Vintage items speak to me. As a person that very much values both beauty and utility. I hear the voices of long gone craftsmen and women in the quality of the material they carefully, personally, and even lovingly selected, in the wood they carved, the fabric they sewed, the metal they forged and combined into a unique creation. The wear on these items too says much about the people that used them and made them part of their lives-the scratches from too excited children bumping into them as they played, the faded paint years of use in making pies and homemade bread, the variations in the shine of the metal from too much polishing in preparation for family get-togethers.
Unlike many things made today, these items have a personality and uniqueness that fascinates me and excites my imagination and spirit. It's not easy to find such items these days unless you have the time and patience to rummage through thrift stores and estate sales especially in a relatively new town such as Tucson, at least compared to Boston or Philadelphia or Charleston. So when a friend told me about Gather, I couldn’t wait to check it out! I was excited to visit this vintage market and see its unique, quality items. However, as it turns out, I was forced to wait anxiously for a couple weeks. This particular market is only open one weekend a month. My excitement mounted daily and I was not disappointed. I was the tenth person in a line when it finally opened. Once inside, I thought I had died and gone to the heaven of pretty things. Everywhere I looked I saw entrancing and delicately arranged vignettes of vintage treasures for the home, all calling to me. I wanted to snatch up every piece, concerned that I might never see these things again.
Since this first visit, I’ve become a bit of an addict and go at least a couple times during the four days the market is open every month. I also have the desire to spread the word about Gather because I think what they do is rather extraordinary and special. Which brings me to the point of this post! The folks at Gather and I collaborated on a shoot showcasing a collection of French Country items that are a staple at the market. Every month the vignettes are arranged according to a different theme and with the holidays quickly approaching you can guess what the theme is for the December market. So with holiday decorating and gift giving in mind choose to support a small local business and stop by the market this week to check it out! You can find information regarding opening dates/times and location at their website:
and sneak peeks at their facebook page:
Enjoy!
assisted by Mary Claire of Mary Claire Photography
Beautiful, Hillary. Those silver pieces kinda remind me of the one I sent you awhile back. Just love your style. xo
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