At Home in the Bay - Nov/Dec 2017

A contemporary new house on a lot where Model Ts were assembled in the early 1900s? From a garage, to a guest cottage, to an ultra-chic house, find out the story behind 107 Washington Street.
- story and photos by Ellis Anderson

S​unny Miceli grew up “all around the world,” but raised her children in Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian.  Joe is a New Orleans native, founder of a professional investigative firm.  The two met when Joe was living in Orange Beach, Alabama, and Sunny was visiting a friend – who happened to be Joe’s next-door neighbor.  The couple married in 1996, eventually selling Joe’s Alabama house and settling in Gulfport. 
 
But Bay St. Louis kept calling.  Sunny’s children had attended Our Lady Academy and St. Stanislaus, so she was very familiar with the Bay.  When the new harbor opened in 2014, the Micelis moved their boat  - aptly named “Beach House” – over and began looking at lots where they could build a new home.  

​In typical small town fashion, a friend introduced them to Charles Gray, executive director of the Hancock County Historical Society.  Charles had purchased the old Hille garage before Katrina.  He’d transformed the derelict four-bay garage into a two-bed/bath house – complete with what Charles describes as “a 1296 square foot grand ballroom.” 
 
After the unprecedented 2005 hurricane demolished the building, Charles worked on plans for a new house on the site, first building a smaller guesthouse he dubbed the “East Wing.”  Construction hadn’t begun on the main house when he became enchanted by a large historic Victorian home on Carroll Avenue and purchased that instead. 
 
The location at 107 Washington was perfect for the Micelis.  Sunny owns a mortgage company and appreciated the exceptional elevation of a lot so close to the beach.  The view from the lot was wonderful and the fact that it was in walking distance to the commercial district of Old Town sealed the deal.  

​They purchased the property from Charles and put the word out to Sunny’s real estate friends that they’d eventually be selling their Gulfport home.   The Micelis hadn’t even started planning their new house yet when someone knocked on their front door in Gulfport.
 
“He asked me if we could be out by the end of the month,” said Joe.  “I told him I was sure we could work something out, never thinking we’d end up moving two weeks later.” 
 
Sunny laughed.  “We were literally moving out the back door while they were moving in the front.”
 
The Micelis moved onto Beach House in the Bay St. Louis harbor with the intent of building their new home as soon as possible.  Sunny’s friends referred her to Mobile designer Andrew Dooly.  Dooly came over and borrowing a 20-foot ladder from a family who live in the Bay, studied the views around the lot.  He also met with Charles and referred to historic photos of the Hille garage as he began conceptualizing.  

Sunny remembers climbing the ladder herself as Andrew showed her various views.  Originally, they planned on building a main house in addition to the East Wing cottage, but Dooly convinced them to actually wrap the new home around the cottage, encompassing the 10 X 44 square-foot structure. 
 
Sunny and Joe’s new home “bucket list” also included 12-foot-ceilings, an open floor plan, lots of porches, a small pool, an outside fireplace and lots of large windows.  Joe dreamed of having space for a pool table he’d owned since the 1980s.  But given all the other “must-haves” and the challenges of building on a lot that was only 156' X 52’, Joe resigned himself to leaving the table in storage.
 
Yet when Dooly revealed the plans a few months later, the last thing he showed the Micelis was the upstairs living area – perfectly sized for a pool table. 
 
Although the lot was located in the Bay’s historic district, the contemporary design met all the guidelines (which allow for contemporary architecture which is compatible with the existing historic neighborhood).  The Micelis say being in the district was a selling point.  Sunny points out that the property values in the Bay now compared to the rest of the coast are an indication of the district’s effectiveness. 

​Joe, who had built two large houses before, acted as the contractor and was on site every day while the house was being built.  As the home took shape, passersby often stopped to watch or chat.  Joe recalls one day when a couple in their 80s parked their car across the street, enjoying a lunch of sandwiches as they watched the work. 
 
Joe went out to the car to chat and the man asked why on earth were they building a fireplace outside the house. 
 
Joe smiled and said, “Sir, is that your wife sitting next to you?”
 
The man answered in the affirmative.
 
Joe continued.  “If your wife asked you to build a fireplace on the outside of your house, would you do it?”
 
