Summer spuce up at the malls.....

If you look at the photo below of the front of the Stars & Splendid store, you will see our old planters--a mixture of old galvanized tubs (some were horse troughs--some were old baby bathtubs maybe) and cement and terra cotta. The shrubs were planted a long time ago, and they had become so root bound that we didn't even think a chain saw could loosen them. It was time to clean house and get a new look.

My Stars partners Brent and Darwin went to Pottery Distributors and chose eight new chocolate colored planters--one for each of the outcroppings on the front of the building. We sold all the old containers with the plants still in them. We had climbing ivy on some of the walls and pulling it off left unsightly bits of stem clinging tightly. Brent and Darwin then cleaned off the bits and put fresh paint on the outcroppings.

We had asked our longtime friend and well-known Northwest gardener, Carol Kelly, for advice on what to put in the new pots. The criteria was:

no annuals

no flowers

different textures

a mixture that would look good in all seasons.

Carol came up with a list of plants. Some were in latin, but I typed up the list and took it to Loen's Nursery, which was having a 40% off sale in the month of August of ALL plants. I bought five types of plants there:

A Yew (Taxus Hicks) which is a slow growing evergreen and will have berries later

a bright green shaggy grass (Hochone chloa "all gold")

Obsidian coral bells (Heuchera) which has a purple color

a tall varigated spiky grass (sorry forgot the name)

golden sage, an herb plant with small rough leaves.

I arrived early last Monday to help Darwin put the planters together. He had the pots all placed and filled with rich new soil. We worked together and planted all the plants, sprinkled them with a timed release fertilizer, and Brent watered.

All who have seen them so far have said "they look SO much better".....

I sign off thinking how valuable it is to get advice from one knows a bit (thank you Carol).....

Gayle@starsantique

There are no limits to what we can accomplish as long as we work together.

This was a line on a Christmas card I sent out many years ago, and I've always remembered it. It has applied to so many instances in my life, and now it applies to our Sellwood-Westmoreland Business Alliance.

Thinking back, the Westmoreland neighborhood really came together during the time that the Bybee viaduct was closed for nearly a year for re-building. All the local businesses here on Milwaukie Avenue were affected with a slowdown in business traffic because of the closing of this main artery. Our Stars landlord, Tom Brown, gathered together the key business owners in the area with the object of forming an association and pooling all our efforts to promote the neighborhood. In later years, the Sellwood business joined forces to form a larger, stronger alliance.

My Stars partner, Brent Heeb, has become involved with the association and has volunteered countless hours, (along with other business owners) working on the website, the neighborhood map, and events. The newest event called Passport to Sellwood Westmoreland will take place this coming Saturday, August 9th from 10 am to 5 pm. Over 100 business--from retail, antique, restaurant, and services will be stamping "passports" which will be given out in all participating stores. With either 6 or 12 stamps, customers will be eligible for hundreds of dollars of prizes donated by the businesses. Check out the website for more details.

I will be working at the mall that day, but on my breaks I will have time to go to Starbucks, Branches, Jealous Gardner, Coco Gets Dressed, Pizzicoto, Silver Lining, and Adobe Rose. This is a perfect time on a festive summer day to check out the neighborhoods, enjoy a meal, and shop the unique shops. And possibly win a prize to boot. With all the prizes being offered, the odds are that if you enter, you will win something!!!

I take this opportunity to offically thank Brent and all the hard-working volunteer business owners for dreaming up and producing this event...

signing off.....

Gayle@starsantique.com

"You feeling something. That's what sells."

A quote from the main character on AMC channel Emmy nominated Mad Men, Don Draper to Peggy, a young advertisement copy writer.....

As owners of a business that sells to consumers, Darwin, Brent and I are aware that advertising and marketing is a valuable tool to achieving success. Through the years we have used newspapers, television, radio, mailing lists, store promotion, and now our website and e-mail list.

However, the thing about selling the type of merchandise we have here at our malls, is that the merchandise often times sells itself. I have given a name for this.... I call it "comfort collecting". Our Stars customers collect for many reasons--a passion for objects, decorating their homes or gardens, on and on; but many times they purchase something because it evokes a strong feeling of emotion--an intense wave of nostalgia perhaps.

