Let me preface this by stating that it is a poor idea, for the sake of your credit card, to go…read moreantique shopping at one in the afternoon when you forgot to eat breakfast. I'll just peek, I said, it'll take twenty minutes, I said.
The shop itself looks like a bit of a jumble on first entry, to the right is a section with lighting fixtures that is owned by a separate person. I confess, lacking any real place to put lamps and chandeliers at the moment, I paid it very little attention, but there looked to be some gems. The main store is owned by a pleasant gentleman from Afghanistan who, after introducing himself, proceeded to squire me around for an hour, opening cases and insisting that I try on everything that caught my eye.
The merchandise is glorious- as with the lamps, I did not go digging through the rugs, because I have nowhere to put them, but at a glance, they were an impressive collection. Gems and minerals, including a massive display piece of polished fluorite, stud the shop, mingled with cinnibar boxes, cloisonne, and pieces of what look to be amber [but I suspect may be cleverly-crafted resin] with insects in them. There are artifacts both large and small, newish and relatively old, properly deserving of the title antique, including a locked room near the front of the store with antique knives, carved bone, and the like.
My own main focus was the jewelry, of which there is a seemingly endless amount. This ranges from beads [which can be bought as strings or fashioned into jewelry for you by the owner], to modern rings and bracelets, to 19th century metal cuffs and belts of gilded plaques. Overall the jewelry is very large, these are not delicate pieces for the most part [though there is some silver filigree and some smaller rings and earrings] but instead large, sometimes oversized, statement pieces. Ultimately my low blood sugar, the quality and novelty of the jewelry, and the proprietor's charm wooed me into purchasing a trio of vintage pieces, two of which I've already worn.
There was a small snafu with the pricing- we'd done a lot of haggling and what I was initially charged wasn't the final agreed price, but when realized, the shop owner fixed the charge immediately and was profusely apologetic. I will certainly go back, and drag friends with me. If nothing else, I never managed to explore the downstairs, which I feel a bit sheepish about.
