I love this photo of Daniel Shew and his mother Norma, soon to be Rev. Norma Shew officially. Daniel, with his mom's help, runs Hidden Memories Antiques and Art on West Main Street. There are 30 separate dealers who occupy his space. My favorite, although I'm probably not supposed to have favorites, is Ms. Bland with all her fabulous vintage jewelry. She is responsible for much of the contents in this sweet little chest where I store my treasures. I try real hard not to look at her showcase when I enter this shop. Unfortunately, it's very near the front door and well, that's bad. I sometimes have to sneak things into the house without my dear hub knowing. Those tiny little bags are "sneakable." Daniel is somewhat of a social butterfly and knows most everyone in town. If you didn't see the promo video for Barter's Xanadu, then you missed one of his finest moments. Daniel and his mother are good folks all the way around. Oh, not only is his shop filled with antiques and vintage stuff, he has a framing studio in the back. I heard that he is framing a Kyle Buckland for the upcoming Tisket A Tasket, A Literary Basket auction that benefits Washington County Library.
The above two photos are from Hidden Memories, the second one from the Shady Business booth owned by Nancy Harte. I love this business name! As you might guess, if you need a lampshade, you'll find it here. Need a lamp repaired? This is the place for that as well. And Nancy is usally pretty close by or just a phone call away.
Abingdon has become an antiques destination. That's because of the quality of the stores in its domain. Anyone can throw together some vintage items and slap an antiques sign on the door. I've seen a few of those places in my day and that's not what you will find on Abingdon Main. A good example of high calibur treasures can be found at Foxglove Antiques, also on West Main. Come to think of it, all of our antique stores are on West Main and within easy walking distance of each other.
The three photos just seen are from Foxglove Antiques. As you can see, Karen McClanahan, proprietor, has a flair for merchandising and design. I love the upclose view of the rocking horse. It's been a while since I snapped his photo, so he may be long gone. I was quite taken with him.
Karen, on the right in this shot, has a developed a regular client base in this region. I had a delightful time when I visited and yes, my bank account saw a small debit. Abingdon's stores are dangerous places for me! I believe that Karen should get an award for maximizing the small space her store occupies. Last time I visited, I had an up close and personal encounter with the sweetest kitty named Annie. Karen has been trying to find a home for this little one-year old stray that she's been looking after. If you know anyone looking for a friendly, loveable, attention seeking feline, I know she would love to hear from you.
I met yesterday with two Main Street business owners, Cynthia Yontz of inourneighborhood.com and Lynda Wise of Blackwell Associates. These inspiring women work in partnership to help businesses in our region reach success. If you are a client, you can expect to get service & results that are over the top. inourneighborhood.com was created to provide our region with a resourceful “go to” website which offers advertising opportunities for SW Virginia & NE Tennessee locally-owned businesses. This site is a GREAT way to sell your unwanted items and post them for FREE (yard/garage sales, too). Another benefit this site offers to both users and local employers…is the “JOBS” section…companies can list their open positions for ONLY $13.95/month….WOW! Check out the site…there’s so much more it offers. Blackwell Associates is a full-scale marketing/ advertising agency that has been instrumental and successful
in providing small to mid-sized businesses with their marketing & advertising needs. Lynda is also the graphic designer behind the creative advertisements on inourneighborhood.com. I must add that these two women are just plain fun to hang around with!
So many photos, so many words, so little time...
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