The Results are IN!

Reader's Choice 2007 has voted Salvage Chic the #1 Antique/Vintage shop in Pembroke, and the Regional SILVER Award Winner!

Salvage Chick is SPEECHLESS. (I know what you're saying... "FOR ONCE she is SPEECHLESS!" right?)

Pop Quiz

OK Boys and Girls, I know you have been paying close attention to this Blog and now it's time for your REWARD, answer this question correctly and receive 20% off your purchases this weekend at Salvage Chic!!

Drumroll, please... These 3 Birdhouses can be found in Yard Sale Buddy's Yard. Which were gifts from Salvage Chick for no self-serving purpose and which was from her nemesis Mack the Knife in a cheap attempt to imitate her??

Press Release

Tabloid Headlines scream "Salvage Chick has sunken to an all time low" this week with allusions to behavior that would make Lindsay Lohan look like a choir girl.

Salvage Chick has acknowledged that she is seeking help from a treatment program to help her deal with some 'job-related stress'. Her publicist denied comment and requested that we respect the privacy of Salvage Chick and her family at this difficult time.

Alcohol Abuse? Excessive Cheesecake Consumption? What type of self-destructive behavior has finally spiralled out of control, causing Salvage Chick's family to enlist the help of A&E's Intervention program?

Brace yourself. Salvage Chick... picked... YARD SALE BUDDY'S TRASH!!

While we wish Salvage Chick a speedy recovery, we can't help but fear - this could be more career-damaging than Angelina Jolie kissing her brother was.

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies...

...Grow Up to Be... DRUMMERS.

When you first start dating a drummer you think it's really cute they are so consumed by the need to drum anywhere, anytime, on anything, using any and everything as a drumstick.

After about 2 months you just want to cut their freaking hands off.

Now after 6 years of dating and married bliss I got surprised with a new one! We were driving home from Weymouth and Kenny was really going to town drumming on the dashboard, and all of the sudden the Jeep feels like it's lurching along in time to the music... I'm like, TELL ME you're not using the gas pedal as the bass drum pedal? (Insert Sheepish Look and apology.)

Ocean's Fourteen

Betcha didn't know the next sequel in the Ocean's series is being filmed in Bryantville, and this time Salvage Chick is joining George, Brad and cast in planning the Ultimate Heist - JADE-ITE! This morning in a test run for the REAL Heist, Salvage Chick got all dolled up in her best tracksuit with baseball cap/sunglasses and sashayed over to Never Open Antiques disguised as a Bored Duxbury Housewife, complete with Vera Bradley bag. Too bad the cameras were not running because Salvage Chick was able to nip these choice pieces right under the very watchful nose of Mack. They really shouldn't leave him in the shop unattended...

Welcome to the Jungle!

Thank God I had the foresight to bring Yard Sale Buddy with me. Yesterday this woman called the shop and asked if I would be interested in buying some things. She was pretty cagey about what exactly these things might be but my curiosity was piqued so I set up an appointment to see her this morning. After I hung up I got the feeling we might be going into what we called a "Two Man Area" when I worked at the Phone Company so I enlisted Yard Sale Buddy as backup.

(Insert Law & Order theme song here: "Dun-Dun".) We roll into the Complex and this woman is sitting on the stoop outside her building and leads us into the hallway of the unit where she had set up some tables and boxes. It was creepy enough before she started giving out WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION so I turned on the White Noise Machine in my head and Oh My God! I missed some juicy stuff but fortunately Yard Sale Buddy was listening with keen interest while I fretted about the Dude I saw casing my Jeep when we pulled up to this joint.

We escaped unharmed, the lady was actually very nice it was probably Salvage Chick's imagination Running Wild, and we got GREAT STUFF so stop into Salvage Chic this weekend and see What's New!!

Monday Yard Sale!

