Let’s face it: Your apartment is boring.
The bookcase that your college roommate built for you isn’t holding up too well. The Magritte poster you’ve had for the past 10 years is yellowing. And everybody else that you know has that Ikea lamp, too.
It’s time to freshen up your domestic style by turning back the clock. It’s time to embrace the simple joy that a few well chosen, well worn conversational pieces can bring to a home. It’s time to go antiquing.
Perhaps you are literally laughing out loud right now at the very concept of going antiquing. This is understandable. Most people’s first exposure to antiquing was being dragged around filthy, musty old barns with their parents on vacation when all they wanted to be doing was sitting back in the car and playing with their Game Boys. Perhaps you don’t like dust, or haggling, or flowery old vases.
But antiquing doesn’t have to involve any of those things, especially in the Hudson Valley. A treasure trove of antique stores and vintage shops, the Valley is the perfect place to hunt for that special something that will finally tie the living room together or hang in that awkward empty spot in the kitchen. As one of the most historic area of the country, it’s overflowing with amazing artifacts that were made right here in the Valley and probably never left. But as a long-standing home to many of America’s foremost artists, it’s also a great place to find funky knick-knacks and esoteric collections assembled long ago by both the choosy and the eccentric.
Best of all, many of the Valley’s antique stores are well organized, well lit, well ventilated and a joy to while away a Sunday morning in. But no matter how much time you spend digging through the issues of Look and the racks of vintage aprons, there’s one thing in every store you should never overlook: The people who run them. More often than not, you’ll find them to be helpful, friendly, passionate about what they do and eager to help you find what you’re looking for—even if you’re not quite sure what that is yet.
So even if you’re skeptical, go ahead and pull the car over at that roadside stand on your way to brunch or apple picking. Poke around a bit. Strike up a conversation. Ask what things are, where they came from, and what the owners of each store love to collect for themselves. Even if you leave empty-handed, it’s time well spent. Or, you may find yourself coming home with a stack of old Disney World coasters and a few volumes of Time Life Books’ “Foods of the World” cookbook series from the 1970s.
Guess what? You’re into antiquing now.