The man agreed enthusiastically and they all laughed.  

​The entire process, from concept to completion took about a year and a half.  When asked what they might have done differently, Sunny and Joe looked at each other, obviously drawing a blank.
 
“Why, nothing,” Sunny says, after a long pause.  “I guess we both knew what we wanted going in after having lived in other homes.  Like the pool.”

In a previous home, they’d loved a small dip pool they’d had installed – one that was deep, yet had a shelf running around the interior, making it the perfect place to hang out in the heat.  Determined to find the same pool, they searched the internet relentlessly for months, until one day, Sunny told Joe she believed she’d found it.  Joe looked at it and was skeptical at first.  Then the couple saw additional product photographs.  One showed the pool installed – at their former home.  They laughed and placed their order. 
 ​

One enters the home in a bright l-shaped living/dining/kitchen area. The initial impression is one of comfort and ease. Heart-pine flooring was especially selected and milled by a friend. Stained a light color, it adds to the natural light-hearted feel of the home. 
 
Leading from the kitchen, a window-lined corridor parallels the street, running beside the pool.  On the back side, there’s an office/library area and a master bath. The hall leads to the master bedroom, also looking out over the pool and courtyard.   This is the area that took in and expanded the former East Wing, built by Charles.

​Upstairs, there’s a guest room for the grands, the pool room, a lounging area, and a another large bedroom.  The bedroom and lounge both open up to a bricked-floored porch.  From there, a spiral staircase winds up to the lookout atop the house, where two comfortable deck chairs beckon. 
 
Sunny masterminded the interior décor, with bold moves like the solid dark grey bathroom downstairs, which comes off with a dramatic beauty.  She’s easily melded furnishings they’ve collected from their travels, favorite pieces they’ve grown to love through the years and new furniture selected especially to complement the house.

​With children and grandchildren keeping life exciting, the Micelis are taking advantage of all the Bay has to offer: Splendid views, bicycling, shopping, nearby restaurants, and the harbor, where “Beach House” is always ready for the barrier islands. 
 
“It’s a really diverse community,” says Joe.  “But everybody’s happy here.  It’s a good spot.”
 
So while Hille’s garage may be no more, things have a strange way of coming full circle in Bay St. Louis.  Parked in the new garage at 107 Washington, is the Micelis’ 1939 Studebaker.  

Talk of the Town - November 2017

Artists are the backbone of our community - bringing vitality to our economy, improving our quality of life and attracting visitors, new residents and businesses. Find out what you can do to support the artists who keep on giving! 
- story and photos by Ellis Anderson 

​Art events throughout the year build the sense of community, as well as boosting the local economy.  There’s the annual Arts Alive!, Frida Fest (celebrating the birthday of artist Frida Kahlo) and the Mermaid’s Arts & Crafts show.  

The monthly Second Saturday Artwalk (a veteran event that’s more than 25 years old!) pulls a lion’s share of weight for community enhancement and prosperity.  New events like the Downhome Blues Music Series work double-duty too, entertaining locals, as well as  building our reputation as a desirable place to live and do business. 

The Bay is a shining example of Mississippi's creative economy.  

Incredibly, not a dime of local taxpayer money is budgeted by local governments for producing or promoting any of the arts events listed above (although they may help out with extra patrols, etc.).  These events are self-supporting and self-funding for the most part, with Hancock Tourism lending a hand when they have available grant funding. 
 
These events occur only because of local organizations, like The Arts, Hancock County, the Old Town Merchants Association and the Alice and Tim Moseley Foundation and dozens of artist volunteers and generous merchants, who donate time and money and a creative can-do spirit (to name only a few - Smith & Lens Gallery, the Mockingbird Café, The French Potager, Gallery 220 and Bay Life).
 
So how can you help support this self-sufficient cultural community that uplifts our lives and generates enormous economic benefits for us all?
 
Easy.

1.  Join in and roll up your sleeves.  You don’t have to be an artist or a merchant – just an appreciator of all these organizations do. Volunteer to help.  If you're more a left-brain type, these groups always need help with things like clerical work, delivery, event staffing.  You can also purchase a membership or simply donate.  They’re all 501c3s, so donations are tax-deductible.  ​

• The Arts, Hancock County ($35 annually).
• Old Town Merchants Association (inquire about associate memberships and donations)
• Alice and Tim Moseley Foundation (levels start at $25 annually)

2.  Spread the word.  Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram make it simple to share news about our artists and local events with friends and business customers.