Being the Salvage Chick, I always brake for Yard Sales but was especially excited to find one on a Monday. I hadn't visited this particular sale yet but know it's been ongoing for a while; I thought Hmm maybe she has added new stuff no one's gotten to since it's Monday so I screeched to a halt and bounded across the lawn. I immediately found a cool old coffee urn with Bakelite handles, didn't give a hoot it didn't have the plug because I intend to stage it as a vase and the Price was Right as they say. While I was examining an old wardrobe, the woman mentioned "That is the only expensive item here..." I bit - How Much? She says "The highest offer I've had is $190 but I'm holding out for $200." OK. I wonder if this is some sort of Sales Tactic. Really if I were having a Yard Sale and it meant the difference between moving it in and out of the garage every Yard Sale day, I'd have taken the $190... but I just smiled and said it was a bargain for someone at that, it really was a nice piece. Then I went on to say "My Husband bought some comic books from you on Sunday." She got this dreamy look on her face "OH! Mack's Friend!" and just when I'm wondering if the dreamy look is over my Husband she continued "I wish Mack would come back. I have some more of those XYZ items he was looking for." Oh my gosh! She is cleaning out and putting all the good stuff aside for Mack! I really do have to start being nicer to him. Anyway MACK I know you're reading this, I told her you'd be down on Sunday at the latest.

Funny side note, because he WAS tipped off about the comics by Mack, Kenny went to the Yard Sale and asked if there were any comic books and received an adamant NO, until he mentioned "Mack sent me". Funnier side note, he went to the WRONG Yard Sale first and tried the same thing, and they just looked at him like he had 3 heads.

The Cure For Insomnia!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... quiet weekend in the shop. Was close to slitting my ankles out of boredom then remembered Mack had been out on the town last night at his nephew's Bachelor Party so I went over and TALKED REALLY LOUD in case he was hungover. I said "Oh, you have the wicker set out on the corner, let's hang out there in the blazing sun where we can see both our shops in case someone comes in". It was so hot one of the nice ladies from 2 Sisters Thrift said can I offer you two an iced tea and I was like, No, just an umbrella if you have one... and maybe a stretcher for Mack." Lucky for him some Salvage Chic shoppers showed up and he was able to retreat into Never Open Antiques and probably lie down with a cold compress on his head. Now I know he will grumble and moan about how his every move is tracked and reported on THE INTERNET but I'm sure he secretly doesn't mind - this Blog has been good for my business and hopefully his - there are FIFTY-FOUR regular subscribers reading it!
And here is a shameless plug for him he has JADEITE over there at N.O., I was so envious when I saw it. Cute little Deco vases and a pair of spice shakers... hmmm maybe that'll be his next Rent Payment if these church pews sit in my garage much longer.

Happy Father's Day to my Dad, who had a LOUSY weekend managing Work Escalations, wish I got to see him today... to my Brother, who has the World's 2 Cutest Kids, to Yard Sale Buddy & Mack, thanks for looking out for me! and to Kenny who is Dad to our pets Axl, Slash & Izzy, that's about all the kids we need right now although he is Actively Campaigning to adopt a Boston Terrier.

Salvage Chick runs on Dunkin'

Actually I do not even LIKE coffee but might be willing to drink it for the right price if they wanted to replace their current campaign with a Salvage Chick one.

Yard Sale Buddy actually DOES run on Dunkin. In fact the phone rang very early at my house this morning and it was him saying "If you happen to be by this way can you bring me a coffee." I pulled the receiver away from my ear and stared at it incredulously. Is he KIDDING me? Now he is CALLING ME UP TO ORDER COFFEE? Well it turned out his beloved Chevy Truck was in the shop for a tune-up which is why he risked his life calling me at 9:15 AM to order coffee. Lucky for him my Husband is still on vacation so I was up and about early doing productive things like watering plants as if I do this every day instead of lounging with my dog watching Forensic Files. I advised him he would get his coffee... but it might be more like noontime.

Warning: Salvage Chick VENT!!

