Welcome To The Blog! Get Your "SPECIAL GIFT"

Welcome to Antiques By Joy!

There has been a veritable bouquet of new friends and readers at Antiques By Joy lately,

and I'm taking this opportunity to say how delighted I am to have you join me here!

This is where I explore and share all sorts of
 meanderings, memories and musings . . .

and invite you to tarry awhile,

 relax 

and break away from work and stress and life's little cares.

It's healthy to take a few minutes each day to just breathe deeply, stretch your body and soul,

 and escape to a place where you can be

 thankful and share a smile.

I find that some weeks I post more than other weeks . . . 

I take time away for buying trips and often have a hectic schedule at the antiques shops . . . 

but I always return to the quiet pleasure of sharing my thoughts and experiences with you.

If you look through the previous posts, I've been tracking my beginnings as an antiques dealer

from the time I first longed to be in the business . . . through the throes of set up and many of my
  faux pas of business development.

I started that series because I hear nearly every day,

"How did you get started in this wonderful business?"

OR,

"I wish I had a shop like this."

I have older posts about learning to "pick" with my grandmother,
and
her incredible talent and enthusiasm for life.
There are how to's and what if's and buying trip exploits
scattered throughout the pages for you.
You'll hear about me, my philosophy, my faith and my background,
and some pretty crazy things I've tried.
(Some were great fun and some were total flops.)
This is the real Joy, freckles, bruises and all!

I've always believed the old adage that laughter is the best medicine . . . 
and you may feel free to laugh at me and my wonderful trials and errors!

So, grab a cup of tea, and take a few minutes to look through the blog posts for some
 fun and funny
memories
and some relaxing (and hopefully) enriching reading.

Can you imagine . . . Joy is busy
along with partners Melanie and Kellie
organizing our autumn displays!
In retail it's imperative that we stay a couple of months ahead of the season,
so that you can shop, ponder and plan your own seasonal decorating.
This requires us to purchase spring garden items while it's icy and snowy, and Christmas ornaments while it's still steamy July!!!!

We exist,
 "out of context" 
sometimes,
so hopefully you don't have to!


Thank you for taking time to read along my friend,
and please know that I am honored by you being here!


If you begin
"following"
the blog,
you'll see every once in awhile that I will offer a
 "SPECIAL" 
for you readers alone!
Simply click "FOLLOW" on my home page.
As a
WELCOME GIFT
to you
you may use this code
THROUGH THE END OF JULY
at Dwell Antiques & Home

"JOYFUL READER"
and receive 10@ off any one JOY tagged item!
(This offer cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts.)

Where I Began . . . The Real Joy Hunt

I remember a time
when I was working at a job I really didn't love.

I was young, and needed to earn a living and the job was there and I took it.

But

it wasn't what I really wanted to do.

I had this job, and was good at doing it,

but it didn't satisfy the craving in my heart for the creative yearnings that were nested there.

Because no one had ever taught me that I could follow my heart's desire.

I learned at a very young age to dutifully do the things that were set before me
to do them well
and to be thankful that I had the ability to work and live a good life.
I was healthy and strong and smart and able.

There were things you should do in life, and I had obediently fallen into one of them and was working diligently to be very good at it.

The problem was,

it went against the grain.

It wasn't an outpouring of my natural talents and abilities and loves.

I wasn't following my heart.

It was an insurance company sort of position.

(I was good with crisis management, and numbers and with people - no denying - but this was boring.)

Meanwhile,

I was newly married, furnishing a new home, and for fun I was picking antiques for my aunt's shop.

My grandmother and I would travel the backroads scouring barns and out buildings, farm sales and auctions, tagsales and thriftshops,

seeking the wonderful items the shop needed.

The thrill of the hunt!
The
  real joy
was my weekends of exploring and finding treasure.

My grandmother was coaching me to dig through, pick over and unearth hidden treasure.

