Art and Antiques on Main

Art and Antiques on Main takes place outdoors on Main Street in downtown Cowpens, South Carolina.

I am so excited about this year’s Art and Antiques on Main event in downtown Cowpens, SC. It happens on Saturday, November 7, 9 am to 4 pm. Tina Johnson, who organizes the event, tells me that we’ll see more vendors with bigger and better vintage and antique furniture, glassware, pottery, cast iron, toys, Christmas figurines and decorations and artisans making jewelry and forging iron.

On Saturday morning the main drag in Cowpens will fill with vendors forming a huge antique, collectibles and art flea market or sidewalk show. I’ll be one of the sellers setting up in the parking lot next to Oma-Lyn’s one of several antique shops in Cowpens. My friend Janet and I will have furniture, lamps, iron banks and doorstops, vintage dinnerware, glassware, jewelry, and more.

My new auction friend Susan will have elegant and Depression era glassware and art pottery, probably McCoy, the real McCoy!

Another auction friend–Sharon–will no doubt have good furniture as well as vintage kitchen items sure to compliment your style.

Waylan will have the best antique and vintage furniture selection in the event. He is amazing with the way he can take an old piece that has dulled in storage and bring it back to life with his skill and attention to detail. Last year he also had quality quilts and cast iron pieces. I can’t wait to see what he brings this year.

We hope to see you Saturday. Be sure to say hi and tell me what topics you would like to see more of in this blog.

15 Minute Forage

The image of the Tree Spirit on a Juno Lamp I found in Hendersonville.

Hunt Scene

It doesn’t take long to check a thrift store for your favorite treasures. I sometimes take 15 minutes of my lunch hour to cruise through a Goodwill or Salvation Army.

How do I do it? I stay focused on one section of the store, usually housewares with china, glass and knick knacks or the boutique area where the store manager’s best picks are.

I also send a silent plea to the universe to “show me my treasure” so I can hone in on it quicker. In no time my gaze settles on something I need, want or can make money on. It really works!

I have discovered that the sales tax free weekend makes for a lousy yard sale outing for me because most of the yard sales focus on clothing and back to school items, neither of which I’m interested in. So after perusing the Yard Sale classifieds Friday night I decided not to get up early to forage. Instead I left the house around 10 a.am. and visited a couple of thrift stores.

On my way over to the east side of town to pick up a few groceries I did stop at a sale that advertised a 1 p.m. ending time. I arrived just before noon with the hopes of finding a treasure or two that could be had for next to nothing. I was not disappointed. The two woman hosting the sale were more than willing to bargain, given the time and the rising heat of the day.

I was pleased to find some old tools, an enamelware roaster, several Dobbs hats in an original box and a mini wooden butter mold with a flower design. Additionally they gave me a crate of children’s books for my civic club project.  For under $10 I also walked away with a pair of Eddie Bauer rain shoes for myself, a girl’s horse riding cap and 2 wine glasses commemorating Ford’s 75th anniversary.

Clearly, stopping at this sale was woth it as I foraged through boxes of still wrapped glassware. I could only imagine the treasures I would have found had I been there at the start of the day!

Welcome to Foraging for Fun & Profit!

Welcome to Foraging for Fun and Profit. It’s a blog about where and how to find cool things at venues such as yard sales, thrift stores and auctions.

Whether you keep the treasures or sell them for profit foraging is lots of fun. You can do it alone or with a friend or spouse.  Let’s see what we find tomorrow when we go yard saling in Spartanburg, SC.