“Liking” or "loving" an arts-related post helps, while taking a moment to "share" with a brief introductory comment really has a long reach.  On social media, comments are king.  You’ll have more impact than you could imagine.  

​On Facebook, follow:

• The Arts, Hancock County, MS 
• Old Town Bay St Louis
• Alice Moseley Folk Art and Antique Museum
• Hancock County Tourism Bureau
• The Shoofly Magazine (yep, that's us!  We'll keep you up with all the cool happenings!) 

On Instagram: 

• Hancockarts
• Baystlouisoldtown
• Bslshoofly 

3.  ​Buy Art.  Take "shopping local" one step further by buying a painting, a photograph or a piece of pottery from a neighborhood artist or one of the galleries/shops in Old Town that make Bay St. Louis the place you’re proud to call home. 

Have a loved one with a creative hankering?  You can even purchase gift certificates for lessons with local artists (see our list at the end of this story!). 
 
Below are art-related holiday happenings – we’ll be adding to it throughout the season.  You can also check in at our Community Calendar or our Upcoming Events page at any time. 

Holiday Second Saturday Artwalks
November 11 & December 9
Things are lively all day, but really gear up between 4pm - 8pm 

During the Second Saturday Artwalk each month in Old Town Bay St. Louis, you'll find cool deals, fresh meals and lots of art and live music.  It's the way we throw a family-friendly party here in the Bay and you're invited! The holiday ones are especially fun, so invite your friends and family from across the coast and beyond. 

Bay Artist's Co-op 22nd Annual Open Studio and Sale
November 18 - 19
Saturday, 10am - 4pm, - Sunday, 11am - 3pm
415 S. Necaise Ave. 
​Bay St. Louis 
This working art studio cleans up for the annual Open House held the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Artists in Clay : Regan Carney, Gayle Andersson, Mark Buszkiewicz, Nina Cork, Jeanne Richardson. Painters: Janet Densmore and Jerome Anderson. Photography: Per-Owe Andersson. Vintage  Jewelry: Iris Naomi.  Handmade books, collage: Noni Johns.  Mosaics: Jo Slay.  Live Music by "Ivory Bill," featuring Billy Ray Hammond and David Sallis playing blues and ballads.

Entirely undercover,  so "rain or shine". Wheel chair accessible. Art demonstrations.

4th Annual Waveland Christmas Bazaar
November 17-18
335 Coleman Avenue, Waveland, MS
Friday, 10 am – 7 pm 
 Saturday, 9 am – 4 pm
Saturday 8am -  Pancake Breakfast With Santa
Shop for great Christmas gifts, clothing, jewelry, and home decor items.  
Find the event on Facebook: Ground Zero Hurricane Museum
Clu1964@gmail.com

Thanksgiving Weekend in Old Town
Friday & Saturday
Really.  Forget the mall scene.  Spend Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday meandering through the locally owned shops and dining in one of our indie eateries.  Walk along the seawall, or along the piers.  No parking hassles, no long lines, no pushy crowds.  You'll be glad you did your holiday shopping the BSL way.  

On Friday evening, there's the Second Street Art Trifecta:

• Mr. Atticus's Night Market (Mockingbird Cafe, 110 S. Second Street) - live music, artisans, a special menu and lots of BSL style conviviality!  
• Smith & Lens (106 S. Second Street) Opening Reception for Amanda Bennett - 6pm - 8pm
• Gallery Edge (112 S. Second Street, inside Century Hall) group show opening reception, 5:30pm - 8pm 

​
On Saturday celebrate all day in Old Town in conjunction with Shop Local movements across America!  

​Walk in the Woods Art Event and Sale
December 2
Saturday 
10 am to 4pm
228.255.4019
22591 Rue La Terre  Kiln, MS
rain or shine

A short walk from parking to Fine Art, Fine Craft, demonstrations and refreshments.
Located under the pavilion on the beautiful wooded property of La Terre in Kiln. Working in clay are Gayle Andersson, Regan Carney, Mark Buszkiewicz, Danielle Inabinet Runnels and Margaret Inabinet.  Weaving - James Inabinet.  Photography - Per-Owe Andersson. Multiple Media -  Janelle Alys Mullen.  Gourmet Soaps -  Greg.   Cookies -  Kathleen 
Painting -  Chloe Harville. Hand-sewn items -  Patty Lockleer.