Ah . . . the thrill of finding a hidden diamond in a barn of old rusty tools, cracked leather harnesses and burlap feedsacks!

She was a pro when it came to the negotiation of prices.

Integrity, consideration, politeness, balance of power.

Grandmother was a diplomat.

I would often find a treasure for my new house!

A huge old wood bowl, a collection of soft, timeworn linen dishtowels, 

a leather bound book from the Civil War era, a chippy ironstone pitcher . . . 

The weekends and vacations spent doing what I loved were enough to assuage my growing boredom with the work week . . . 

for awhile.

There were times I daydreamed about the next jaunt into the Tennessee mountains

 to do what I'd rather be doing.

Just touching a 100 year old oak splint, egg gathering basket could set my mind to imagining the life it had seen.

Was it there when the Civil War was being fought?

Was it fashioned by the hands that had to leave to go to war?

Was it used by a young widow who never saw her spouse come home?

History was my passion - and it was fueled by the simple, beautiful, handmade items of yesteryear.

Made of necessity

used daily

tenderly cared for

long living

story telling

food for the soul

I wished I had more time to spend learning about and being immersed in this kind of living history.
This was the
  real joy
of my life!

I wished . . .

And I kept on working away at my day job
because no one had ever told me I could follow my heart.

This was what real life - "grown up" life - was all about.
You did whatever you had to do to get to the reward of what you'd really love to be doing when there was time.
We all knew that.



Until things changed.

Follow the saga of finding
YOUR
real joy!

The Real Joy . . .

The 

real joy 

of my life is that I get to do what I love . . . every day.  

Not everyone can say that their work days are their "fun" days, or that they look forward to going to work.

I decided many years ago that I wanted to make a career out of the things I loved to do  . . . 

the things I would choose to do if I had a choice.

For me, owning a small business offers the challenges and fulfillment I desire.

I get to do the things that delight me.

I am stretched, tested and challenged in a way that confirms my abilities, builds my strength and makes me proud of my achievements.

Like an athlete who spends a lifetime disciplining the body, mind and spirit in order to compete effectively in competition,

there is a drive to excel for the sake of excellence in some area, in most of us.

That desire to experience, enjoy, master and share your love for your chosen interest will direct you to your
 real joy
 in life. 

Your passion may manifest itself in the love of pastry making or the joy of oil painting or the satisfaction of boat building

 - only you know where it lies -

but if you've got it - you've got it.

In our two South Denver antiques and home decor shops,
 we sell
"lifestyle"

creating a stylish and comfortable environment where customers connect emotionally with specially chosen pieces for their homes.

By combining a passion for history with a delight in hunting for the sort of pieces my customers long for - then connecting the two, the adventure, excitement, energy and rewards abound.

The magic is the satisfaction I derive from doing what I love.

I sell a cumulative package that is my accumulated knowledge, my practical experience, my wisdom, my intuition, my abilities, my gifts . . . . professional expertise.  

Identifying those elements of life that 

 (first), 

we're really good at 

and that

(second),   

we never tire of 

is 

the critical first step 

to

 finding your 

real joy 

in life.

In my next post we'll look at questions that will help you identify your passion and indicate whether you're cut out for being in business.

Follow Joy on Facebook
using the link above!

Dwell Antiques & Home

DWELL ANTIQUES & HOME

dwellantiques.com

http://www.facebook.com/DwellAntiques

5910 South University Boulevard

Greenwood Village, Colorado 80121

(South Denver, Southeast corner of University Blvd and Orchard Road)

303-795-3454

Monday - Saturday

10am - 5pm

~additional hours by chance or appointment~

Dwell has had a delightful first quarter after opening in September of 2012!

We are evaluating the success by reviewing what we've been doing to be true to our concept.

