In some ways I hate that question because there are so many favorites and it is hard to pick just one. However, I also love it because it always leads to a fun conversation.

I would be insane not to mention my samarai sword taken from a Japanese officer at Iwo Jima by Colonel Rawlinson. How could I miss an opportunity to chat about my 1905 catchers mask or my 1950′s Auburn University Freshman rat cap. Last year I picked a sterling silver cigarette box given to General Robert Knapp inscribed to him by the first man to fly over the Andes Mountains in a hot air balloon in the 1930′s. Those are some of my favorite finds, but what about the weirdest?

Last year I was poking around in a little junk shop and ran across a pair of items I had never seen before. It was obvious from the first time I saw them that they were peg legs used by an amputee. As I looked closer, I noticed that they both had fabric that was a military green. As I flipped one upside down, I noticed that someone had cut out a piece of a tire and made a pad for the bottom of it. Hmmm… not just any peg leg, I thought. What made them so much more special to me was that they were military peg legs.

I love military items. Little left-overs from a soldier’s service in our armed forces are monuments to me. I sit and daydream about what each item must have seen during the course of its life. I wish they could talk and tell us the stories of our forefathers. There’s nothing like sitting around a living room listening to old stories of how our freedom has been won and protected!

Peg legs have been around for hundreds of years. As children we imagined ourselves sailing the raging seas commanding a ship of pirates with half of one leg supported by a hand-carved wooden peg. Famous men of valor have worn peg legs such as the great American jazz artist, Peg Leg Sam (Arthur Jackson).  But the greatest heroes who donned the peg leg was our soldiers who have been injured in service to our country.

Best I can figure, the antique carved peg legs I found in that little junk shop are right around the turn of the century.  My guess would be that they served our country well in World War I or soon afterwards.

You can check them out in our antique/vintage store at New Leaf.  And if you want to chat a bit, just track me down and ask about some of the other unique items I’ve run across the past few years!

This post goes out to all of you who have served in our armed forces to protect our freedom.  We owe a debt to you!

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And kick down some walls while doing it.

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Picking. It is something that I really can’t explain or describe. It’s more of a feeling, a fire that races through your veins. It is actually something that I never thought would be apart of my life.  I never imagined just a few short months ago that I would be working in the antique and vintage field that involved digging through people’s old and discarded things and discovering treasures. I also never imagined that it would be my own family’s things.

My PawPaw was actually very excited to have us there and eager for us to see the many things he had collected over the years. We decided to start the hunt by first getting acquainted with the area. What does this look like? Well, by visiting with his many animals of course! Chelsie had never fed a donkey before so that was a definite must. As we were walking in the pasture I noticed a large glass object. My eyes met Chelsie’s and we knew we had to investigate this mysterious item. We were both stumped so I asked my grandfather what is was exactly. To our surprise, he informed us it was an old lighthouse light. Who would have thought?! In the middle of a pasture! The next thing out of my mouth was, “Can I have it?!” Of course he said yes and allowed us to load up item #1. We thought we had the perfect day with just this one pick, but it was just the beginning.

The next item that he took us to was an old “Phillips 76” store sign. It was a beauty, covered in orange and blue with a slight rust overtaking the sides. Both Chelsie and I were at a loss for words. Our eyes were huge and we drooled from the mouth when we held it up for the first time. It was truly a great find like Mike from American Pickers would discover. From that moment on, it was a race; a race to see what we could discover and a race to fill the burning desire for more treasures.

We jumped right into the first barn to continue the search for hidden gems. As we walked in, we saw a huge shelf at the entrance full of glass bottles. When we started  going through them we noticed that it was an assortment of old RC bottles, dated Clorox bottles, and a variety of mason jars. Without hesitation we loaded up every single one we could get our hands on. During the gathering of bottles, I noticed a jar filled with water and some type of pink object inside of it. I decided it was worth getting a closer look at, and when I pulled it closer I noticed it was a jar of dentures! I let out a yelp and Chelsie swooped in to calm down the nerves (For the record, I wasn’t scared, it was just a surprise). After thoroughly going through the first barn, we decided it was time to hit up the second.

As we made our way to the second barn, I noticed a kind of gleam in my grandfather’s eye. It was like he knew something I didn’t. He unlocked the door and climbed over a mountain of different items to eventually dig out a small spot in the back right corner. He then called for me to join him so that I could get a better look at a treasure that was literally buried beneath mounds of collected junk. When I finally made it through the obstacles in the barn, I saw a large log standing upright with a metal contraption on the top. I was clueless and I wasn’t afraid to admit it. I observed with such curiosity that it could have killed the cat for sure. Before I could open my mouth, my grandfather answered the dazed look I had on my face. He informed Chelsie and I that we were face to face with a 100 year old corn shucker. Wow! It was crazy to think that we had history like that right at our disposal before we could even blink an eye. To ask if we wanted to take this item was not needed. We knew we had to have this cool and interesting piece.

