Thursday, January 24, 2008

End of an Era; the Watnot closes :(

Here's another blog entry that has nothing to do with my vintage clothing shop, but I spent so much time on it (for my myspace blog) that I decided to duplicate it here. The pictures all get side-cropped on eblogger; but you can see them full view -or bigger- on my flickr page if you're inclined (just click on them)--.....

More of my obsessions....


I drove up to the old Watnot Shop Auction Barns yesterday to a)make sure they were still there, and b) get a pic for the big blog I've been working on this week.

Watnot Barns
I was too late for the magic-hour light, but I decided to get out of the car and snoop around a bit; you know... peek into windows...look for stories....
Watnot Barn Window

'Til I realized my life was in danger:
sign


Woops -- oh right---this was not to be one of my trespassing blogs....so like a good little scout I got the hell out of there.

boy scout & teny fob




At least 95% of what's in these pictures was acquired at the Watnot Shop.
Richard and Lois Tanner, who owned and ran the shop for over 25 years, cleaned out houses in Hudson, and old farmhouses for miles around.


What wasn't sold at the auction barn got put into storage or brought over to the shop on Warren street.
My T Fine
(I did manage to refrain from buying this vintage pudding.)

I've been shopping there for about 13 years, rarely going a whole week without at least dropping in to say Hello.

You just never knew when fresh old musty dusty merch was going to get churned up from the nooks and crannies. Mostly it would be same old stuff, but sometimes there would be a new cigar box of treasures on the counter, or a heap of old aprons, jar of buttons, or funky vintage $20 amateur masterpiece to pounce on...
quartet painting

...Or maybe a flyswatter for my collection...
flyswatters

But right after Christmas these signs appeared on the shop doors:
end is near....


This is one of many piles of booty I got last week when the flotsam and jetsam was really getting churned up good for the big closing day. I have to admit, the blow of losing the Watnot was softened significantly by the final days of treasure hunting.
unfiled booty

The ritual is to bring the stuff home, fondle it, sometimes research it on ebay, and then file it into my big trinket chest.


treasure chest



Just a few of the categories:
Dice and Jax:
dice & jaX
Old Gumball Charms
gumball charms
Not to be confused with old celluloid gumball charms:
celluloid charms


Marbles...
marbles


..Not to be confused with toy balls:
balls



Old Cuff buttons:
cuff buttons
Thimbles and sewing tools:
thimbles and tatting shuttles

Rings...
rings
(note the Chex Cereal Secret Agent Decoder ring and the Kool-Aid Treasure Hunt Ring.....)


Teeny tiny tintypes (these make great dollhouse portraits)
teeny tintypes
Tokens, Dog Licenses, Play Money, etc
tokens, coins, dog licenses, play money
Charm Bracelets
charm bracelets
Religious Medals
religious medals

Rosaries...
rosaries
and Pocket Saints

pocket saints



and of course loads and loads of Hudson Memorabilia ---Hudsoniana?--- which will someday be bequeathed to Historic Hudson or the DAR museum.
swizzle.jpg
The hula swizzle stick and
girlie sandwich stake are two of my most-favorite-ever finds. Both from "Joe's Hawaiian Paradise Lounge, Hudson, NY".
.... What I would give to travel back in time to visit a tiki lounge in Hudson.....hmmm

I wish Lois and Richard the best in their retirement, but I'm going to seriously miss the Watnot Shop.

3 comments:

North Fifth Street said...

No reasonable offers excepted - or expected.

k ♥ r e n said...

Hello, I know this entry is a year old but I came across your blog by searching Google for a "Kool-Aid Treasure Hunt" ring.

I was wondering if you knew any stories on that ring. Somehow, thru my grandparents/parents I ended up with the ring and my grandparents aren't living anymore... and my parents have no idea about it.

If you have any stories to share about the Kool-Aid ring or could send me in the right direction, please message me back. Thank you so much.

I've also followed your blog, it's so interesting. So vintage, I like it. :)

Anonymous said...

Excellent