Holiday Bazaar at the Bay Waveland Yacht Club
December 1 & 2
Friday, 10am - 6pm, Saturday 10am - 2pm
Bay Waveland Yacht Club
666 N. Beach Blvd.
Several local artists usually sell at this annual show, when the membership only Bay-Waveland Yacht Club is open to the public for the event.  Great views, wonderful hometown holiday feel.  
www.bwyc.org (228) 467-4592

The BSL Creative Arts Center Annual Holiday Show and Sale
December 9 - 10
​Saturday, 10am - 8pm, Sunday Noon to 6pm
101 Central Ave.
Bay St. Louis
Starting at 8pm they'll have a studio party with refreshments, live entertainment and dancing.  Be prepared for artistic revelry! 

Give Art Lessons! 

The Shoofly Magazine has put together an entire roster of local artists who give group and private lessons - in everything from pottery to painting.  

The ones below can arrange for gift certificates too - so you can give your loved one an opportunity to unleash their more creative side!  See our Art Teachers page for more information about these incredible local artists!  

The Pottery Studio at the BSL Creative Arts Center offers gift certificates for the holidays.   Instruction is offered in wheel throwing, hand-building and sculpture.  Gift certificates are available for single classes and five-class punch cards.  For adults, a single class card is $25 and the five-class punch card is $100.   For kids under 16, a single class card is $15 and a five-class punch card is $60.  For the month of November, all five-class punch card are discounted $10 in celebration of the holidays. (Adults $90, Kids $50 ).

Class cards can be used to drop-in during scheduled class times or by appointment any time during our open studio hours, with flexibility to fit any schedule. For more info visit the BSL Creative Arts Center Facebook page or call 228-342-7668.

Master potter Regan Carney gives her pottery classes in a series of five.  Gift certificates are available for a single class, or the entire series.  Regan has printed gift certificates available - just call her at 228. 216.0210. 

Mosaic artist Joanna Slay gives private lessons in her Biloxi studio.  Or sign up for a workshop scheduled in March, July or October of 2018 at Clay Creations (220 Main Street) in Bay St. Louis. Gift Certificates are available for the workshops ($95) or private lessons ($75 for 3 hours). Please visit www.joslay.com or call 228-217-9212 for additional information. 

Dale Pohl:  For gift certificates, holiday workshops for kids and adults, Grandkids Art Parties, Girls Night Out, Birthday Parties, Bridal and Baby Showers, and weekly children's classes, contact Dale Pohl (mother bird!) at 228-671-9123, or kdpohl@bellsouth.net. Relax, enjoy yourself, and Make Art!, in a quaint, historic building.  102 Blaize Avenue, BSL. (by the Duck Pond!)

Potter/sculptor Nina Cork is teaching short two-hour workshops by request. $50 per person, two people minimum per workshop (a perfect BFF gift!).  Gift certificates are available.  Contact Nina at (630) 918.1339 or ninamcork@gmail.com

Encaustic artist Kat Fitzpatrick offers two types of classes.  The first is a three-hour introduction to encaustic collage is available to you and 3 friends (may include wine byob). $65/person, all materials included.  There's also a two-day workshop at Katfish Studio in Bay St. Louis (4 people required) $300 per person/all materials supplied.  Contact her to arrange for gift certificates at ​ katfitzpatrick@bellsouth.net

Chloe Harville offers gift certificates for belly dance classes, in any amount.  People can email her for details at me@tabernabsl.com or they can call or text:  228-671-1656.

Waveland Alderman Jeremy Burke reports on the beach walking/bike path, the Waveland Christmas Bazaar and the ground-breaking on the Waveland lighthouse. ​

Waveland Christmas Bazaar
​
The 4th Annual Waveland Christmas Bazaar is Friday, November 17th and Saturday, November 18th at the Ground Zero Hurricane Museum on Coleman Avenue. This free outdoor and indoor event features local arts, crafts, jewelry, candles and much more.  Local restaurants will serve lunch and dinner. On Saturday from 8:00AM-9:30AM there will be a pancake breakfast with Santa.

