Archive for October, 2010

Check out the following link sent to us by Tara Biek (Just for Fun)
You may be interested in attending this antique appraisal/fundraiser
http://sz0126.wc.mail.comcast.net/service/home/~/?auth=co&id=8280&part=2

Tired of the same old Halloween stuff?
Looking for something different?

A bit of spooky and Fort Pierce history combined . . .
http://thegrimsociety.com/2010/10/08/spend-halloween-with-the-grim-society/

You may have heard, Carol had double bypass surgery a couple weeks ago.  She’s doing very well, but it’s a slow process.  We miss her and look forward to her recovery and having her back with us!  Feel free to send get well wishes to lauras.emporium@comcast.net – I know she’d love to hear from you.  And many thanks to all the wonderful dealers who are filling in!

Tara Biek has created a fun working environment that appeals to her team (two- and four-legged) and their clients.  In business for ten years, Tara Biek Creative has grown to six employees and moved to their new location in August.  Before the move, Tara went shopping for eye-catching accessories and Laura’s Emporium was one of her stops.  After their grand opening Sept. 30th, I visited and she was kind enough to give me the grand tour.

High ceilings with shorter dividing walls make a great display area, and everywhere I turned there was something to catch my interest.  Gumball machine, antique cash register, vintage typewriter, I Love Lucy TV lamp, window panes, Twister!  And it all came together beautifully.  I was ready to ask if she’d consider interior decorating for me!

And apparently the knack for design isn’t limited to decor – a wall of commendations and awards attests to the talent of Tara and her team.  Not satisfied to just be really great at what they do, they’re also an active part of the community, giving back whenever they can – Boys & Girls Club, American Cancer Society, MusicFest, Historic Preservation, and the list goes on.

Check out their website at: http://tarabiekcreative.com/index.html.  You’ll love it!  Thanks for sharing with us, Tara!

Tara Biek Creative is located in the Sawgrass Business Center at 1237 SE Indian Street, Unit 101, Stuart, FL 34994, Phone 772-283-0019.

I guess I have been a collector, “of sorts” most of my life!  As a child, we didn’t have much, but the few things I did have, little collection of blown glass animals, glass paperweights, etc., I still have.  So I guess you would say that I’m a “saver” (an underestimation, according to close family members!)
 
I really started collecting earnestly in my early 30″s when my husband entered a career change and decided to become a pastor.  We lived in Houston, Texas at the time and were teaching in a Lutheran School, so the transition was in one way of church work to another.  We had 2 children a girl age 6 and a boy 4.  We moved to Springfield, Illinois and Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary.  While there, we lived in government housing a few blocks from the school.  I think the rent was $50.00 per month.  I went to work at Horace Mann Insurance Company, with a lead position in the MTST Dept., a complicated new type of typing machine!  My sister and her family lived in Edwardsville, Illinois, so that became our retreat away from the weekly routine of work and school, and a time to be finally near family.  We had been married 9 years at the time.  My sister Esther and husband Steve had an antique shop attached to their home, so I became very interested in antiques and became a “picker” for my sister.  She told me what to look for and she would give me money to buy, so I had the thrill of the hunt and money to do it with, since we were completely poor.  She taught me well, and they fed us each weekend, and we would go to auctions on Friday or Sat. night and my husband Ron would study his Greek New Testament words while my sister and I and our families would have fun at the auction.  We would go to church on Sunday, the very church I was baptized, raised, confirmed and married in.  It was a sweet time!
 
Then, my mother was also an antique influence.  After my father died, and she was in her 60′s, she took to antiques like a duck to water.  She was also a picker for many antique dealers, had a little business of antique jewelry herself and traveled all around in Texas where she then lived and would travel back to Florida also, where she and my dad had retired. I also have a sister Phyllis, in Colorado who is an avid collector of Carnival glass and has had an antique store in the past also.  So, it’s in the blood!   We moved to Michigan from Illinois after completion of Seminary and antiquing really began.  I met a friend that became one of my best friends in the world and she and I antiqued whenever and wherever we could.  Michigan is a great place for it.  Her home was like an antique shop and she was a big influence on my decor from that point on.  We dabbled in antique shows, basement sales, etc. and so my collections just grew, until I finally had to have more of any outlet.  While living in different places over the years, I have had “spots” in antique malls, antique shows, Christmas Bazaars, etc., etc.  I also became a Longaberger Basket consultant and you don’t want to know how many baskets, pottery, wrought iron, etc. that has added to my collection. 
 
So enter Laura’s Emporium when it opened 2 years ago.  I met Carol by chance and she is a great business owner and friend.  The people at Laura’s are a great bunch to work with and I have enjoyed sharing my “collections”.
 
Stop by and see what’s new and different in Bettie’s Corner (Booth #30).  I have many Longaberger items, and if you don’t see something you might want, ask, because I may have it at home.  I have kitchen ware, pictures, pressed glass, cut glass, china, wooden ware, etc.  If you would like antique and vintage jewelry, have the shop give me a call and I will meet you there with the jewelry.  Happy Hunting!

Scripps Luminaries – Week of October 11, 2010
Sue was mis-identified as Carol, but it’s a nice writeup

TCpalm also ran an article in September – same copy, no pix