I remember when I was setting up my first house. It was a meager little place – a simple 1920s farmhouse that, over time, the town encroached on until there was no farmland left. While I was visiting my parents just before moving in, my mother gathered together a few decorative items and boxed them up for me saying, “Everyone needs a few pretty things.”
What strikes me when I walk around Forestwood Antique Mall is how many “pretty things” are available there. We all know the names of some of their producers – Baccarat, Tiffany, Waterford – while the markers of other items are long forgotten firms and individuals whose work is still admired 100, 150, or even 200 years later.
I’m particularly fascinated by the many serving items we have from “The Gilded Age” into the turn of the century. Times are simpler now with less formal meals, but I’m still amazed by these items. Things once only available to those with tremendous wealth are now available to buyers with just a bit of discretionary income.
So, take some time and wander the aisles. Peer into the cases. Catch a glimpse of elegant times gone by and consider taking some of these amazing items home, because “everyone needs a few pretty things.”