The Lures

When I was 15, it was 1980...in Atlanta, the night scene was hopping with all night gay bars, intimate concert venues like the Agora Ballroom, and we even had the Limelight Disco...commonly referred to as The Slimelight (located next door to "Disco Kroger", I might add, first grocery store to have a sushi bar, at least in the south). Like many of my friends, I had a fake ID, and we all frequented these places as much as we could. Drinking age was 18, so from the time most of us were 15, give or take a couple of years, it was fairly easy to get into any club we wanted.

I don't remember where I got them , but my favorite, and possibly only piece of jewelry from the time I was in my early to mid teens, was a pair of long brown feather earrings that tickled the tops of my shoulders. I had a big brown over sized knitted sweater with a big tiger on the front, which I would wear with my feather earrings and jeans. While that was my favorite outfit, I actually probably wore those earrings nearly every day, regardless of what else I was wearing. By early 1981, I was at a high school called Open Campus West, which was filled with hippies (well, wannabes, but no one told us we were actually born too late to be REAL hippies), rebels, and single teen moms. I was a combo of the first two. My feather earrings fit in quite nicely, and I felt too cool with my tall suede moccasin boots with the fringe around the top, my too-tight jeans, and my tiger sweater, smoking cigarettes in the parking lot and skipping class to eat the $1.99 breakfast special at Cocos.

By summer of 81, a few months before I was to turn 16, my friends and I had found a little dive called Hedgens. They were known for having great live music ever night, so a new haunt was found for my feather earrings and me. The first night I went their, I saw a band called The Numbers, and I was enamored with them. My group quickly befriended the guys and began going to their gigs around town. I had a special interest in Hays, the drummer. He was in his early 20s...yes, too old for an almost 16 year old...but that's another story! I remember the first night we ever spent alone with one another, we stayed up all night just talking until the sun came up...and it was actually fairly innocent...I was fully dressed...and in case you are wondering, yes, I was wearing my long feather earrings.

Hays and I fell quickly and madly in love. I graduated school soon after at age 16, got a full time job and an academic college scholarship, and about a year after meeting we got an an apartment together. We stayed together for about 4 and a half years, til I was 20, but Hays always told me that while he was always attracted to me for many reasons, it was my feather "lures" that sealed the deal. I'm 43 now and Hays is almost 52...it's been about 23 years since we split, though we have remained friends all these years. I am actually invited to his wedding this summer, and he lives only about 2 or 3 miles away. And yes, he still wants to be a rock star. And yes, I still have my earrings, though they have lost a little bit of their fluff over the years. I really should start wearing these again! Who knows, maybe the next catch will be a keeper.

The Antiquer's Rant: Why Antique Malls Are Going Out Of Business

Post from a fellow blogger..

The Antiquer's Rant: Why Antique Malls Are Going Out Of Business

FAMILIARITY & EMBRACING the BEGINNER'S MIND

From a young age I was always enthralled with my fathers coin collection, not for the potential value of each coin, but for the fact that some of them were just so darn old! To hold something that was around 100 years earlier was pretty mind blowing to me....my mind would race, imagining the path that these coins must have taken and the lives they may have crossed. For the most part, though, I grew up with modern, non-antique-y things most of my life. Other than the coins and a few old photos of grandparents, I was surrounded by modern things. I suppose my parents felt that to get rid of my grandmother's antique sewing machine and art deco era furniture and hiring an interior decorator in the early 70s, covering the house in shades of avocado, harvest gold, and orange, was a sign of progress and improvement. However, it never felt quite right to me. As soon as I moved out on my own and began digging for treasures at yard sales, estates, and flea markets and antique stores, I quickly denounced the "modern" stuff of my youth (which coincidentally is often highly collectible vintage in current times). Oddly, though, from the first little Victorian cameo locket I found for 25¢, I felt a kind of familiarity with antique jewelry. Not that I am a big believer in reincarnation (though I am pretty open to the possibility), I just had déjà vu quite often when out hunting for new collectibles and jewels. Often I just kind of "knew" what an item was, way before I had begun to invest in books and doing research. Maybe I was just rebelling from all the interior-decorator-bought things my parents insisting on buying, or who knows, maybe I DID live before. (If so, I think I was a black Victorian woman...but that's another story.)
Today, I am shifting my career from that of an antique dealer to yoga instructor and nutritionist. This weekend I have a yoga teacher training intensive with about 23 hours of hard work as I practice teach, learn asanas, and learn to embrace my beginner's mind. Unlike the past 23 years in the antique jewelry business, I will more than likely spend much of those 23 hours out of my comfort zone of familiarity and expertise as I pursue my 200 hour yoga certification. Next week I will work on a research paper for school, another arena in which I am still not very comfortable.