There is a lot of stuff going on that I can't always Blog about, in the interest of good business. Mostly silly stuff people do or say without realizing how they come across. Like those who tell me "I've been wanting to come in but you're NEVER OPEN." Well you must mean I'm never open when you happen to drive by, right, because there is a sign on the door with the hours I am open on it and only VERY RARELY am I not here during those hours unless there is an emergency or my cousin's wedding or something in which case I post a sign if at all possible... When I query these people with "I'm sorry, what would be more convenient hours for you to shop?" I get "Oh no, it's just that I drive by every morning at 7 on my way to work." OK well thanks for clarifying instead of letting me feel like a jerk shop owner who conducts business hours on a whim in the meanwhile.

Then there are the Unsolicited-Advice-Givers. I'm not talking about any of the many dealers who frequent my shop and offer me words of encouragement or constructive criticism - these people have my utmost respect and their advice is always welcome. (If you're Even Wondering "Is she talking about ME?" - I'm most assuredly NOT) I'm talking about these Yahoos who pop in and and judiciously announce things like "I'll tell you what, this Post Office Box Door is GROSSLY underpriced. I sold 300 of them in 1978 for $50 each" Well OK Thanks, it is good to know what you were doing when I was 5 years old and boy you lucked out selling those before the advent of eBay and every schmuck with a digital camera and a Post Office Box Door coming out of the woodwork!

The Underpriced-Police always get me. If it's such a bargain, BUY IT. Re-sell it at a Profit, I don't care! Sure the shops on Cape Cod sell it for triple the price but they have quadruple the audience AND overhead. I'm in BRYANTVILLE for god's sake, how many people are going to come through willing to pay $4000 for a pair of felt-tipped tweezers from Tiffany's? There is a fine line between pricing things low enough to keep things moving yet pay the bills and pricing stuff at "what it's really worth" and becoming a broke Museum Curator.

"These Aren't That Old/Valuable etc." Right. That's why the sign outside says "Collectibles" and "Good Furniture" in addition to "Antiques" do you really think you're going to stumble on the Hope Diamond in a place with SALVAGE in the title??

WHEW I feel better, Thanks!

No Root Canal Appointments Available...

so my Husband graciously agreed to accompany me to my Annex location at My Favorite Place in Hanover to pick up a corner hutch I bought a while back. Now to answer Everyone's Burning Question, "How does your husband feel about you hanging around with Yard Sale Buddy, Sanford & Son, Mack etc..." I wouldn't be surprised if he secretly has them on the Payroll! As much as he loves that I LOVE what I'm doing, for him moving furniture rates right up there with sticking needles in his eyes. So I appreciated him helping me out on a Vacation Day and took pity on his soul and did not drag him into the Hexagon House even though I had heard there are Fabulous New Things lurking in Claudia's booth. So THANKS KENNY for the help today and for saying how proud you are of my expansion & shop, you really ARE the Best Husband although everyone here already knows that because a certain 'Anonymous' Poster keeps reminding them... and for the record I DO NOT cheat at bar room trivia!!

Searching for LaMont

Sanford & Son need a dog. They recently lost Son's dog of many years and they must really miss it because they have actually been coveting MY psychotic dog. As much as she might like a new home in Pembroke I cannot let her go because she is my Husband's True Love. I get 3/4 of a king-size bed to myself while those two spoon in bliss on the other 1/4. I'm sure there are laws about this in some states but not Halifax.

Anyway back to the Dog Quest. As much as Sanford wants a Black Lab I don't have $800 to fork over to get him one. I'm looking for a nice mixed-breed, on the younger side either free to a good home or adoptable at a shelter who needs a donation. Said dog will enjoy a fenced kennel area already in place and - Lucky Dog - get to be dropped in Sanford's neighbor's fenced yard where all the neighborhood dogs go to play and "Boy, do they sleep well". Salvage Chick will take responsibility for schooling Sanford & Son on all the necessary vaccines/neutering and even bankroll this stuff if needed. (Did you know Salvage Chick was a Vet Tech in a past-life??? Ha you thought I was just a Dumpster Diver but I sport a Syracuse U pedigree of BS in Biology!! So why am I Salvage Chick and not Dr. Salvage, Veterinarian... well, I guess life is what happens while you're making other plans.)

