I had one of those odd attacks that seem to only happen at multi-dealer antique malls. A brief rift in normal shopping where something takes over me and I find myself buying things I would have never normally purchased let alone even noticed!
The attack happened in the "JAR" booth (dealer tag name) at Coxsackie Antiques Mall. Maybe it was triggered by the collection of bowling themed items at the entrance, or maybe it was due to some unknown coagulative force seeping through the motley assemblage of brick-a-brack — a sticky collective syrup of misfit object souls...
Whatever the reason I found myself completely absorbed by each item housed in this tiny space between a glass case and two shelving units. With determined purpose I took on the task of looking at — and contemplating — absolutely every object in the booth.
As these things go, this acute moment of attraction resulted in many objects being imbued with a kind of magical quality. A tiny china figure took on totemic weight, a decal of salami became retro art of the highest caliber, a blue glass owl seemed to be nothing less than a symbol of the deepest importance, a set of miniature Japanese lacquer bowls filled me with an intense delight.
And... I had to have them all.
Postscript
The blue glass owl proved to be the first in a series of five owls that randomly popped up during the course of the rest of the day:
#1. The blue glass "JAR booth" owl
#2. Right afterwards I was looking at bird books for Mark Dion, I randomly opened the page on owls
#3. A fake owl perched on a street sign-post, at a cross-road that marked where we got lost that day
#4. Before dinner Jeffrey read a passage from David Sedaris' "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls"
#5. During dinner we talked about a runcible spoon, and I realized I had learned what this was by reading "The Owl and the Pussycat"
3 comments:
Owl synchronicity! It was so much fun to examine everything in all of the photos. I would have been leaving with several items myself. In the second photo is a silver plate cigarette lighter. I've seen the same one over and over, the first time in a shop in Wales awhile back. It attracts me because my favorite and glamorous aunt had one just like it. I love your arrangement. And the totemic aspect is one that I had not realized in my own fascination with small used and worn treasures like this. Again you have made my day!
Thank you for your response Mary!
yes that lighter must have been a big seller it's everywhere.
I too had an aunt who used this lighter but had completely forgotten about it until I read your comment. My aunt was perhaps not glamorous, but she was a chain-smoking, fabulous, 70's suburban housewife with an avocado green kitchen! Aunt Mimi...
Best.R.
My aunt was Aunt Norma, she was not quite as glamorous as I saw her. My latest obsession is Kokeshi dolls. I played with them as a child (grew up in San Francisco Bay Area)where I had two sets of eraser kokeshi that lived in my dollhouse. When you are next in Portland, Oregon you really must go to my favorite haunt, a store called Cargo. There are photos on facebook.
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