The Last Hoorah

I had one last vacation day on Monday and spent it in bliss at the Penn Street Square Antique Mall in St. Joseph, Missouri.

By the time Monday rolled around, I had just about hit all of my faves in KC and branched north for more exploration. I had been here once before back in November, but I was with Jason and Brendan and I didn't get through all three floors. This was once a shirt factory, so it is HUGE!

So many treasures! I spent an entire hour in just one section of the main floor. Much of the rest of my three+ hours were spent on the upstairs.

Dealer #11 had a booth on the main floor and one entire section of the upstairs and all I can say is WOW. If you don't have dust allergies or fear of lots of dirt or spiders, this is what heaven looks like.

Oh, and you have to possess some pretty good balancing skills if you want to get at the "good stuff".

All of his stuff was 30 percent off and I got a ton of great mosaic dishes for cheap, cheap, cheap!

The picture above and the next two below were from a place on the way to St. Joe called W.D. Pickers. About 85 percent of the merchandise in this mall is behind glass, not my style. I like to pick it up and look it over, but it was fun to see how dealers displayed things and what they were into.

Can you spy the silver nail buffer and brush above?

This chaise was fun. Imagine it in some creamy or chocolate-patterned fabric.

I like the shape of this settee. The price was good too. If only Sharon were nearby to work her magic . . .

I couldn't wait to get home and mix the new treasures with the old.

The birds below are from booth #11!!!!

And after I finished up at the mall, I drove around taking some pics. Downtown St. Joe is an amazing mix of these types of grand houses near and around what can only be described as urban blight on a small town scale. It's interesting to think about what it may have been like in its hay day.

This wonderful home had been converted into apartments. I would have loved to have seen some of them. Is the molding still in-tact? Crystal door knobs? Pocket doors?

And actually, this was one of my favorites (below), maybe the limestone wall and crumbling brick. Can you imagine it with a lush garden?

It reminds me of an English cottage. What a great place to spend my last day of freedom!