Mulch Ado About Nothing

Salvage Chick and Yard Sale Buddy hitched a trailer to the Chevy Land Shark today and headed off on our quest for free mulch. We found mountains of it at an Undisclosed Location in a neighboring town, sorted out in piles of different colors and free for the taking. Of course Salvage Chick wanted the dark mulch in the most hard-to-get-to pile so she was tossed out to navigate and then cursed for neglecting to tell Yard Sale Buddy his precious truck was hanging dangerously on the edge of a ravine when he got out. It was slowgoing at first because finding a shovel in Yard Sale Buddy's Yard Sale Yard had been like finding a needle in a haystack; finding a shovel was not the problem, as there are shovels All OVER The Place there, but finding the RIGHT shovel. Luckily YSB had grabbed a huge pitchfork and he was able to fling mounds of mulch into the trailer while Salvage Chick chipped away with a cheesy shovel, again getting cursed out this time for being "half a laborer" on a 2-man job.

We brought the mulch back to Halifax and delivered it with no mentionable problems and then of course as soon as we were done and I was nursing a callous who shows up but my Husband, sipping his Coolatta JUST IN TIME. Hmph. But I can't complain as by the time I got back from returning the trailer he had already spread the mulch almost all the way around the pool. Yes ALMOST is the key word as luck would have it... we need more mulch. Guess what me and Yard Sale Buddy are doing tomorrow???

For Richer, For Poorer, At Yard Sales and in Trash...

Those are the vows Mr. and Mrs. Salvage Chick took 2 years ago TODAY! And here is the bride minutes after leaving the aisle being overheard "That was great Honey now can we go back to that Yard Sale we passed on the way to the Altar?"

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

I wasn't going to say anything about this but last Sunday Mack sent one of his spies over to my shop to gather information that she could take back to Never Open Antiques to help him boost sales. This poor woman walked in with that Valley of the Dolls empty drugged look and I could immediately see that she had been brainwashed so I promptly enlisted the FBI guys who managed to deprogram her and convert her to Salvage Chicdom. She so appreciated the favor and the great bargains she got at Salvage Chic, the next day she emailed me that reading my blog cured her boring Monday Work blues and guess what - she had read I was looking for a Wire Spool table and had one she wanted to GIVE me! Today her husband delivered it to my house, how nice was THAT, and despite her worries that it was a little rotted it is Absolutely Perfect in the Sleepy Beggar Tavern, I just threw a vintage tablecloth over it and it looks Meant To Be. I'll post some pictures soon and be sure to invite her and her husband to come visit and have a drink if they are so inclined. She's dubbed herself a "Salvage Chicklette" and is looking to add members to her club so keep those comments coming if you're interested in joining!

V-A-C-A-TION!!

My husband is on vacation all week and tomorrow is our 2 Year Wedding Anniversary so guess what we'll be doing... Yardwork! (Why are you surprised - What did you think I was gonna say?)

I mentioned to Yard Sale Buddy that I'm in need of mulch because I'm sick of paying retail for this kind of thing. It made me sick when he showed me 20 tons of Pea Stone he got from SomeTown Sand & Gravel at the same price I recently paid for 5 tons to the SAME COMPANY!! Sometimes it's truly not What you know, it's Who you know.

So Yard Sale Buddy confirmed that he has a Source for Free Mulch and can borrow his neighbor's trailer, he's taking me tomorrow to scoop a few yards so Kenny and I can landscape around our pool. I managed to confirm with a very upstanding Hanson Citizen that this mulch source is in fact free and available to the public, which put to rest my fears that Yard Sale Buddy and I would soon be appearing caught red-handed on a bad episode of COPS stealing mulch from a cemetary or something.