Harry Rinker, who writes books and articles on collecting says that some people collect their "childhood". That may be true--they want to buy things they remember their mothers using or that they played with as kids...perhaps going back to a simpler, happier time. I can actually get a physical twinge looking at aprons from the '40s or crocheted pot holders I remember my grandmother making.

Now back to the television series Mad Men--definitely a trip back in time for me. I watched Series One--all 13 episodes at once. The show is set in the early sixties in the Madison Avenue advertising business. The plot is steamy--(nearly everyone smokes and drinks and quite a few have affairs at the least provocation), but what really gets to me is the detail--the sets, the clothing, hairdos, the talk, the attitudes, the music, dial telphones, IBM Selectric typewriters, the excitement of a modern huge new copy machine being ordered. How far we have come in today's world!

I remember thse days well....for one summer between college years, I was a real live secretary in an office using the typing and shorthand skills I had learned to be a Business Education teacher. I wore a sheath dress, nylons, and 3-inch high heels. I had a boss who dictated letters to me while I took them down on my steno pad in shorthand, and later transcribed and typed them on an electric typewriter--with carbon copies. Of course my own secretarial experience was tame--I don't remember any drinking during office hours or affairs going on (but I heard of such things in other offices..).

I had gotten myself thinking about those long ago days and found the ad below in an airline ad in an 1960's Life magazine. How long has it been that we "dressed up" to fly, that there was leg room, that people smoked in their seats, and even coach travlers were served a full filet mignon meal with complimentary wines or cocktails.

I really don't want to go back in time--I appreciate the convenience of the computers, the cell phones, not having to make six carbon copies, answering machines, cable TV.

It's just that it's really fun to remember....

signing off......

Gayle@starsantique.com

Another Expo weekend.....

Is there anything more fun to dedicated junkers than the July Palmer/Wirfs Antique show at expo? Especially when we have a fabulous Oregon sunny day and the parking lot is full of outdoor dealers from all over the northwest (and sometimes from far, far away too).

Darwin, Brent and I went Friday for the early buying and found the parking lot as full with cars, trucks and trailers as we have ever seen (a fortuitous sign, we thought). We spent a good two hours on the outdoor booths, and naturally ran into many dealer and customer friends and were able to catch up on all the latest antique info.

We also saw some great stuff...

a painted bench,

a blue painted table at least 10 feet long (oh, if only one of us had a place for it).

a make-do cupboard cleverly fashioned--with an old screen door for the cupboard door.

For some really fabulous Expo photos and reporting, go into the Shop Vintage Portland website created by Ann Weiland and read and see her July 13 and 14 blogs.

Kudos to Expo Palmer/Wirfs Antique Show producers Chris and Chuck Palmer....

The Expo shows brings in many out-of-town dealers and added business for restaurants, motels, and shops in Oregon. We always gear up at the STARS malls because we see increased traffic in our stores starting about Tuesday before Expo. This year (because consumers are "into" value and savings) we put on an Expo sale at our stores. By our accounts, the dismal news of the economy did not affect our stores last week. Customers were peeling off hundred dollar bills, and whipping out their credit cards to buy. It was crazy busy, and it was my weekend to work at the stores. It was actually fun to be so busy and the time flew by.

My thoughts after the weekend were....."we are all affected in many ways about the economy, rising gas, food and energy prices--no getting around it, but people seem to love the recreation and therapy of shopping and the value of old and gently used stuff....even if there is no purchase, it is entertaining enough to look at all the goodies and meet with the incomparable, colorful, enterprising, hard-working and dedicated antique and collectible dealers...."

I sign off now as Pollyanna...

with optimism...

Gayle@starsantique.com

WE HERALD THE ARRIVAL OF SUMMER

My own official summer started for me the early evening of June 27. My junking friends Diane Korte and Karen Stadeli invited me to go with them to the Preview Party of the Daffodil Hill Lavender Festival. I was not prepared to envision that much beauty. We turned off Hwy 22--the road I usually take to the coast) and drove through breathtaking, pristine country side. We came to the parking field and were given a ride up the unpaved hilly road in a John Deere gator. I felt as if I were in the south of France as I looked across the vista below me.