Some of our touch points are:

 seek the unusual 

 add fresh treasures to the shop daily

 display with an eye to how you might like to use an item in your home

 rotate displays weekly

search for one of a kind and handmade items

feature the creativity of numerous local artists

incorporate elements of nature

love well made pieces

repurpose

upcycle

offer design consultation, in store and in your home

celebrate each month with a special event promotion

keep a wish list for your dream items

offer social media contact points

play happy music

do our best at what we do

The Dwell Girls

 are 

studying fresh design ideas

searching for local artistic talent 

buying all over the country

refurbishing vintage and antique items

listening to our customers ideas

reading up on the trends

enjoying life

It makes us happy to do what we do

and

it makes us happy

making you happy!

Drop in and browse

soak up some atmosphere

and

know that each month will look different

at

Dwell Antiques & Home

as we find fresh

and

seasonal

bounty!

Photos I've Collected

Over the years I have amassed a huge box of old black and white photos.  

I 

mean

HUGE

I have family scrapbooks

 and

 photos I've bought at antique shops

 and

 those I've found at estate sales

 and 

many that have apparently just attached themselves to me

 in some magnetic and random fashion. 

I love history and fashion

 and 

studying the way people lived a hundred or more years ago,

but

really

where did all these photos come from?

I have primarily photos of women and children.

There are hard faced, tough, prairie women

and

sweet, hopeful brides

and

careworn, weary mothers with eight or ten children gathered round them.

I have gun slinging gals

and

nuns

and

sets of sisters with starched pinafores.

There are curls

 that some momma rolled up in rags the night before

 and fussed over for hours

while a patient papa blacked his boots

 and slicked down his hair, wishing his stiff collar was not choking him.

I've got a truckload of  straight laced, prim and proper matrons,

posed in formal studio settings

with several generations of progeny staring somberly at the camera.

They wear their best clothing, tight, starched and uncomfortable.

There are families who've included their strutting chickens, huge hogs and favorite horse

in their photo

presumably to impress or reassure kinfolk back east that they had made it out west and were prospering just fine on the prairie.

There are women mountain climbing

and

women sightseeing

and

a woman posing with her prize mule.

I'm not quite sure how I came by all these,

or

what I want to do with them,

but

apparently

I can't get rid of them.

There's something so poignant and appealing

about the history these photos hint at

that

I'm holding onto them

just for the pleasure 

of

imagining

what stories

they might tell!

Dwell on the possibilities

I've been

looking back over the last year 

and

 my journey, thoughts and struggles

 on

 expanding my antiques business.

A lot of prayer and calculation and heart searching went into the process.

Dreaming, sketching

more praying.

Dwell Antiques & Home 

opened in September of 2012

just south of Denver proper, 

at

5912 South University Boulevard

 Greenwood Village, Colorado

Three capable, determined women

each with a strong skill set 

decided to come together to create the dream.

DWELL
 is not a typical antiques shop
and 

 there are no hard and fast rules about what we collect and present.

We bring an ever changing collection of found objects from our forays  . . . 

items that have a mellow patina
memories
connections
 some special essence,

hoping that our clients will find DWELL an interesting and enchanting place to visit.

The ambiance we strive to create is one where you'd like to spend time perusing,

even when you're not looking for anything in particular.

We love it when you identify with an object and delight in it.

We'd like to invite you to visit,

to relax and stroll through the shop,

to

enjoy the music

 and the fragrance 

and the hand picked items that speak to our hearts.

Grab a coffee just 5 doors down

and

if you have time,

pull up a vintage stool or chair

and

chat with us awhile.

We're happy to give advice on styling your home 

in a way that reflects
what you're all about.

We'll make notes in the

 Wish Book 

about the things you're looking for,

and hunt for them on our journeys across the country.

We'll help you think outside the box when it comes to

"what do I do with the huge 16' expanse of wall"

or

"I want a headboard with charm"

or

"I need to work around the 9000" TV my hubby just brought home."

We love a challenge!