The experience of picking for my second time was amazing. I love it and I’m so thankful for the opportunities I constantly receive to search and find things that may seem meaningless to some people but are actually worth something to others. Let us not forget the old saying, “One person’s junk is another person’s treasure.” Before you throw something out or decide it has lost its value, call us! You may just be sitting on a treasure chest that has yet to be opened!

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Our upstairs is coming down!

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Not me.

After we finished loading up 2 box trucks at the McLawhorns house last Monday, it was time for a little road trip.  Off we drove in Jimmy and Shirley’s car to one of the oldest sites in America.  I am such a sucker for old and a person can’t find too many spots in the US older than the fort in St. Augustine.  We were following Marsh, Shirley’s son, and he grew up just a few miles down the road, so as soon as we busted into town he took us on a few side streets to show off some gorgeous historic homes – then we hit the strip.  As soon as we dead-ended into San Marco Avenue, we saw antique stores everywhere!  What a day this would be for the New Leaf weekend pickin’ crew.

Before we dove head first into the fun we had to fill our bellies.  I lived in Lakeland, Florida for a few years in college and my favorite restaurant there was Hooked on Harry’s downtown.  I was thrilled to find a Harry’s right there in downtown St. Augustine.  Although it was quite chilly, we sat on the patio overlooking downtown.  It was such a great meal… scallops, shrimp, sweet potato fries, fried calamari and so much more!  Yum.

After our meal we had to find something sweet to top off the meal, so we made a quick trip into a wonderful little bakery on San Marcos.  Then off to the antique shops.  We only had time for 4 or 5 stops, and I am going to tell you about my favorite two.  There are general antique mall type shops and then there are shops focused on some particular genre.  My two favorites were one of each.

Country Store Antiques and Mercantile was an anything goes little antique mall located at 67 San Marco Avenue.  As soon as we walked in the front door I was impressed with the depth of inventory.  We walked upstairs first and I found a couple cool little Jim Beam decanters that you can find in the upstairs store at New Leaf.  I love glass, I love bottles, and I love commemorative items.  These decanters have elements of each of those, so I had to buy them .  As we were walking back downstairs, one of the employees noticed what was in my hands and offered to hold them for me and directed me to some similar decanters on the first floor, of which I bought two .  Nothing like excellent customer service to make good sales, huh.  He spent a lot of time with us even though the shop was closing, which also impressed me.  Shirley found some Delft jewelry that she liked and this gentlemen spent at least 10 minutes with her explaining why it was special.  Just a wonderful experience and very deep inventory.  Stop in if you are in the area.

My favorite themed shop was SOS antiques at 73 San Marco Ave, which focused on nautical antiques.  The inventory was somewhat limited, but it was labeled well and several pieces had signs noting the history of the pieces.  It shopped more like a museum, but was well worth the visit.  This little shop is a depot in St. Augustine for a larger business located in the Bahamas, which is where they get most of their inventory.  It is obvious that the owner and the manager really cares about their trade.  A pleasure!

My honarable mention goes to another shop a block away.  Unfortunately I can’t remember the name .  The shop was crowded and small, but as soon as I walked in the door, the lady at the counter offered to stow away my package from another store.  Wow!  (Chelsie and Bryan, I hope you’re reading this)

Back to McLawhorns to sleep and rise the next morning and then back to New Leaf in Auburn.

We made three stops on the way back home.  I never miss an opportunity to stop at Book Warehouse in Valdosta on exit 5 (1190 Lakes Blvd.) – great deals on good books.  Just next door to the bookstore is Farmhouse Antique Mall.  Farmhouse had tremendous inventory (even a few things I would have been interested in buying) but their prices were full blown retail! And if you know me, you know that will turn me off faster than anything!  It was, however, a fun and educational visit.

Our final stop before arriving back in Auburn was in Sylvester, GA on Hwy 82 between Tifton and Albany.  I don’t even remember the name of it, but it was one of the coolest “mantique” stores I’ve been in since going to Antique Archeology from American Pickers in Nashville a couple months ago.  Signs, gas cans, toys, etc… Great stop if you are passing through Sylvester and love the good ‘ole man stuff.  I picked up the coolest little magnet board with magnetic fishing lures.  You can find it upstairs at New Leaf.

So that’s the story of our recent road trip for those of you who have been asking.

Oh yeah, how could I forget to mention the breathtaking entryway to Flagler College!  Wow.  If you go to St. Augustine DO NOT miss a visit to Flagler.

See you in the store!

Kevin

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For three years Jimmie and Shirley McLawhorn (read about them here) have been saying, “You are going to have to bring your truck down to Jacksonville and load up all the stuff from our house there.”