Still, though, over 25 years since finding my first antique treasures, I still enjoy thrill of the hunt and the joy of finding something old, something with age and character. It's been enough years now, that the déjà vu feeling is not so prevalent as much as the feeling that after all these years I am bound to come across similar items in my journeys. I'll probably always have a desire to continue to buy and sell and collect "old stuff". It's in my blood. But to be able to shift out of that comfort zone and become a beginner all over again, something I have not been for a very long time, is something for which I will continue to be immensely grateful.

(As a footnote, I was going to post about cultures and how much I have enjoyed mid eastern and eastern Indian jewelry, appreciating the detail and workmanship found in vintage filigree and other items. Somehow I got sidetracked; however, I visited an Indian boutique today and Rosie gave me a lovely henna tattoo (mendhi). While waiting for it to dry, I met a beautiful woman from an eastern African country who told me how her marriage had been arranged nearly 15 years ago by her and her husband's families. Today, 3 children later, they have never had an argument and she seemed genuinely happy and content. I guess my next post may be on the beauty of different cultures.)

Passions...and some of my history

It's a cold and overcast morning in the usually Sunny South, and instead of braving the elements, I decided to stay in and work. But on what? And it got me to thinking about passions. Not of the romantic type, mind you, but of the passions that drive me. As I settle into my mid 40s, 43 to be more exact, okay, middle age if you must, I find myself more reflective on life and on devoting my time to what really lights my fire.

As a teenager, I just wanted to grow up, so I flew through high school as quick as I could so I could graduate early and play house with my boyfriend. I thought I knew everything, as most 16 and 17 year olds do. In fast forward, I began college, worked various jobs, and by about age 20, I had discovered my passion for buying and selling antiques and collectibles. Long story short, I was waiting tables and my best friend Walter, began showing up at the restaurant wearing these amazing rhinestone brooches from the 1940s and 50s that he bought from a little flea market around the corner. I had already been going to yard sales, mostly out of necessity as I couldn't afford to furnish my home with new items, but when Walter turned me on to these glitzy works of art, a passion was sparked. I had to have them. At first I wanted them all. I wanted to go to every yard sale, estate liquidation, flea market, and antique shop and uncover every treasure there was. I wanted more...more ....MORE. The restaurant was sold to a new owner who fired most of the old staff, so I was suddenly without a job. This was the best thing that ever happened to me.

A sudden firing, my father's death, dropping out of college, and meeting an antique shop owner who hired me on the spot...my path for the next 23 years was set in motion. Within about a year, I had rented an old mill house that was part of a small antique village of old mill houses, and The Family Jewels was born. My jewelry interests expanded from rhinestones to Victoriana, Edwardian, art deco, art nouveau, bakelite, sterling silver and more. And I found that with jewelry came other collectibles: mesh and beaded purses, old powder jars, celluloid dresser sets, crystal decanters, hatpins, old ivory fans, flapper dresses...the list goes on. I found turn-of-the-century tiger oak sideboards, birds-eye maple vanity sets, kitchen collectibles, American art pottery, occupied Japan figurines, old postcards, advertising memorabilia, antique paintings, copper bedwarmers, and so much more. My little shop filled up and I quickly began making a name for myself. I met a man at an antique show, we fell in love, and spent days, even weeks, traveling around the the countryside. We hit every state from Florida to Pennsylvania...yard sales, antique shops and malls, flea markets and shows...no stone unturned. While we found great treasures at every turn, we actually created our greatest treasure...a bouncing baby boy. In September of 1989, Alex was born. I was 24.

In a few years, I moved my store to the trendy Decatur Square and my business shifted from a little more than a hobby to a full fledged business. I was a single mother by then, and my son and I went to work. He cooed and gooed in his little playpen while I bought and sold antiques, vintage jewelry, and collectibles. I became more than just a business in Decatur, I was part of the community, and Decatur became my home...a place to work, live, and raise my son. I loved my shop and made friends and longtime customers who remain in my life to this day, though eventually the internet was born. After several years of resisting the new technology, I finally succumbed and began dabbling with eBay and online auctions. Suddenly my client base expanded from the metro Atlanta area to all around the globe. I began shipping items to China, Australia, Europe, South America, not to mention all over the U.S. The world began to get smaller. in May 2000, I moved my business online and closed my bricks and mortar store in what was considered at the time to be the big "Bricks to Clicks" movement...I had gone cyber.