Daffodil Hill is owned by an accomplished artist, Judy Phipps, who I was delighted to be introduced to. On the immaculate grounds were various artisans under canopies,selling plants, lavendar products, antiques, jewelery, baked goods, metal art, stationery, on and on, and delicious foods and wines.

(photo - below left)

We stayed until the sun had set visiting with friends and making new ones. I can't wait to attend again next year.

THE FOURTH OF JULY IN SILVERTON

If I am not at the coast on July 4, I always go to the Old Stuff Antique Show in Silverton the morning of the 4th to shop. This year my Stars partners, Darwin and Brent, went with me. We found things of course. My good buy was a flower filled wheelbarrow from Judy at Spencer's Antiques in Salem. The show organizer is Joy Bayer of Auntie Joy, and she had done a great job of promoting and producing. I also bought some goodies from Martha of Vintage Trifles who does signs, crowns, paper goods, etc. in a most creative manner.

We also went to the shops in Silverton which were open for the Fourth. Darwin and Brent found two unique clear vases with very tall glass stems in an art gallery and used them immediately in their living room (filled with onion tops from my vegetable garden).

AND OUT WITH A BANG AT ...MORE STARS...

We were thrilled that so many of our customers came to the closing sale at ...more STARS...there were deep discounts and they were certainly appreciated and taken advantage of. Quite a number of the dealers have moved to our other two stores, and our malls are looking great and are jam-packed with tempting goodies. We thank all of your for your patronage!!!!

Carpe Diem and I sign off...

Gayle@StarsAntique.com

"Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I'm not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be."

--John Wayne 1907-1979

There are so many ways to celebrate the 4th of July. A fun website is The Holiday spot--it will get you feeling patriotic.

For the past forty years, I have either been on the Oregon coast in the little town of Neskowin, or in the Willamette Valley. In both places there are all-American parades. The 4th of July parade in Mollala seems to last forever--long lines of fire trucks, log trucks, bands, horses, children marching, and floats. Lots of candy being thrown, lots of stars and stripes everywhere.

At Neskowin the parade forms in the parking lot behind the Neskowin marketplace. Bikes, wagons, cars, horses, trucks, boats, fire trucks--are all festooned in one way or another. Whole families come up with themes and costumes and march together. What is cute about the parade is that it goes to the end of the winding roads, then turns around and comes back to the marketplace. At that point the parade participators and the parade attenders gather and sing patriotic songs and do a remembrance for those who are gone.

In the evening at both places are awe-inspiring firework displays. Wherever I am I am so appreciative of being born in the USA!!!!

Have a good one wherever you are--come and visit STARS Antiques Malls in between parades and fireworks...we are open...

p.s. book above is $12 at Stars & Splendid - dealer #34

freedom lady is $62 at Stars & Splendid - also dealer #34

Gayle@starsantique.com

"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us." --Iris Murdoch

If you have read any of my blogs the past year and a half, you have read that I sometimes refer to gardening-- garden art, statuary, bird baths, birdhouses, furniture, trellises (or is it trelli?). These are the accessories for my garden and I have purchased most of these items from Stars over the years--but right now the spring blooms are the STARS. For two weeks in June, my garden in the Willamette Valley reaches its heights. It has been coming on since March--with every day and week bringing new flowers and plants coming into their own.

Gardening with me is a long and patient project. Some ten years ago, Danny Hills and Wayne Hughes, creators of one of the most evocative gardens in Portland, (also known as Lonesomeville Pottery ) laid out a design for me and planted plants. I worked with Danny off and on for about a year while he taught me about mulching, cutting back dead blooms, dividing and transplanting, and all the while giving me his philosophies about gardening. I have never become a studious, sophisticated gardener--I have made mistakes and had failures--all I know is that I love it, it is good for me, and that I savor the results.