I never thought they’d actually follow through with it.

Well, last weekend Bryan and I loaded up the box truck and headed South.  We returned four days later, with not one but two box trucks full of goodies!

Although Chelsie wasn’t happy that she had to “hold down the fort“, it was good for Bryan and I to spend a few days talking about New Leaf, furniture and life. We missed her, but she did a great job back home taking care of all you guys in the store.

I always try to make the most of every trip, so while we were buzzing down the interstate, I was on my Galaxy Tab (I love technology!) scouring my favorite online auction directory.  I’m always looking for a chance to do some antiques and vintage shopping. We were hoping to arrive in Jacksonville in time to hop on down to St. Augustine on Saturday night and get in on a great auction down there at Great Expectations, but we were late leaving town, so I had to find an auction on the fly .

I found a great looking sale in Tifton, GA.  The timing was right for us to hit it as we were passing through.  Flashing lights in the middle of the interstate forced us to take some back roads where we found “Junkin’ with Crystal”, a little hole in the wall shop somewhere in Albany.  It was a fun stop, but we found nothing we just had to have.  After getting lost (as anyone on a road trip experiences at least once with me) in Tifton for a half hour, we finally found our temporary oasis at a cool little auction house on the north side of town.  We landed a gorgeous full size mahogany bed with some beautiful carving work in the headboard, a fabulous hand-knotted rug and a cool Texaco gas can.  We loaded up and was out of there by about 9 PM and our next stop would be Jacksonville, Florida at about 11:30 that night.

The first half of Sunday was spent packing up two box trucks of the McLawhorns furniture.  Wow!  It was big and beautiful.  What a great homeplace there in the little neighborhood outside of the hustle and bustle of the big city.  The McLawhorns lived there on that little one-acre oasis for 47 years!  What a legacy.

There was a small apartment out back that the parents built for them not long after they were married.  As the years passed and the parents aged, the “big house” became their home as they nurtured and cared for those loving parents in their final years.  I always feel so at home when I am cleaning out an estate like that.  I don’t really know why.  It has something to do with the fact that there are some houses that are just houses and some that are homes.  I’m reminded of General Knapps place and Colonel Rawlinsons; Sandy Bollings folks and Dr. Knect.  Forty Seven years of family history usually makes a house a home.

Bryan got a dose of some hard work!  We had a neighbor of Jimmy and Shirley helping us named Donnie.  Donnie was one of those tough guys that has experienced more hard work in his life than most.  He gave Bryan a new nickname that I suspect will stick with him for some time…  “Youngblood.”  Next time you are in the store, call him by his new name, he’ll love it .

What I loved about Donnie was that he reminded me a lot of the items that we get in our store.  A little worn out and banged up, but ready for a second chance… an opportunity to turn over a “new leaf.”  That’s what I hope our store is for you: a reminder that it’s never too late to be useful and beautiful!

Sunday was a full days work, then on Monday we packed up some smalls and finished in the early afternoon.  That gave us a chance to visit a couple of great consignment shops in Jacksonville.  The first was a joy.  Wonderful customer service and some lively conversation flavored our visit to Bryson’s.  This consignment store reminded me so much of New Leaf.  It even consisted of 2 different stores just a few doors down from each other, similar to our downstairs/upstairs setup.  This visit to Bryson’s made me love what I do even more.  As we were walking out, one of the ladies at the counter asked if we had been to the largest consignment store in Jax.

I said, “No, where is it?”

They directed us and almost sounded a little intimidated as they pointed us in the right direction.  Let me tell you now that they should not have been the least bit intimidated!  I will not mention the name of the store down the highway a bit, but it was not the same pleasant experience we’d had at our previous stop.  Although the store was twice as large and the furniture a bit on the higher scale, I left that store feeling almost put off.  Not a single person spoke to us as we perused their inventory.  I attempted to make conversation with the lady at the counter, “Hi, how are you?”  She barely looked up with a quick, “fine.”  I was blown away at the contrast between the two stores!

I humbly ask you to please spend your money in places that care for you as a customer.  The little guys in this country are busting their bottoms to let you know how much they care.  That’s what small business in America was founded on and I want to see those guys and gals stay in business.

Later that day, we took off with Shirley and her son Marsh to visit one of the most spectacular tourist spots in Florida.

I’ll finish that story next time.

“Live for Less… Give More.”

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At New Leaf Consignment Galleries we encourage our consignment community to “Live for Less” so they can give more to the things in life that really matter.  We are proud of our industry and what it does to counter the materialistic culture of 21st century America.

Here are some great consignment shops right here in our neck of the woods that will help your family explore frugal living.

