bought a really cute top (soon to be seen in an outfit photo).  The real coup, though, was this:

Four CD box set for $2.00!  Couldn't believe it!

 

Next, a break from the heat at Zesto.  Mmmm...hot fudge sundae.

From there, we wandered down to Paris on Ponce.  It's definitely more of an antique store than a thrift store, so not really in our budget for shopping, but still fun to explore. I found a weird room and a door marked "VAULT" so naturally I had to open it and see what was behind it.  Inside, I found a magical wonderland!

Here I am, on a plush couch, peeking out from behind a curtain made of lace, lights, and sequins.  (You saw another shot of this in yesterday's post.)  It turns out I had stumbled upon Le Maison Rouge, a fantastic space that Paris on Ponce rents out for events (it's quite pricey, but if any of you want to throw a party there, please be sure to invite me!).  It's like a sumptuous French...something.  Cabaret?  Boudoir?  There was no one in there, so Anthony and I explored and gawked at everything.

 

When he's not fighting crime with the Justice League, he's fake-bartending at a tawdry French nightclub.

Then we headed down Moreland to Value Village, where I bought a rack thingy to hang scarves and belts on.  Not photo-worthy, but this sign, on the other hand....

This woman looks simultaneously thrilled and terrified of the bargains on South Moreland.

We rounded out the evening at Thinking Man Tavern for dinner and drinks (and board games--yes, they have plenty to choose from on their shelves).  Last week, the Tavern was struck by lightning not once but twice!  They had to close for a few days, including Friday, so I'm sure that was very costly for them.  If you're on the east side of Atlanta, stop by for a meal or a drink and generate some cash flow for these fine folks.

In conclusion, taking a day off--really OFF--totally rocks.  I definitely felt more like me by letting myself have a day to relax, explore, be spontaneous, and just see what happens.  Note to self: do this more often.