The bazaar is a cash-and-carry-items event, and local businesses are encouraged to participate.  This event is a great way to find that unique local gift to give to your family and friends this Christmas.
​
 If you are interested in being a vendor, please email clu1964@gmail and request a vendor application.  The bazaar is attempting not to have duplicated booths, so please list all items that you wish to sell on your application.  Deadline for vendor application is November 10th.

Waveland Lighthouse

The wait is finally over.  The Waveland Lighthouse and Public Pavilion Project construction is about to start.  The Waveland Mayor and Board of Alderman awarded a contract to Barnard & Sons Construction to build the Waveland Lighthouse and Public Pavilion at a special meeting on October 26th.
 
The Waveland Lighthouse has been a dream for years, but it is finally coming to fruition.  The current administration has been allocating money for this project since we took office. This project is being constructed in partnership with the Hancock County Board of Supervisors. The project is going to take approximately one year to construct. The Waveland Lighthouse and Public Pavilion is going to be a welcome addition to the Waveland beachfront.

For 32 years, one Mississippi family has been focusing on the "giving" part of the Thanksgiving holiday, serving up a free feast. 
- story by Lisa Monti, photos courtesy the Kelly family

Bay Reads - Nov/Dec 2017

Author Jesmyn Ward, who grew up in DeLisle, Mississippi, has just turned 40 and has already established herself as a leading American writer.  According to Shoofly book reviewer, Carole McKellar, her latest effort is the best yet. 

​She is raising her two children near her extended family in a community with a few thousand residents. Ward is currently teaching English at Tulane University in New Orleans.
 
A DeLisle-like community, Bois Savage, is the setting for Ward’s three novels. She won recognition for her first novel, Where the Line Bleeds, but her second novel, Salvage the Bones, won the National Book Award. Her third, Sing Unburied, Sing, was released in September, 2017 to universal praise from readers and critics alike. I believe it to be her finest writing to date.
 
Sing, Unburied, Sing is told from three points of view: JoJo, a 13-year-old mixed-race boy, his unreliable mother, Leonie, and Richie, a ghost. JoJo and his toddler sister, Kayla, live with their maternal grandparents because Leonie has a drug problem and their white father is in Parchman Prison for distributing meth. Pop and Mam provide a stable and loving home for the children, but Mam is dying of cancer. 
 
Leonie decides to take her children to the Delta when her husband, Michael, is released from Parchman. Leonie’s drug sharing friend, Misty, joins them. The road trip occupies much of the story with constant misadventures. 

​Two ghosts accompany the travelers. When high, Leonie is visited by the ghost of her brother, Given, who was murdered by Michael’s cousin. JoJo sees Richie, imprisoned at age twelve for stealing food for his family. JoJo learned about Richie from Pop’s stories about his own incarceration at Parchman as a young man. Pop was sent there essentially for the crime of being a young black man.
 
In spite of troubled lives, this is a book filled with love. Pop is a strong father figure attempting to prepare JoJo for manhood. I flagged several well-written accounts of their relationship such as this passage that occurred between Pop and JoJo prior to the road trip:
 
       “You a man, you hear?” he said. I nodded…Pop with his straight shoulders and
       his tall back, his pleading eyes the only thing that spoke to me in that moment
       and told me what he said without words: I love you, boy. I love you.
 
Because Mam is dying, JoJo is the primary caregiver of Kayla, a job he accepts with tenderness and responsibility. Their relationship troubles Leonie because Kayla seeks comfort from JoJo instead of her. Leonie and Michael are difficult to like because they love each other more than their almost abandoned children. Surprisingly, Leonie makes a good narrator in the chapters written in her voice. She brings Mam to life remembering her as a wise woman passing along extensive knowledge of herbal medicine and folk remedies.
 
In addition to three novels, Jesmyn Ward wrote a nonfiction book, The Men We Reaped, and edited The Fire This Time which I wrote about in the October, 2016 Bay Reads column. Pass Christian’s community reading program, One Book One Pass, chose The Fire This Time as their selection for 2017. Events were planned throughout the year culminating in a discussion and reading by the author on October 18. 
 