Click here to see the CNN article on my business and the Bricks to Clicks trend of 2000

Actually, I was in my mid 30s and my passions were shifting. I no longer had as much desire to be bound to a shop all day long, instead opting to run in 10Ks and half marathons, as well as being at home more as my son entered his preteen years. Besides my passion for buying and selling antiques, I was also increasingly interested in alternative and holistic health, nutrition, and fitness. In my late 30s, my path led me to yoga, and I was completely surprised as my passion grew to a point where I not only became a dedicated practitioner for nearly 5 1/2 years, but I am also a yoga teacher now as well.

I still love antiques, especially jewelry, as is probably quite evident in my Family Jewels online store, though today, I am much more likely to be teaching or taking a yoga class at 6am on any given morning before you would find me in line waiting for an estate sale to begin. For the past 2 years I have been in school pursuing a degree as a holistic nutritional consultant, as well getting certified to teach various styles of yoga. This summer I began my yoga training to receive my 200 hour yoga teacher training. And yes, I still drop in a yard sale or flea market on occasion.

Within the next year, I see myself finishing school and hopefully beginning my nutrition practice, weaving it with my path of yoga, both as a teacher and a student. Working with people who want to improve their well-being on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels is my passion and has been for quite some time. Becoming a more mindful yogini and growing as an individual has been a challenging and rewarding path, and finding out how little I know and having a beginner's mind is a humbling experience.

Through all of this, one passion has remained, and while at one time I thought I may phase out my Family Jewels antique business completely, I am realizing now that I will more than likely always dabble in my business to maintain that connection with other collectors and buyers from around the globe. Times change...the world climate, politics, economics, environment, technology...but for me, I am staying on my path and remaining open to evolve and grow, embracing my passions and seeking balance in them all.

What economic crunch?

Well, after much resistance in a blog created for the sole purpose of blatantly self promoting my online business, Family Jewels, here I am. No promises. I may not post everyday, or week, or even month. I tried with newsletters and little personalized emails to regular customers, and while I am probably one of the more rare types of online merchants one would find when perusing the 'net for goodies, I'm not good at long term commitments in this arena. However, here I am. For those of you who don't know me, a quick version would have to include the following:

I opened up a little shop called the Family Jewels around 1985. I specialized in vintage jewelry, antiques, and collectibles. I was 20 years old.

The shop did very well, and after a few years, I not only became a single parent to a great little boy, but I also moved my little shop to the trendy downtown Decatur Square where I stayed for about 10 years. The shop was stocked, every nook and cranny filled with authentic, unique, and affordable jewelry and collectible, purchased from local estates, collections, and around the globe. Other than New York City or Los Angeles, shops like this were (and still are) a pretty rare site.

In 2000, I closed my store to be a stay-at-home/working-mom...the internet was in full swing, and after a few years of dabbling with eBay and Yahoo auctions, I decided to focus solely online.

So, Family Jewels became www.familyjewels.us

Same phone number, same Decatur/Atlanta GA base, same proprietor. Above all else, I've continued to offer the same authentic and interesting vintage and antique jewelry and accessories with the same superb personalized customer service.

Over the past (nearly) 2 and a 1/2 decades, I have seen the economy rise and fall, yet something I have observed from a very personal level, is this: for the most part, antiques and vintage items are recession proof. Really they are. Yes, eBay and the internet have made certain things go from ultra-rare to everywhere, and prices for some things have fallen while others have risen, overall, you still get the most bang for the buck when buying previously owned antiques, uniques, and collectibles.

A jewelry store chain at the mall may have that "deal"...carat diamond earrings for $49.99 or pearl earrings for $19.99...but what are you really getting? My experience is that you generally end up with a mass produced, substandard quality item that you will see over and over again, not to mention the fact that if and when you decide to sell or upgrade, your item is generally worth pennies on the dollar of the original "sale" price.

Conversely, on my site, as well as many other online sites, for the same amount of money, you can not only find something unique and special, but often, after time it will at least retain, if not appreciate in value. Other benefits include the fact that you are engaging what I have heard called "elegant recycling", you are supporting small business, and you get to buy directly from the owner of the business...in my case...that means Moi!

So, in a time of transition...a new president for the U.S. in January, economic challenges for many, housing and credit crunch, big bail outs for big businesses and corporations, and an ailing earth suffering from industrialization, global warming, limited energy supplies, what better time to recycle. Shop from home, click and buy, and better yet, find reputable family owned online businesses (like mine) to at least give a chance first....then if all else fails, gas up the Hummer, brave onto the highways to risk getting mauled at the mall, and then...and only then...check out the large chain stores!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

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