Counter Help Needed

Not Counter Help as in a Diner but one of those clicky counter things like a Bouncer might use outside a club to count how many people have gone in... Why does Salvage Chick need such a device you ask? To count how often I try to send people across the street to shop and they shrug "They're Never Open"!! I was trying to keep track using that little hash mark scoring system but I'm not always near a pen so I thought if I had a Counter on a chain around my neck I could get an appropriate count. Just so you know, Mack could see all the business he's missing while he's off at his 'Real' Job.

Seize the Day!

Sometimes even Salvage Chick does not know what the day will bring. This morning I was drying my hair and wondering just that when my Burglar Alarm went off. Now this particular four-legged Burglar Alarm has a hair trigger so I usually ignore it until the siren becomes so insistent I'm convinced there really IS a murderer lurking in the backyard. Then the phone rings and it turns out Sanford & Son are out back by my garage dropping off some furniture so I run out to unlock the doors. Fortunately my morning Forensic Files Watching lounging clothes are somewhat similar to my Shopowner Chic Tracksuits so they did not notice that I was in a state of undress.

Sanford & Son dropped off the chairs and went back to fetch the table while I tried to figure out where the heck I was gonna put this stuff. I mean, my husband has the patience of a Saint but even he might not agree to park his lawn mower in the driveway so I can store more of other people's furniture. The wheels start turning and by the time they get back with the table I'm in full gear.

Knowing how Sanford likes a challenge I casually mention too bad we couldn't put the Christmas tree up in the overhead storage - and sure enough in an instant he's up the ladder exclaiming WHY NOT? Well... other than it being really heavy and impossible to get back in the box... the overhead storage is also apparently Where Furniture Goes To Die.

Sanford starts tossing stuff down with abandon, mindless of whether Son might have to stand one-legged on a snowblower to catch the stuff and I'm sitting there giggling, Son teeters on top of a bureau saying DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH and I'm like, I can't help it, he's up there barking orders and it's like, The Voice Of GOD coming out of my garage ceiling!!

Hi, I'm Salvage Chick...

...and I am addicted to vintage Juice pitchers. I have been trying really hard to curb my addiction (I passed up 3 sweet little glasses in Amy's booth at Hexagon House last week by clenching my fists and telling myself to Be Strong!) But that new one I scammed from Mack awoke some Inner Demon and today I gave in to the high - TWICE! It felt so good. Problem is I've spilled off of my one kitchen windowsill onto the other and now that's almost full. Hmmm how to approach The Husband about adding another window? I excitedly showed him my new arrangement, "LOOK this pitcher is MINT and came with ALL SIX glasses!!" He just shook his head and said "You think you know someone..." (read: and then you find out you are married to a Juice Glass Junkie!!)

While we are on the subject and not just in case he is reading, can I just say I have The Best Husband ever?

Rainy Days and Mondays...