I share with you some glimpses into my garden last weekend. The white roses are called Sally Holmes, and they form a hedge along my driveway. I started with just one --purchased from Ferguson's Fragrant Nursery near St. Paul, Oregon. It thrived--bloomed all summer and did not get black spot. There are enough blossoms on one stem to make a bouquet. Danny taught me to take note that some plants were "happy" where they were planted and to plant more in that area if there was space. I have ended up with about a 50 foot length of Sally roses, and even had a trellis built for them to climb upon.

The arch is in my front garden and blooms with tiny pink Cecile Brunner roses. If I had done my homework before I planted them, I would have learned that they only bloom in the spring. They are lovely, but don't last too long so I enjoy them while I can. I am trying to entwine clematis near them so I will have more blooms.

My front porch (built for me by Kord Schaefle many years ago) also has a trellis of Cecile Brunner roses. In the bed in front are daphne, perennial geranium, lily-of-the valley, scabiosa, foxglove, daylilies, valerian, iris, more roses, and some things I don't know the names of. (I'm also trying to get clematis to entwine there too--no luck so far). There was an espaliered pyracantha bush on the side of the porch which was there when we moved into the house some 42 years ago. The blooms turn into orange berries in the fall to the enjoyment of the birds.

To me, it is worth the gray winter days (and many days this spring) for the rain showers to water all the plants, trees and shrubs. I am a child of Oregon and the climate!!

Another quote sums it all up for me:

I walk in the garden. I look at the flowers and shrubs and trees and discover in them an exquisiteness of contour, ...a vigor of spring, as well as an infinite variety of color that no artifact I have seen in the last sixty years can rival....each day as I look, I wonder where my eyes were yesterday." --bernard berenson

signing off gayle@starsantiques

On the block where we live......

When I first started out as a craftswoman, I painted sayings on driftwood (yes, people really did buy those). One of my best sellers was "Bloom where you are Planted". I do not think this means never to venture out...I interpret it to mean to love and make the most of where you are.

I thought about this yesterday on my regular day of work at Stars. I am up and down the stairs of the office checking on the stores, passing along messages, doing errands, and yesterday I took my camera with me. It was a gray day, but just on our block there were colorful, whimsical, and pretty sights. Right out the door is Rachel who owns the tiny flower shop called By the Bunch right next to Stars and Splendid. I always stop to look at the flowers, chat to Rachel and check out the creative outfit she is wearing. Rachel sells a bloom individually, a bouquet of your choosing, or puts together a beautiful arrangement (sometimes while you watch).(below left)

I cross the street and walk along the sidewalk adjacent to the original Stars. On my left is Caprial's Westmoreland Kitchen owned by nationally known John and Caprial Spence, who have a cooking series on PBS. I notice they have a new menu, and they have added breakfast and Sundays. What a bonus for all the foodies who come here from all over the country.

Next on my left is the Jealous Gardener, owned by Susan--a floral, plant and garden gift shop. "I want to move into your store", I say to Susan, (who I am sure is tiring of me saying that). She has all manner of garden giftware, healthy plants, garden books, urns, pots, orchids, fountains, paintings and prints, and a garden consulting service.

Then I come to the display window (below left) of Coco Gets Dressed owned by the talented and adorable JoEllen Newton. This edgy clothing store is not for the faint of heart, and the window display is always a treat for my eyes. Her clothing is cutting edge fashion, and her customers (and me) appreciate the tasteful and unusual selection she offers--lots of linen, cotton and natural fabrics and great jewelry and accessories. I am accustomed to seeing pretty ladies of all ages carrying her trademark bags.

At the end of the block is Starbucks--always a hum of activity. In front are the row of newspapers--some to purchase and some are giveaways. I stop to pick up the Portland Tribune and Willamette Week.

Now I venture east a couple of blocks and come to the Wednesday Moreland Farmer's Market--open from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm. I could spend the afternoon there and buy a late lunch and take something delectable home for dinner. There are crepes, the Canby Asparagus Farm Mexican Food, sausage sandwiches, homemade ice-cream sandwiches, berries, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, pasteries and yes, a flower market (below left)--all accompanied by live music. I really enjoy watching the people with their dogs.

The weather may have been gray yesterday, but the sights certainly weren't. I really do appreciate where I am "planted" during my workday. There are many more shops, restaurants, and sights in this neighborhood I will be telling you about--all in good time.

