Home Management Strategy

[  Book is sold ]
 The best vintage books, IMHO, are the early ones that talk about the practical skill of domestic science: home management.  Most often these are written to the attention of women and are full of old time treasured information on how to do just about every aspect of running a home.  So is it all about cleaning and feeding?  Hardly!  Hidden in-between the lines of these fabulous resources is a whole new glimpse into the power of women in 19th century and early 20th century.

My oldest book in the Etsy shop is The Practical Housekeeper and Cyclopedia of Domestic Economy, dated in 1898.  Seriously every aspect of living seems to be covered in this guide.  Any business man who failed to run a company in the same manner as the women of the home would lose his fortunes for sure.  To those who say things like : "Oh women just stayed at home and didn't have opportunity" are seriously mistaken.  I doubt there are too many people today who are charged with all the detail management of the Victorian home: Dwelling management, food supply, cost management, accounting, health care, child care, elder care, husband care (Domestic Manipulation!), manufacture and use of cements, purity of water, store room and marketing, culinary arts extraordinaire -  to name a few.

The Practical Housekeeper

Just part of the topics covered in the book.

Sample Pages

This is a book of knowledge to entreat the reader for years to come!

A Fashion History Books & Magazines

 Some favorite fashion history books and magazines that I am offering for sale from my long time treasured library collection.   Most of these are available on the Etsy shop for complete details and buying ease.  

Mirror Mirror - A Social History of  Fashion

The Delineator 1886

The Delineator, 1893

 

The Mode in Costume  SOLD

Edition covers the essence of style from Egyptian BC times thru to 1958 - a fashion history reference guide like no other! The line drawings are profuse for every time period. All neatly broken into 48 Chapters.

Last but not least is a book that just begs for a cup of coffee (or tea) and a casual sit down and relax moment.  The Kyoto Costume Institute, Fashion - A History from the 18th to the 20th Century is a treasure trove of amazing photographs showing not only costume changes over the decades but also exquisite detail.  Any student of vintage clothing will love this book!  Offered here at $25.00.
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Daily Fillmore - Unity

 Wishing you and yours the absolute goodness and love of this holiday season!

Online? Shop? Co-op? Goodwill?

Because the past 3 years have been so consumed with health issues,  the poor blog here has taken a sharp back step. It gets hard to write about "things" when you can only focus on making the ol' body better.  One Day at a Time...  I guess that's the story - find the health and beauty of each day as you move along!

Looking at my sweet storage shed and the office shelves piled thick with vintage goodies is, in all honesty, kind of a perplexion at this stage of life.   As a long time antiques dealer I've counseled many many people over the years about the process of letting go.   Now I find myself trying to counsel .... my self!  Lots of trendy sites and coaches will tell you "get rid of it" if you haven't used it in a year.  Well - I never subscribed to that and I still don't.  Best advice I ever got was from an old time toy train dealer who visited the shop over the years:  store it - they don't eat anything!  It's your 401K.  😀  He was a hoot.

So true and yet as I start to move through the 70s decade, time seems more urgent.  I want to share what I have accumulated in a respectful way.  Selling online has become .... a chore ... as the marketplace giants have really taken the fun out of it.  In 1998 when I started selling online it was exciting to sell to folks around the country.   In 2008 when I started the Etsy shop, it was like people walking into my small town store in Caledonia!  Some came from as far away as Australia!  How fun.

Politics - worldly situations - marketplace regulations - federal and state rule changes and of course covid have changed the platform.  And quickly I came to the other side of 40+ years of business.  So it's time to re-think again.  

The antiques business model has stretched, evolved, shrunk and changed greatly.   Lately I find myself yearning for that cozy old co-op setting where one can touch, smell, and ponder in peace upon the items present.   There is a definitely aura in an antique shop you just can't find anywhere else.  Talk about a life lesson on being present!

If I decide to re-open a local shop, I'll let you know!  Till then - I invite you to come and say hi through the online shop.