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Archive for the ‘Thrifting/Estate Sales’ Category

Happy Bookendings

Posted by Megan Jeyifo to Decorating and Thrifting/Estate Sales on 29 July 2010, with 2 comments so far.

How about some lovely bookends to keep your reading materials nice and organized? I’m on the hunt for bookends at the thrift this week but if you’re not near a good shop, these vintage Etsy sellers have you covered. From genuine Travertine originating in Death Valley to a pair of upcycled spindles, any choice will keep your books in great company.

clockwise from top right
Brass horse, $58, Lucy and Ellen // $22, Vintage French Iron Bookend, French By Design // $24, Mid Century Bookends, Mary Grace Thomas // $295, Death Valley Travertine Bookends, Vintage Zen // $21, Spindle Bookend, Funkie Finds // $8, Library Bookends CometWreckage

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Posted in Decorating, Thrifting/Estate Sales | 2 Comments »

An Urban Dig: My First Estate Sale

Posted by Megan Jeyifo to Furniture and Stores and Thrifting/Estate Sales on 19 April 2010, with 8 comments so far.


Finds from an Urban Dig

During my angst-ridden teenage years, my stepmother constantly invited me to accompany her on weekend jaunts to estate sales around the Milwaukee area. I always demurred. I was sixteen with better things to do, like finding the perfect jeans and flat-ironing my curly hair. I finally made it to an estate sale this weekend and I’m kicking myself for not tagging along with my dear stepmom ten years ago. It’s not like I ever found the perfect jeans or figured out how to straighten my hair anyways.

This estate sale was billed as an “Urban Dig” by Lynne McDaniel, the organizer and owner of Chicago vintage shop An Orange Moon. The home belonged to the state of Illinois’ first Black chief nurse anesthetist, Willye Tillman. Ms. Tillman was born in 1928 and passed on in November of 2009. Judging from the contents of her condo, she lived a full and colorful life.

Ms. Tillman did a lot of traveling. My first find during the “dig” was a Brazilian-Porteguese conversational guide printed in Rio de Janerio in 1961 (Foi atropelado: He was knocked down). I also walked out with vintage postcards from Jamaica and Paris, addressed to travel clubs she belonged to.

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Posted in Furniture, Stores, Thrifting/Estate Sales | 8 Comments »