​The Gulf Coast is fortunate to have such an important writer living among us. Pass Christian Books held a book signing in September where Ms. Ward read from Sing, Unburied, Sing followed by a question and answer period. Jesmyn Ward appears warm and approachable while maintaining a natural reserve. She reported working on a new novel set in New Orleans during the 19th century. I look forward to reading that and all future work from this talented Mississippian.

Mind+Body+Spirit - Nov/Dec 2017

Simple tips to help keep you healthy if you'll be traveling on one of the 11,000 flights a day during the holiday season. 
- story by LB Kovac

​Modern passengers aren’t quite as lucky as Pheil: with airlines crunching to carry more passengers in already cramped airplanes, the average seat width has squeezed to just 17 inches. This puts flyers even closer to their neighbors, healthy or not, than they were five years ago.  

If you’re planning on flying this holiday season, there’s a few things you can do to keep yourself safe from the spread of germs.

Stay Hydrated

The best advice for flyers is also the simplest: drink lots of water. Humidity in a plane’s cabin is kept under 20%, much lower than the 30% humidity most people keep in their own homes. On a long flight, you can easily dry out your mucus glands, which in-turn can make you more susceptible to picking up germs.

“[Drinking lots of water] will keep your respiratory tract moist, which gives you more protection against germs,” says Dr. Abinash Virk, an infectious disease expert at the Mayo Clinic. “Hydrating also prevents your skin from getting dry and cracked, which makes you susceptible to infections.”

If you’re set on enjoying a hot cup of joe on your flight, you can always ask for an extra cup of water from the flight attendant.

​Keep Your Hands to Yourself

In 2008, a severe outbreak of gastrointestinal distress amongst passengers on a Los Angeles-bound plane caused the flight to make an emergency landing. Initially, the airline thought that the virus spread via the restrooms. However, viral pathogen researchers found that all the infected passengers had one thing in common: almost all of them were sitting in aisle seats.

The aisle seats, though coveted, put passengers in the way of more hands. Passing flight attendants and fellow passengers use the outermost armrests to steady themselves as they walk along the plane’s aisles. This makes the outside seats a hotbed for bacteria, passed along by every person that touches the seat’s armrests.

It seems like mom’s advice is as important now as ever: keep your hands to yourself, and you’re less likely to pick up germs, or spread them to other passengers.

​Bring Hand Sanitizer

If you’re now afraid of armrests, there’s one more place on the plane that you should be even more cautious of: the bathroom. Airlines do clean them each night, but, when you’re on a long flight, or a short flight on a plane that is used for multiple flights each day, the bathroom will get a lot of use between thorough cleanings. In economy, as many as 50 people share one bathroom  on the plane each flight.

A good supply of hand sanitizer minimizes the surfaces in the bathroom your hands can come into contact with and insures you are the one out of 50 who remains bacteria-free.

And Wet Wipes

After the bathroom door, the tray table is the surface most touched by passengers on a plane. And, when you’re enjoying that coffee and water, you’re picking up germs from the

Ideally, airplane crews would be wiping them down between passengers, but there’s often not enough time for attendants to give the plane a deep cleaning between flights. You must do what others cannot and clean the tray table.

A quick douse with an anti-microbial wet wipe (one with a built-in moisturizer will keep your hands hydrated) will eliminate most of the germs on the tray table’s surface, allowing you to nosh on those in-flight peanuts worry-free.

​The St. Petersburg-Tampa line, as the hop over Tampa Bay was called, lasted only four short months; owner Percival Fansler soon shuttered the first commercial airline due to lack of consumer interest in the winter months.

Little did Fansler know that one day, the holidays would be the airline industry’s busiest, and germiest, time of the year. Of the average approximately 11,000 flights a day that happened during the 2016 holiday season, one in every 604 flights was grounded for medical emergencies. Following these tips to keep yourself germ free can insure that you, and the other passengers, get to your destination on time.

The magical Magnolia Antique store offers new enchantments with every step - and it's owned by a family of experts who can illuminate an object's history while offering service with a smile.  
- story by Rebecca Orfila, photos by Ellis Anderson 

Glenda and Jack Schornick opened their antique store in 2008, and based their successful business on good service and quality antiques and collectibles.  Their daughter, Shay Coss, is now the store manager.  