Fringe

Fringe currently has 2 stores and is just about to open a children’s shop.  Fringes tagline is “…changing shopping habits one closet at a time.”  What a great vision that will make a difference in the families in our area.  Their downtown Opelika store adds 200-300 new items on their sales floor EVERY DAY.  The downtown location carries brands such as Ann Taylor/Loft, Coldwater Creek, Chicos, Coach, Louis Vuitton, Talbots, Steve Madden, Cache, Antonio Melani, Sigrid Olsen, Lauren, Kenneth Cole, J Jill, Cabi, Boston Proper, Carlisle, BCBG, Karen Kane, Miss Me and many more.  Visit them at 125 S. 8th Street in Opelika.

Just next door to our store you will find another great option from the Fringe brand.  Fringe the Boutique offers more trendy and designer names such as Chinese Laundry, Banana Republic,True Religion, Bebe, Loft, Anthropologie Brands, Michael Kors, Nanette Lepore, Boutique Brands, Rock N Republic, Lilly Pulitzer, Gianni Bini, Free People, BCBG, J. Crew, Hobo, Seven, Express, Lucky, Cabi, Antonio Melani, Loft and many more.

Visit the website of the the largest ladies consignment stores in Lee County.

Moms and Tots

Just a few doors down from Fringe Downtown you will find a cool place to consignment shop for children’s items.  Moms and Tots carries all types of items for the children in your home.  They offer an alternative to buying new clothes every few months for kids that grow like weeds.  Moms and Tots has an active facebook page and a great website showing some of their current items in the store. Find the store at 231 S. 8th Street in Opelika.

Sydney’s Consignment

For the downtown Auburn frugal shopper there is Sydney’s on Gay Street.  Sydneys offers the finest modern designer labels and couture classic vintage clothing.  Sydney has been in the vintage clothing business for 9 years.  She has now expanded into the consignment clothing business.  She is also the premier provider of costume party rentals in the Auburn area.  Check out consignment in downtown Auburn. Find the store on Gay Street just South of Burger King.

New Leaf Furniture Consignment Galleries

At New Leaf we offer high end furniture and home decor and also a selection of vintage and antique items.  We are committed to helping our consignment community “Live for Less” so they can give more to the things in life that really matter.  You will find high quality furniture at 40-80% off retail prices.  We show most of our inventory online and keep our facebook page updated daily.  We are the only furniture consignment store in Auburn and we work hard to provide a tremendous alternative to retail shopping. Find us at 2436 East University Dr in Auburn.

We believe in shopping consignment and are certain that once you discover this environmentally sound frugal way of shopping you will never go back!

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consignment furniture tips

One thing I’ve noticed over our time in the consignment business is that there is a huge difference in what people get for their items and how fast they sell.  The difference is not based solely on quality and condition either.  You can maximize your return on a consigned item by using a little common sense.

There are several great websites that can help you.  Check out How to Consign or this article on the national association for consignment stores (NARTS).

Here are a few of my ideas.

Be thoughtful of the season.

This is particularly important in furniture consignnent stores when you can bring anything any time of the year.  It only takes a little common sense to know that outdoor items will sell best in the early spring and fireplace tools will command a higher price in the early winter.  If you can hold onto your items for the right season, why not do so to make a few extra bucks.

A little touch up will push the price upon your consignment furniture.

Dusting and cleaning your items is a no-brainer, but have you considered covering up scratches or cleaning up the fabric.  We see items in our store sell quicker and command a higher price when a little clean-up is done BEFORE the items comes through our doors.  Old English  scratch cover or even a dab of Howards will work wonders and add to your pocket book.

Choose the right seller.

Every consignment seller is not the same!  A higher quality shop with a likeable shop owner and staff will increase your chances to sell and the pricepoint of your items.  Search around.  Don’t be afraid to drive across town.  Make a couple of visits before you pick you favorite shop.  The time it takes to do so will pay off when you drop off your two year old sofa for resale.

A little due diligence will go a long way.

There is nothing on Earth like consignment shops.  I am so thankful that I get to spend my time in one every day!  Take advantage of everything your local shop has to offer and you will be glad you did.

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We always say we never know what kind of inventory is going to walk through our doors at New Leaf; maybe we should think that about people too! As Fall approaches, there has been a buzz around town about football season starting again very soon. If you haven’t heard, Auburn has recently brought on a new coach from the Atlanta Falcons. (You can check our more about him here.)

Now we aren’t just talking about this for the sake of being excited for the upcoming season…  how that relates to New Leaf is that he has become a regular here as he has made a move to Auburn and furnishing his new home!

New Leaf would like to welcome Brian VanGorder, Auburn’s new Defensive Coordinator, to Auburn! He’s become a regular customer here at New Leaf and we are excited to have him as a part of the Auburn Family!

If you are ever in the store while he’s here, make sure you give him a great War Eagle welcome!

I tell you what, things are always interesting around here… I am pretty sure we could have our own TV show. Ha!

Until next time,

-Chelsie

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