So

Come see us at Dwell Antiques & Home

Monday - Saturday

10am-5pm

http://www.dwellantiques.com

303-795-3454 Dwell Antiques
303-795-0816 Patina Antiques
www.facebook.com/DwellAntiques
https://pinterest.com/dwellantiques

Unpacking From The Junk Jaunt

When I returned from my buying trip two weeks ago, I cruised into town in my sleek 17' Uhaul, 

(such a delightful vehicle to drive . . . ),

 suffering from

 "the flu, or something like it".

With a little help from my friends, I went straight home to bed, and spent several days attempting to regain my strength.

These friends unloaded the truck and stashed a wealth of items in my warehouse.

Architectural fragments

corbels

pillars

wreaths

old peely shutters

gorgeous doors

tinware

cool stuff!

After being away for a week and sleeping through the better part of the following week, 

I 

NEEDED

to get myself in gear

and 

get some of those awesome

finds 

into

the 

SHOP!

Yesterday I finally managed to price and inventory some precious items

and

display them

at

PATINA ANTIQUES.

(OK - again with a little help from my friends.)

I just haven't really shaken this lethargy 

and

weak, tired, worn out feeling

that followed 

"the flu or something like it".

It's wicked!!!

Anyway,

There is a fresh selection of

antique 

tick tock clocks

old bottles

ironstone

skeleton keys

a turn of the century, rolling, store display rack,

pairs of gnarly corbels

shelf brackets,

folkart birdhouses,

and a whole lot of sweet finds.

Come peruse

and

enjoy

and tomorrow I'll be bringing in another truckload!

Spring Cleaning

Springtime in the Rockies . . . 

80 degrees yesterday, snow tomorrow!

Poor little blossoms aren't sure what to do . . .

I'm spring cleaning at Patina,

evaluating what I want the shop to evolve into

as this year progresses.

Saturday I marked several items to 50% off

and

some customers were

delighted

with the serendiipitous finds!

I'll be doing that all week

in

an effort

to move out some

treasures that have been languishing

and

bring in some of the 

fresh finds

from 

my

latest

forages!!!!

Come see what's 

happening!!!

The Perils of an Antiques Dealer.

What a day, what a day. It all started out so pleasantly yesterday. We found some great items to bring back to Denver...

 Architectural pieces and coverlet pieces from the 1800's.

 Antique honey jars and dinner mint tins.

 Enough doors and windows to build your own home.

And rusty, peely ceiling tins.

But then came the truck...the wrong truck...the one without a ramp, even though we were promised it had one. If there's one thing hauling junk has done for me, it's build muscles, but after loading the truck without a ramp, we came to find that Budget's 10 foot trucks are really only 9'6" - not big enough to accommodate our entire haul.

After canceling that truck, finding a new one through U-haul and loading it all up, we discovered it was the senior citizen of their fleet with 110,000 miles, no power steering and only the ability to get up to 45 mph. With the Kansas wind pushing it back, we could only get to 35 mph and the rain was starting to move in.

We called U-haul to swap out trucks but received little sympathy from them. So we sat, waiting and wondering, with a huge load of architectural items, old 3-wheel adult trikes, cabinets and assorted doors and furniture, hoping we'd make it back to Denver some time this month.

U-haul is off my good list.

The site we rented at claims they're not responsible and the main number for this city gets us to someone who is obviously not up for any Customer Service Agent of the Year award. We were routed and rerouted with answers vague and rampant avoidance. No one was able to offer any answers or advice, even though (or because?) they already had our $979 in their cash registers.

Did I mention that U-haul is off my good list?

After endless calls I finally found Shannon in the U-haul office in Wichita and she has saved the day and the reputation of the company. We were finally on the road again.

{The sweet rewards of manual labor!}

Singing My Song

So . . . 

I was travelling cross country on a buying trip recently,

and searching for some exciting old items that would

energize my customers when they came into the shop.

There's not a lot "new" in the antiques world . . .

(no pun intended)

but our remix of items every few years seems to keep things fresh and happening.

