Marg's Mostly Vintage

I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine.  A friend I've never met in person, but one who has a heart as big as the country she comes from and one who is kind, helpful, and understanding.  Her name is Margaret Schoppel and she owns the shop on Etsy called MargsMostlyVintage.  I met Marg through Etsy shortly after I opened my own shop and had so many questions as to the workings of Etsy, teams, treasuries...you name it.  Marg was so helpful and volunteered a lot of time out of her own schedule to answer my questions and point me in the right direction on many things.  She is one of the greatest advocates of our team on Etsy, Vintage Vertigo, and tirelessly offers up hours promoting the shops and listings of other team members.  

Marg comes from an isolated floating logging camp in Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver.  Her first memories of loving all things old began in her grandmother's early 1900's apartment in Vancouver, Canada, and to this day she still remembers the address on Granville Street, though the building has long since been torn down.  Despite the fact that it was a long trip to Grandma's house, first by boat, then bus, then ferry from Naniamo to Vancouver, they visited often.  She recalls the beautiful vintage and antique surroundings through the eyes of a child with the ceilings that seemed as high as the sky and the furniture from the 1930s, of which included two Duncan Pfyfe dining chairs that she still treasures to this day.  Marg reminisces about the Sundays at Grandma's house that started with dressing for church in a frilly white, high-necked blouse and long black skirt covering a brutal long corset, adorning herself with a  beautiful large Danecraft brooch she wore close to her neck on the blouse collar.  

Anxious to escape "the sticks", at the age of 17 and just out of high school, Marg made the move to Toronto and continued her love for antiques and vintage, though some lean years left her no means to collect very many.  In 1975, she met the love of her life, Stan, who shared many of her interests such as birding, camping, gourmet cooking, and appreciation for wine.  Together they trekked through areas west and north of Toronto searching for an ideal building lot with acreage before they landed in the Port Colborne, Ontario, area where they purchased a tavern/restaurant.  The tavern was built as a stagecoach stop in the 1800's and burned to the ground in 1970's.  It was eventually rebuilt on the same site, but the restaurant was not operational until Marg and Stan came along and made the place hoppin'!  They featured a band that I remember watching many times as a teenager from western NY, Ozone Rangers. (see below)

Marg's love for antique and vintage blossomed in the restaurant, and this was incorporated in the decor and ambiance of their establishment.  It was at this point they started their antique auction "career," which allowed Marg the opportunity to live out her dream of buying and decorating with all the "old" things they loved, and many years were spent in the restaurant, "working and enjoying life tremendously."  After selling the restaurant and looking forward to retirement, Marg and Stan moved to a 1940's house in Fonthill that was originally built for the mayor, Harold Black.

In 1999, they settled to where they currently reside on a 4.5 acre property only 7 minutes away from their home in Fonthill to another 1940's home where they renovated a 1-story uninsulated house to a 2-story home that they love and enjoy.  It was at this house that she would have a 3-season sun porch to display all her treasures collected through the years.  It was also at this time that she began to work on her love of gardening and started her "pushing the zone" garden, which for those of us who couldn't have a green thumb if we painted it, means growing perennials that normally flourish in a zone warmer than your own garden climate.  I was really amazed at how she could grow cactus in Canada (and living in Buffalo, NY, we know Canadian winters!).  The pasque flower and cactus not only grew and thrived, but check out the pictures below to see where they blossomed with beautiful flowers!

In April, 2010, her favorite antique store in Fonthill was facing the prospect of having to close its doors until Marg, in the most typical Marg fashion, stepped in to help out.  She had been actively selling antique and vintage on Kijiji and made the owner an offer to advertise his store on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and the store still remains open to this day.  Thank you, Marg, for helping to save another member of the "antique world" as you've so often helped us on Etsy.

When doing research on different antique items, she stumbled upon Etsy, and in February, 2012, opened her own shop, MargsMostlyVintage, on the Etsy website.  Her first sale was a British Columbia license plate from their tavern collection (shown below). 

Since then, she has had 132 sales, 241 admirers of her shop, and impeccable feedback rating due to her fantastic eye for antique and vintage coupled with her outstanding customer service and quality.  Some of the items available in her shop are pictured below.  Why not take a minute or two to visit Marg's shop through the link on the right-hand side of the blog?  Share with her the years of collecting and history she has accumulated as you browse around the treasures in MargsMostlyVintage.

A Tribute to My Fellow Shop Owners at Etsy

I have always loved vintage and antique items, I think inspired by older architecture in the city where I grew up.  I remember as a child walking on Main Street in Buffalo, NY, holding my grandmother's hand as I strained to see all the way to the top of the buildings that seemed so high.  She would take me to the old AM&A's building where the animated window displays absolutely amazed me.

When I got older, my brother, Alan, started collecting and dealing in antiques and interesting vintage items, and he piqued my curiosity with all the wonderful items he came across, especially some of the beautiful lamps and furniture.  My vintage career started basically as a fluke.  I had an interest in vintage and retro clothing, wanting to open my own online shop, but not exactly sure how or where to start.  I had mentioned this interest to him, and one day he called and asked if I would be interested in some vintage designer clothing.  He had answered an ad on Craig's List for a washing machine, and when he arrived the woman at the door profusely apologized for the mess in the house, explaining that her elderly mother had been placed in a nursing home and they were overwhelmed with the task of emptying the house before selling it.  As a joke, she asked my brother what he would give her to take it all off her hands.  He made an offer, and she accepted.

The woman who owned the home was an antique jewelry dealer, and although there was no expensive jewelry included in this sale, there were more than 4 large closets full of vintage designer clothing, shoes, and accessories.  I made my start with the clothing, selling online on Ebay.  I soon found that "vintage" was a subjective term on Ebay and could mean anything from antique to a couple months old.  So, I did extensive research to find what actually qualified a garment as vintage.  I found so many helpful sites like Vintage Fashion Guild and one of my favorite blogs by Sammy Davis.

Before long I discovered Etsy, a wonderful website that features different shops offering handmade and vintage treasures, and established my own shop where I strive to bring great vintage and retro designer items, collectibles, and home decor at prices that are affordable.  I'm always on the watch for high-end, high-quality items at estate sales and auctions, my favorite antique/vintage venues.

So...here we have it.  My vintage career in a nutshell and my new blog where I plan to feature different items offered by different shops at Etsy.  Please follow along to discover some great vintage and antique items from my fellow shop members.  Who knows...you may find that special item that you've searched high and low for.  Or the fun, quirky treasures that we've come across on our vintage "sailing."

SOME PHOTOS OF SHOPPING IN DOWNTOWN BUFFALO BACK IN THE DAY...

 

And, believe it or not, the store below is still located on Main St., East Aurora, NY.  It has been there as far back as I can remember.