...NEVER get me down! They do make my dog want to stay in bed and watch Forensic Files all morning so I kept her company for a while, I didn't want her to feel like a Loser watching Crime Shows by herself while the rest of the world is off working. Finally I decided to venture out and hit a few haunts and see what the day might bring.
Hopped in the Jeep and DOH! forgot there was a large ottoman in the back. My husband gets the biggest kick out of riding in my car because he never knows what might be lurking in there. Last week I was hastily trying to clear the Passenger seat off for myself and he pounced. "Oh great, Love! You finally found some double-ended-flushmount-electrical-receptacles - just what we NEED!" I grabbed them back exclaiming "These are BAKELITE! And VINTAGE NEW IN THE BOX!! I might make a killing on eBay." He just shook his head and laughed at me.
Back to the Ottoman. Someone gave this to Yard Sale Buddy and it is this gorgeous tufted thing, not my taste but definitely SOMEONE'S, and I couldn't bear to see it languish in his yard. So I grabbed it and tried to Sell It Quick for him outside the shop on Saturday but no nibbles. This isn't really the Thing for Salvage Chic so I took it up to one of Those Consignment Shoppes in Hanover. This is the first time I have done something like this and as I feared the Nice Lady at the shop wanted its Pedigree; since I couldn't tell her what it had cost new I said I was selling it for a Friend but then got worried I looked like a criminal riding around with a Stolen Ottoman looking to fence it so I blurted out the bit about Yard Sale Buddy. She probably thought I was a crack head... and I'm sure the Fur Coat hanging off the Dry Cleaning bar didn't help matters!! Some lady in Texas bought it out of my eBay store so I need to send it out.
As Yard Sale Buddy says, NEVER A DULL MOMENT with Salvage Chick!!

Duty-Free Shopping

Swung by the Never Open International Airport today and
purloined a few things I've been coveting. Mack seemed surprised this is all I wanted in exchange for some storage space in my garage... little does he know this is just the FIRST installment!

Just that middle juice pitcher, it joined the family that lives on my kitchen windowsill.

Mack didn't seem to flinch at all when I went for this $6 item so I upped the ante and bilked him for the $40 cross stitch dated 1935. Again Anti-Climactic when he mentioned he got this out of his mother-in-law's attic! I will continue shopping weekly until I really hit him in the wallet. Stay tuned to see what goods I filch next week!!

Ask Not For Whom the Bell Tolls...

it Tolls for Thee, Salvage Chick! Specifically, the shop telephone. I answered with a yawn on this sleepy Graduation Saturday, half expecting it to be Citizen's Bank again looking for some deadbeat who gave them my number as his own. "AHA!" I thought, "Telemarketer Indeed!" as there was that infamous pause and then a voice came on the line... "It's Mack." I sat bolt upright in my seat and looked nervously around for Allen Funt and his Candid Camera as this screamed SETUP.

Turns out Mack secured some additonal large pieces and is in need of storage. I told him it was too bad he didn't foresee that last week when he shortchanged me in the Church Bench deal and he got all righteous - Hmph how righteous will he be when the worshippers at the Church of Never Open Antiques go to sit down and there is NOTHING LEFT to sit on?? Try explaining that one to St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.

In an attempt to keep him on the line since the FBI was tracing the call, I graciously agreed to store Mack's stuff for him in exchange for something yet to be identified. I actually have my eye on a few things over at N.O. so I am thinking something like that old game show Supermarket Sweep where I get to go in for 5 minutes and come out with whatever I can hold. We shall see. "Look out Miss Lottie Lenya, and old Lucy Brown... and especially Salvage Chick now that Mack is... BACK IN TOWN!!"

Rub-a-Dub-Dub...

Old Linens in a Tub and where do you think they be? I am up to my eyeballs in old tablecloths, gorgeous 1940's-50's stuff in vibrant red fruit patterns picked up this week. They are cleaning up nicely! My husband has never seen me this excited about laundry. I keep disappearing into the cellar in 20 minute intervals, since these beauties need special attention and can't be agitated. Luckily he was occupied with the Red Sox and XBox and also not agitated that his wife was consumed with laundry on Friday night. We did make it out for a Chinese Dinner Date, he got me good with the Seat Heater. For some reason he gets great glee out of turning my Seat Heater on when I'm not looking, especially if it's 90 degrees outside. So I'm pulling out of the parking space and he goes "HEY, is that Wicker in the Trash over there?" hoodwinked I turn, shrug "no just some junk" and drive on, then start burning up a few minutes later. #!*@&!. I'll get him back.
We don't have Irreconcileable Differences... but is there a box to check on the Divorce Form "Faked a Potential Trash Pick"??? That's grounds for Annulment in the Salvage Chick Bible.