Ho Ho Ho

Hard to believe that Christmas is on its way. Thanks to Jim, our trusty supplier of "things of all description" we have some really nice vintage tree ornaments hanging in our windows. They're my favorite...thin, mercury glass, some with designs imprinted in or painted on them.

Jim is a lover of funky kitschy stuff, too...hence the eclectic decor you will find when you step inside. Here are a few recent pictures, with more to follow!

A few thoughts for the day...

Our long awaited vintage clothing section is a reality. Here are some of our favorite items from Amy's store (Artifaktori, in Davis Square). We know it's not exactly PC to wear fur anymore, but some of our customers have told us that it's OK if it's vintage. Everyone seems to love the gorgeous black and white "Audrey Hepburn" dress, the red coat with black glass buttons, the cashmere coat with silver mink collar and black three quarter length sleeve jacket with fur collar. Let us know if you have any great-looking vintage pieces for consignment!

We're carrying some Albertine Press cards and assorted note collections...it's no longer necessary to travel hither and yon in search of a great card! You can get one right here in Union Square!

Our "gentlemen's department" has been moved to Glynnis's great-looking entertainment armoire! Should you know a gentleman in need of a German moustache razor, 1960s metal comb, or a rectal thermometer, send him to us!

If you're in dire need of a jar of Marshmallow Fluff and don't have the stamina to wait in the long lines at Market Basket, come see us...we're pro-Fluff!

And finally...Bella finally got a haircut. She looks years younger and pounds lighter!

THANK YOU!

Many thanks to all who came to our "Open House" last night! We hope everyone had as good a time as we did. Mimi (Mimi Graney of Union Square Main Streets) wrote a wonderful article about the store in the USMS November newsletter and mentioned it...thanks so much, Mimi! You're a great cheerleader for everyone in the Union Square business community!)

I'd intended on taking pictures of the festivities, but apparently I was having such a good time that I forgot about it completely! What a dunce! Oh, well...I'll take some pictures tomorrow and update this site so that you can see how we have rearranged the store. The "ladies' clothing boutique" is now a reality...

Thanks so much to Amy, the delightful owner of Artifaktori in Davis Square, for allowing us to fill our closet with vintage clothing from her store. For those who have not yet visited Artifaktori (on College Avenue) I suggest that you high-tail it over there! What a great store...so full of interesting treasures from the past. Amy has a great eye (I admire her taste and high regard for so many of the esoteric items that I value) and she has a wonderful sense of humor, too! Her assistant Amanda is a doll...extremely talented and personable, too! A good time is guaranteed!

Peggy, our friend from Concord brought us the most wonderful Victorian clothing items...a couple of dressing gowns, petticoats, Christening gowns, a long-sleeved night gown and baby dress...all in white...look for them very soon! (Such great Christmas gifts!)

Sharon's friend Richard brought us a miniature printing press, portable typewriter and a wonderful book about the pleasures one could have in circa 1952 Boston! Thanks so much, Richard! They've proven to be great conversation starters!

Sandra's friend Sandy brought us a lovely bouquet of flowers and a "Good Luck" balloon that Sky comandeered immediately upon sight!

I'm glad to have met Jenn Pici who teaches yoga at the Shobu Aikido dojo on Allen Street, near Target. I've been meaning to take a yoga class for...hmmm...about 12 years, now! No more excuses, I guess!

So many, many people to mention, but I'll simply say, once more, Thanks so much, everyone, for helping us celebrate our new endeavor!

New photos will be coming along soon!

-D

Open House on Friday, November 7

Please join us to celebrate the opening of Hope & Glory Vintage
on Friday, November 7 at anytime after 6:00PM.

We hope to see you then!

Happy Halloween, etc.

We'd meant to do some intensive Halloween window decor that would put Martha Stewart to shame, but didn't have time to execute our plan...drat! As you can see, our simple vintage paper cut-outs set a modestly festive mood.

I love the lines of this Taylor Smith and Taylor sugar bowl...so futuristic for its time. We are lucky enough to have a service for six...sans creamer, unfortunately!

We got several more interesting things from Jim...one of our favorite "suppliers"...including this birdcage. I filled it with several pieces of tall stemware that Jim included in his most recent visit. I asked a customer who had been admiring the birdcage what she would do with it? Her tentative response was, "Uh...Put a bird in it?" ...why, of course!

Thanks to Jim, our milk glass collection is growing. We're in love with it. Fortunately for us, we have several customers who are collectors, otherwise we'd be in milk glass from floor to ceiling.

We hope you enjoy these recent photos!

Thank you, dear friends!

Just taking a minute to mention some very special, caring friends who have been cheering us on in our new venture.

Sharon, the huge pot of daisy-like Chrysanthemums you presented to us on our opening day was just astounding and added some needed extra punch to our storefront! Thank you!

Glynnis, we thank you for the lovely, fragrant Stargazer Lilies. Their delightful scent has made the store smell absolutely heavenly and the twin pedestal tables are just the thing for our little shop! Thanks so much to Kevin and Tessa, too!

Didi, the exotic-looking ginger blossoms and birds of paradise (with the perfectly coordinating ribbon, of course!) are so gorgeously over the top, vibrant and expressive just like you! Thanks so much for everything!

Whit and Sky, thank you for your enthusiastic support and presence! We'll be calling on you, Whitney, for your professional photographic assistance in the future! And Sky, you are the best duster and cleaner we could ever hope to have in the store!

P.S. Bella, you have become too smart! Please stop opening the door and running outside to seek adventure in Union Square!

