Pick & Grin On Vacation

Pick & Grin On Vacation

While it’s great to be back, vacations are a time to relax and enjoy some good times with good friends and see new sights. Our recent trip to North Carolina, included a visit into Charleston, South Carolina and a grand tour of many of the city’s historic sites, with the magnificent architecture of very early America.

None of our vacation trips are ever complete without antique shopping and we planned to spend one full day in the Myrtle Beach area and several mornings on the coastline around our vacation condo in Calabash, NC. Our routine before leaving is a check on the net for antique shops in the area of our vacation, then call to confirm hours of operation. This is to insure we are not headed to some place on the one day of the week they are closed.

With disappointment, the North Carolina coastal area and the South Carolina border where we were staying proved to be completely devoid of antiques, even if the word “Antique” is on their signage. Since our adventures had brought us to the Myrtle Beach area in the past, we knew fitting a day trip into our week was a necessity.

Heading south on Hwy. 17 we spotted an open sign at Cottage Antiques at 1315-C Highway 17 North in North Myrtle Beach,

Phone (843) 249-7563.  Looking like a small storefront shop, our first surprise was the depth and width of the physical layout and the scope of the antiques inside. Pick was immediately drawn to the jewelry displays and quickly secured several pieces for her collection. We found lots to buy and a great deal of things to admire, but when you’re flying instead of on a driving vacation, size matters. Several sad irons caught my attention and we were intrigued with a soap bottle in red glass, but left them there for your next visit. Melinda runs the shop and knows her antiques and gave us some hints on other places to visit after she saw the type of items we were interested in purchasing.

Passing several more shops further down on Hwy. 17 that Melinda mentioned but felt they normally didn’t have the type of stock that would interest us, we went to one more location on her short list, and it turned out to be worth the jaunt to the Fox & Hounds Antique Mall at 160A Rodeo Drive, Myrtle Beach (843) 236-1027, off Hwy. 501.  They had lots of small items we could fit in a suitcase for the trip home located in front cases as we walked in. Next time we’ll drive when we vacation to that area and will empty the whole place, including great items in most booths that just would not fit into our suitcases.

We mention these two with the hope you will have as good a shopping experience as we found.If you have an exceptional antique store in your area, and feel our readers should hear about them, give us a reply back. We will continue to feature places we stop at that may interest you in your search for vintage and antique items.

Just a note!!

Our ideal shop or mall is one that meets these guidelines:

The owner / dealers have a well-stocked selection of antiques and vintage items and keep out reproductions and new items. The best places have age limits on the items sold. The store aisles, booths and cases are clean and free of clutter, items are nicely displayed, identified, priced and conditions are noted.

A clear consistent sale or discount policy is in place.

I also like to converse with people that are collectors, and understand our passion in searching for antiques. A helpful staff or owner can make the experience doubly enjoyable.