Dozens of ukuleles hang from the ceiling and Harvest Gold pattern casserole dishes stacked on display shelves.  Crystal and silver serving ware and jewelry can be found throughout the store.  For fans and collectors of modern memorabilia, Magnolia Antiques provides a great place for a treasure hunt!
 
Music plays a large part in the antique collection.  A variety of historical and modern musical instruments can be found in the newest section on the west side of the store.  A vintage accordion is the first eyecatcher.  For radio and stereo connoisseurs, the new area contains a 1940’s era countertop radio, stereo turntable, and several boom boxes.  There are several locations in the store with piano music from the 30’s and 40’s.  Player piano rolls and 33-1/3 LP vinyl records are for sale near the front of the store.   
 
The oldest of the store’s antiques currently in stock includes an 18th C. French tapestry of Spanish flamenco dancers and musicians complete with a Victorian satin cord wall hanger, and an antique railroad depot bench (late 1800s) located outside on the patio. The oldest items for sale are small prehistoric fossils.  

Magnolia Antiques rents space to antique dealers, such as Dan Turrentine, a well-known, local authority.  If you are looking for historical period tools, fittings, and early mechanical devices, check out his consignment area on the south side of the store floor. 

​Of note in his section is the one-man crosscut saw, complete with a landscape painting on the blade.  Other items include a variety of basic tools, hammers (Viking-looking hammers), pinchers, and pendulum weights.  According to Glenda, five or six consigners/vendors rent space, but the majority of the items are the Schornicks.
 
Annie Holbrook, an officially certified Doll Doctor restores and repairs old dolls, teddy bears, and delicate christening dresses. While talking about the doll section, Annie recalled a 1972 Kenner brand “Blythe” doll that was sold for $3,000.   
 
Cocktail shakers, wine carafes, martini and highball glasses, and Michael Bublé playing on the store’s stereo system reflect a more glamorous time of cocktail parties and late night dinners. Recalling Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” hat pins were de rigueur for chapeaus of the period and were decorated with jewels, pearls, and fine metals.  The most fragile pins were topped with blown glass or crystal.  For the same look, check the jewelry case on the north side of the store.  The pins - short or long - can be found sticking in a vintage, stuffed pillow.  

Two young people, obviously musicians, were strumming stringed instruments while I was taking photos in the store.  Respectful of the instruments and the customers walking through, the couple remarked that the old musical items were inspiring and both began to hum a familiar song from another time.  You might say that it is the spirit of the store and its contents that provides such inspiration.  That, and the good folks that work there. 

Beautiful Things - Nov/Dec 2017

Design diva Holly Lemoine-Raymond walks you through creating a fun messaage board that does double-duty:  during most of the year it holds notes, but during the holiday season, it's a great way to display your cards.

​Step 1:
Measure and cut your boards. You might want to measure twice and cut once. I have a tendency to jump in and eyeball the cuts. Take it from me; this creates extra work for you. 

​Step 2:
Once you have measured and cut your boards you can stain your boards with the color of stain you prefer. Let the first layer of stain dry. 

​Step 3:
Take your 220 Grit sand paper and lightly sand your board(s). You will notice the stain has soaked in to some areas a bit more than others and the sanding process will bring out some of the woodgrain and creates some character. 

​Step 4:
Add another coat of stain and immediately wipe it off with a small rag. (I use my husband’s old t-shirts and cut them in to 4x4 squares.) This will enhance the richness of the stain. 

​Step 5:
Once the second coat of stain has dried you will apply the Milk Paint. Keep your rag handy (no pun intended) because you will apply and wipe. This adds that worn, weathered look. 

​Step 6:
Now that you’ve got your board stained, sanded, and white washed, it’s time to place your rustic clips. Warm up your hot glue gun. Place your clips equal lengths apart and glue the clips in place. (I screwed mine in to the board but you can glue them much more quickly.

There you have it. Hang your board in the location you have picked out and post your important messages, display your favorite pictures, or hang your Christmas cards.
​
Thanks again for reading Beautiful Things. Can’t wait to tell you about the next project we have for you!