Another busy Saturday at Hope & Glory Vintage...we like to start the day with a little something for our customers to enjoy while browsing in the store...cookies, cider...and my beverage of choice--dark roast coffee! Dancing Goats Blend from the Sherman gives me the buzz I need to run around for many hours! Sadly, I've had to refrain from my highly addictive scone-a-day diet! Karen, your scones are definitely the BEST to be found anywhere!

Our friend, Dorinda, came into the store this morning and assisted our anemic-looking sidewalk display by adding more and more furniture to the scene! We're grateful to her for wonderful, larger than life personality, seasoned expertise and good eye (she was the proprietor of "Home" an absolutely lovely store that was on Beacon Street, in Somerville...we miss it greatly!)

Yesterday we finally got around to filling our empty window boxes. Ricky of Ricky's Flower Market in Union Square welcomed us to the Square by kindly giving us the missing elements, namely flowers and soil! Thanks so much Ricky...you're a true gent!

We have a beautifully-framed old window that needed a bit of securing...Our jack of all trades, Luis, used a sturdy and functional rope to hold it in place safely. We believe in function AND beauty, however, and the unsightly rope wouldn't do! I added some lavender and purple statice (conveniently found at Ricky's!) to disguise the stark, white ugliness.

Yesterday morning we lugged in these two great-looking trunks (see photo). They need just a tiny bit of cleaning and a little paint...we'll get around to that soon...we think they'd make terrific coffee tables for a large space. Anyone got a loft?

That's today's installment. We'll be updating again soon.

A Work In Progress

Today we sold a number of small items...a silver plated piggy bank, a bakelite hand mirror, ten or so lovely old cocktail glasses (I'll really miss them...there's something so special about old glass!), a number of linen tea towels and a pair of Colonial-figured lamps that were made in Occupied Japan. We're still painting, revising and refining. We are forever rearranging the store and have moved so much furniture that at this point we feel as if we could easily work for a professional moving company.

I've taken a few close up shots of the very retro packaging of the C. Howard's scented chewing gum, some really beautiful vintage cosmetics that would look lovely on a dressing table...little cakes of rouge in metal compacts, lipstick in lovely metal tubes, boxes of loose powder...it's interesting to note that so many mundane items had the prettiest packaging.

Tomorrow I'll post photos of the statice and lavender trim I added to some cord that is being used to stabilize an old window as well as our most recent furniture displays...oh, yes! A photo of our newly filled window boxes will be posted, too! Thanks so much to Ricky of Ricky's Flower Market for the beautiful flowers!

See you later,
Deanna

Some Pictures of Hope & Glory Vintage

We've been open for a week and would like to share some updated photos of our store (click on the partial images to see them in full size). We've already sold our favorite pieces and are scrambling to find replacements! We're honestly having a lot of fun while we're hard at work being creative and resourceful...it's almost like play, actually! The process is an ongoing one as items are sold and we acquire new things...there's always something to do and we never suffer from boredom. We are, however, sleep deprived (yawn). Oh my goodness! It's 4:31AM!

These photos show the diversity of our merchandise. We hope to offer something to please to just about anyone who enters the store...colorful, light-hearted items from the fifties, furniture that has been hand painted in lovely pastels, a nifty collection of dime store toys from the seventies, a candy counter filled with Pierrot Gourmand French lollipops, C. Howard's violet-scented mints, old fashioned favorites, like NECCO Wafers and Sugar Babies and free dog treats! We recently acquired a wonderful Marmet English baby pram...we think it's a seventies' vintage...with miles and miles to spare! We'll be adding a women's vintage clothing section as soon as we can, so that we can expand our existing ladies' department...cosmetics from the mid twentieth century, costume jewelry and lovely items to place upon your vanity.

Here's a picture of Bella our resident canine, sitting on my favorite green chair, patiently waiting for a friendly customer to visit. Come in and see us at 253 Washington Street, in Union Square, Somerville...just a stone's throw away from Somerville's Main Post Office, and sandwiched in between Taquieria La Mexicana and The Independent.

We hope to see you soon!

Deanna and Sandra

Hope & Glory Vintage in Union Square

LOVING, REUSING AND REPURPOSING THE STUFF OF YESTERDAY
AND TODAY TO EXTEND IT INTO TOMORROW IS OUR MISSION.

COMFORT, INSPIRATION AND APPEAL IS WHAT YOU'LL FIND AT HOPE & GLORY VINTAGE IN UNION SQUARE. OUR HOME DECOR AND ACCESSORIES CAN BE DESCRIBED AS A STUDY IN CONTRASTS...CASUAL AND ELEGANT, SIMPLE AND ORNATE, PLAIN AND PATTERNED, FUN AND TRADITIONAL.

OUR TIMEWORN TREASURES WERE ONCE OWNED AND CHERISHED BY WOMEN AND MEN OF PAST GENERATIONS...ITEMS THAT HAVE HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE, THE BEAUTY OF IMPERFECTION AND THE ELEGANCE OF FADED GRANDEUR. WE'RE SERIOUS ABOUT WHAT WE DO, BUT WE'RE ALSO WILLING TO SET OUR INNER CHILD FREE AND COLLECT QUIRKY ITEMS THAT EXPRESS A SENSE OF HUMOR! WE LOVE TO LIVE IN THE PAST!

IF YOU'D LIKE YOUR HOME DECOR TO EVOKE BEAUTY AND BELONGING, OUR HAND PAINTED, GENTLY DISTRESSED FURNITURE AND UNIQUE HOME ACCESSORIES MIGHT BE JUST WHAT YOU'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR. PLEASE REMEMBER US WHEN YOU NEED A UNIQUE GIFT FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO SHOP, TELL US WHAT YOU LONG FOR, AND WE'LL TRY TO FIND IT FOR YOU! WE THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH US. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN!


SANDRA FAILS