Nostalgia

Minnie

Nostalgia.  It's defined by Merriam-Webster as:  A wistful, excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition.  When I think of my Grandmother, nostalgia washes over me like a welcome summer shower.  Grandma, as most grandmothers are, was very special to me personally.  She helped me grow, taught me values, and had the most amazing sense of humor that at times only her and I could comprehend.  She lived a long life, not always happy or easy..and though she worried a lot, for the most part she enjoyed life and her family to the fullest.

She was born at the turn of the century.  Not this one, the last one.   Named Wilhelmina, Minnie to her friends and family, she often said her childhood was tough.  Yet I don't think she regretted it.  She worked hard as a child and learned the value of that hard work, and she was employed outside the home as a seamstress right up until the age of 79.  But I think what worried her most was the way the world was changing.  Cars were in their infancy when she was born and the world was a much different place.  The industrial revolution was just beginning, and she was amazed at all the new developments and seeming prosperity.  Until 1914, that is.  She was 9 years old when the first world war erupted , and then her world became a much darker place.   The first war to involve almost every major country in the world affected even the youngest, and her youth was shattered by poverty and loss.  This was followed by The Great Depression, then another World War.

I think this was the genesis of Grandma's worrying habits, and her greatest worries were what this world would be for her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the future children.   She was already 53 when I was born and by the time I had my earliest memories of her, SHOPPING!  was her escape valve from this worry.  Often she caught me watching her as she was sitting quietly at the table, staring out into space, she would turn to me in this animated voice and say, "Let's go SHOPPING!"   She would shop for hours on the weekends.  She would window shop on her way home from work.   She would browse the stores, not always buying, but escaping the  pressure of her worries.  Thinking back, I can still picture looking up at the tall buildings - that in my young mind reached all the way to the clouds - as she would hold my hand and we would brave the crowds of people along the sidewalks of downtown Buffalo, NY.  Back in the early 60's, it was a bustling place, full of activity and excitement.  Going from store to store until my little legs couldn't take anymore, we would look for bargains and sales.

One of the things Grandma would get would be teacups.  She had a beautiful glass-front china cabinet filled with teacups and that is what started my love for collecting teacups.  When I see certain ones, my mind's eye takes me back to our shopping days and Grandma's china cabinet, and my heart floods with nostalgia.   Grandma is gone, but I still cherish the memories of her happy life.  I know she loved us as much as we loved her, and she isn't worrying anymore.

I think that yearning for happier days past may be the reason that some people collect teacups, aside from the monetary value and appreciation for their beauty.   And I think I get more joy out of seeing the happiness in bringing some of this nostalgia to people when I help to pass these cups on to others who are thinking of their Grandma.  Hopefully, they'll bring a little smile to your face as well.  Visit NostalgicRose teacups to see more. 

Royal Albert - "The Gardenia" - One of my favorites

Shelley Campanula 

Adderley Teacup and Saucer 

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.