The decorating/antiques/home furnishing biz 

is regularly shaken up and infused with a new perspective from time to time, 

causing us all to have a desire to redecorate or re-theme our homes.

When I began in the 70's we were making our urban and suburban homes mindful of the

 wholesome, self-sustaining world of

 country living.  

We loved the look of a wooden bowl, a rolling pin, an oil lamp, a butter churn . . .

these were the tools we were drawn to 

as we honored our grandparents' pure, simple, lifestyles. 

They bespoke a work ethic born of necessity . . . 

a "get the job done with what you have"

ability.

The timeworn look and soft feel of a handcarved clothespin can still turn my head!

By the eighties, I was searching for a fresher, newer look in my shop.

I edged away from the natural oak and maple woods,

and utilitarian kitchen tools,

and 

leaned toward crisp white Victorian linens,

white ironstone,

blue and white hand thrown pottery from local mountain potters,

herbs, 

handwoven oak splint Appalachian baskets,

and what I referred to as 

"naturals"

birds nests, feathers, shells, river rocks, branches in vases . . .

There was a beauty to adding nature to the one of a kind, 

hand thrown jug or hand turned wooden bowl.

I decorated my home with old, scrubbed, Irish pine furniture 

(although no one else seemed to be buying it),

it was plentiful because it hadn't found favor with American buyers yet.

There was an essence of the simple and thoughtful accumulation of meaningful items.

Old World pine, (servants' furniture), was reminiscent of my heritage.

My favorite rugs were creamy white rag rugs made in the south of the scraps the factory workers collected from behind cotton mills.

My perception was that this recycling/upcycling of what was otherwise headed for destruction

was a smart idea.

It was what ingenious and thrifty pioneers had been doing throughout history,

and,

these scraps created a cottage industry for families 

who otherwise would have 

been hungry.

I was usually several steps outside the norm,

(read "odd" )

in my style. . . 

but these rugs became a mainstay in my business at that time.

The nineties brought my excitement with old metal bins and wire baskets

 and factory tables . . .

again,

not immediately of interest to most of my customers,

who simply didn't get it.

I had started swathing my furniture in linen and muslin,

 and cheesecloth made awesome

(cheap) curtains, when I bothered to have curtains.

I was happier draping an ancient tatted-edged table runner over a tree branch

and tucking it above a window for softness

than actually curtaining off the view.

By 2001, I was selling down in Texas at the Round Top Antiques Fair.

I was in the process of collecting furniture and architectural pieces with old white peely paint,

but I just didn't know where to find enough of it to supply the wonderful customers I was selling to.

I began collecting this genre because no one else wanted it, and it was practically free.

"Good" surfaces were expensive and in demand,

and I wasn't able to compete in that market.

So, I began painting reject and hand me down furniture

 white,

then sanding it back to look like it had been around forever.

A furniture craftsman shared that he "aged" surfaces by strapping the painted piece to the top of his car, and running it through the car wash repeatedly, until the desired patina was achieved.

My grandmother was dismayed, 

she was busy stripping paint 

off

old pieces,

liberating the original, beautiful wood

while I was busy slathering paint

 on . . .

but, each to her own.

I was set up at Round Top one spring

 when who should appear in my booth but that well known guru,

Rachael Ashwell, newly of Shabby Chic fame.

She quietly pointed to several pieces of my furniture,

smiled at me, and went on.

Her one assistant wrote a check, and the other loaded up the furniture and carted it off.

(I will probably take that to my grave as one of the highlights of my life.)

OK - Sandra Bullock also purchased an item from me,

 but it's not polite to brag!

Deep inside I have a hunger

 to continue the quest for the next fresh look.

No one knows what will rock our worlds,

but by turns we have evolved through

country, shabby chic, retro, Tuscan, 'frenchy', 

industrial and urban chic.

I'm still travelling

still searching

still longing 

for the sweet, fresh, happy look.

Still singing my song!