A Preliminary Visit to Antiques in Elizabethton

I had strolled this lovely little small town shopping district back in December.  It was a cold and dreary early morning Sunday.  DIL#2 and I had a delicious breakfast at Southern Restaurant.  First rule of shopping for antiques, enjoy the local food!

Then, we window shopped the small cluster of antique shops. Sadly they were all closed. Covid has really taken its toll on small mom and pop businesses and it was blatantly obvious on Elk Street.  We did enjoy the limited views through the storefront windows of all of the treasures that were just out of our reach. 

And that time certainly placed the area up on the list of places to revisit in the spring.

I’m was dying to get inside of these little shops.  Zoom in on the detail on this mirror!

Even the local coffee shop has charm and antiques and…honey!

While no shops were open, we did a walking tour of the historic markers and monuments.  It was quite lovely.  I share some highlights at the end of this post.

The Return Trip:  Actually Shopping for Antiques

Today we returned with #2 in tow.  It was probably 4:30PM when we arrived and with a 6PM closing time for the shops, we promptly got to our mission.

I’m drawn to so many things and when I enter a shop, I simply must see everything.  I’m always drawn to glass, French antiques, all furniture, kitchen anything, and everything primitive.  So #2 and DIL#2 are always aisles ahead of me.  At some point I’m sure they make a second pass.  And they always end up near the entrance giggling and patiently waiting for me. 

My First Find

The first shop we browsed was Picket Fence Antiques.  This store, like many, had vendors who rent spaces. There was a great variety of incredible finds at Picket Fence.  My first purchase was this grain scale for $7.  She reminds me of my MIL who kindled and inspired my love for country primitives.

  I said my weakness is glass.  So when I saw this RED bottle, I almost tripped over myself trying to get to it. 

I’ve had a bottle tree since before I opened The Blue Building Antiques back in 2009.  But authentic red bottles are so rare.  This bottle is Red Ruby Anchor Glass per the bottom.  The markings on the bottle can identify the maker and help date the item.

So many great finds and good prices too!

I’ve never seen a double ice cube tray!  Have you??

The second store we shopped was a two story shop!  This gem had some incredible antique furniture pieces.  I saw this beauty and she was only $159. 

And yes, I should have bought it!  She’s now haunting me.

Here are a few other beauties from the same shop.  I should have bought this basket!

How about this beautiful grain box???  I need one of these!  Didn’t know it until today.

There were some gorgeous primitives!

If you are looking for replacement chimneys, head to Elizabethton!

And I would not be me if I didn’t share the icon on one of these trips!

As you probably are aware, I’m a BLUE girl.  Always have been.  Combine cobalt blue with glass and, well, enough said.  This little bottle just pulled me in. 

I have never seen one with the lid!  Score!

And, you might know that since updating My Tuscan Inspired Kitchen, copper is yet another weakness.  So this little beauty had to come home with me.

She still has the label on the bottom.  It is not familiar to me so I will do some research that should help determine her age.

Last and Best Find of the Day

My last find was this darling tiny chest. 

I’m envisioning her all chippied up sitting on my kitchen counter.  Perhaps she will hold some tea. 

Or maybe she can be the solution for the loose mail scattered across the kitchen counter that drives Mr. Blu into a frenzy.  The oil based paint is the best to get a chippy look out of so that will be a project for the driveway on a warmer day.

We strolled the rest of the street and peeked into the closed shops which just intrigued me more.  I’ll have to make some calls before my next trip.  I must gain access!  I must see the treasures inside!  I’ll keep you posted!

Until then, antique on my vintage loving friends!

Sites and Sights in Elizabethton TN

Here are some more shots of this quaint little Tennessee town from my first visit for you to enjoy.  And here is a brief history of Elizabethton. 

This little town is filled with gorgeous old homes! 

I highly recommend the walking tour.  We saw the lovely war memorials.  Very impressive and solemn.  I suppose we walked for about 30-45 minutes.  We started at the creek and the covered bridge.  Just past the covered bridge was a side street that runs parallel to Elk, where the shops are located.  There were so many beautiful homes.  A few were even being updated.  We circled onto the main street (Elk) where we peeked into the shop windows.  And we ended up back at the water where we had parked.  

I guess I spent a total of about 6 hours in Elizabethton.  But it was enough to make me want to return and continue shopping for antiques!  

If you are looking for great places to find antiques in Tennessee, here are a few post from some antique loving friends.  They’ve identified some incredible shops and markets!

Bristol Tennessee/Virginia with Sadie Seasongoods

Nashville Flea Market, Nashville Tennessee with Petticoat Junction

Nashville Tennessee with Sadie Seasongoods

The post Shopping for Antiques in Elizabethton Tennessee appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I thought this next one was crab apple, but I like to properly identify them.  It’s fun to research.  It’s always a bonus to be knowledgeable about the details on highly collectible items.

I did a quick google search of how to identify Blue Ridge Pottery patterns and was amazed to find hundreds!  Here is the link I found most useful.  In this guide alone there are 247 patterns!  Right??!!!  Who would guess that there are so many patterns for this pottery.  And apparently there are more patterns because my first two patterns above were not on this extensive list.

Usually, when I need to identify a pattern, I refer to Replacements.com.  This is a service that will purchase individual pieces of china or complete sets.  They have a quite extensive list of china, porcelain, pottery by manufacturer.  Most items are accompanied by a photo so is easy to identify you pattern.  This is by far the most extensive reference I have found for identifying china.  And guess what?  They do have the two patterns that were missing from my first search.  The first is Anemone and the second is Ring O Roses.  While Replacements.com’s list is not as extensive as blueridge-sp.com they did have several patterns that were not listed on blueridge-sp.com.

Below are some of the more common patterns that we see here at The Blue Building Antiques and Consignment:

I was very surprised to learn that patterns BRP34 and BRP37 are in fact Blue Ridge Pottery patterns!  These are very common patterns among estate items.

I have found that different manufacturers will produce similar patterns.  Here is pattern similar to Blue Ridge Pottery BRP34 and 37.

This is in fact a pattern by Taylor Smith, Taylor USA #5431

Here is a similar Taylor Smith pattern #10631:

Have you ever wondered how to identify china?  Usually it has a “mark” or a stamp on the back of each piece.  The stamp contains a Maker or Manufacturer’s name and a pattern identification, usually a number.

Here is an illustration of what this stamp or Maker’s mark means:

I have seen these china pieces with pastel florals and gold ornate trim many many times.  Usually, they do not have a stamp.  But now I have an idea of maker and age thanks to this little dip into the world of China!

I hope this has been helpful.  The next time you are at a yard or estate sale, you will have a reference on how to research and identify china patterns!

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