I sign off feeling fortunate....Gayle@starsantique.com

A year to remember...

As the 18th birthday of the opening of our first STARS comes around this June, it is always fun for me to think back to 1990 and that first hot summer (no air conditioning) we opened the Antique Mall. There were four of us then--myself, Darwin, Brent, and the late Marie Hickey. We had been working together for three years producing large retail shows called The Magic of Oregon and The Magic of Christmas. We all had other jobs, and putting together these shows (which were a mixture of antiques, collectibles, crafts, gourmet foods, clothing and giftware) was hard work. The thing is that we loved "producing", co-ordinating, and, most of all, working together as a team. And it seemed we had a talent between the four of us for making these shows successful--critically and financially.

We were approached by Tom Brown, the owner of the old Coronet Five and Ten store building on Milwaukie Avenue, to start an antique mall in the space. We decided to go for it. The rest is history. The timing was perfect. Portland was ready for an exciting antique mall, and, with our knowledge of marketing, our mailing list from the shows, and our longtime connections in the antique world, STARS slowly, but surely grew and thrived. It grew so much that over the years, we expanded into three STARS malls.

In those early days, there were no cell phones, no iPods, no Blackberries....people could actually shop and browse with no distractions.

Now here we are with our website, our computers, our e-Bay service, our office staff, managers, and sales clerks--over 28 employees in all. The antique business has changed in all these years, just as the taste of consumers has changed. However, there are still plenty of people who love to shop--and to shop for good value.

We put on a sale every June at our stores to celebrate our birthday, and there will definitely be some good vales offered at our three STARS stores this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Actually, we will honor the discounts Thursday afternoon June 5 when the sales signs go up. The sale will run through Friday, June 6 from 11:00 am until 9:00 pm that evening, Saturday, June 7 from 11:00 to 6:00 pm, and Sunday, June 8, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm.

You can be sure I will be shopping...

and I sign off thinking about what I might purchase..(maybe a planter box or a garden tote?????)... Gayle@starsantique.com

.....there are blogs and then there are ARTFUL Blogs....

I am only about a year and a half into writing my STARS blog, and I am a universe away from catching up to expert bloggers. What I am learning is that "blogging" and reading blogs is much more than an online diary. It can be an art form--similar to scrapbooking, an avenue for self-expression, a social networking experience or even an editorial.

Last month I became aware of a new publication put out by the art periodical Somerset Studio. The title is Artful Blogging, and I can highly recommend it.

Our STARS friend (and former STARS dealer) Christine Crocker is featured in a five-page spread in the Summer 2008 issue of Artful Blogging. All of us at STARS (and those who participated for years in our Magic of Christmas show) are familiar with Christine and her talent. Christine has made dolls for years and sold them at shows and over the internet on her website.

She started her online journal over a year ago--it is in her deerfield farmhousewebsite called the Pastoral Dollmaker. Her Queen Anne dolls evoke the Jane Austen era and are exquisitely costumed in the proper vintage attire. Christine took blogging to a whole new level and the dolls, (apparently on their own) have started their own online journal called a window into the Deerfield Dollhouse. These dolls seem to have some human foibles--they are very excited over a gentlemen doll visitor to the point of a bit of a scuffle for his attention (and tearing his clothing I might add). They even read tiny risque novels by candlelight late at night. (Christine does not know how they came across these).

Christine's website has been designed by her daughter, Katie Estvold (who also has a beautiful website called Sparrow's Cottage) and throughout recalls an earlier time through use of color, texture, woodcut art, photography, and fonts. Christine writes in a simple and beautiful manner of her love of their home and farm in Madras, Oregon, the country life, her experiences with domesticity, gardening, and doll making.

Artful Blogging publishes four times a year and features talented and unusual bloggers along with helpful tips, etiquette, and suggestions for blogging. I cannot aspire to be an Artful Blogger, but I certainly enjoy visiting and making cyber-friends with other bloggers.

Congratulations to Christine and to all the beautiful blogs out there... and I sign off hoping to improve my photography....Gayle@starsantique.com