Christmas in July Shop Hop in 'the Heights'

I've mentioned many times that Duane lives in one of the most fun parts of town to shop.  There are a number of small businesses and restaurants in Seminole Heights (or 'the Heights' as it is starting to be called) which is an older neighborhood filled with charming bungalows and mid-century modern homes. 

For the past several years, the neighborhood shops have had a Christmas Shop Hop in late November as part of the Shop Small Business Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Last summer, several of the shop owners decided to start a 'Christmas in July' shop hop and Duane, Linda, and I went.  It was fun and both Duane and Linda won prizes from the drawings held at some of the stores.  This year, the summer hop started yesterday (Friday) and continues through tomorrow (Sunday).  We always like to go on the first day of the hop -- Friday -- so we went yesterday.

It's fun to see the various stores with Christmas decor out and Christmas music playing when it's in the 90s outside.  They also offer sweets and drinks for their customers -- always a pleasure to partake.  We started with Cleanse Apothecary where I found a Christmas present for one of my sisters and Duane purchased handmade soap.  Linda bought some Bliss foot cream.  Then we headed next door to the Urban Bungalow which you literally just cross a doorway from Cleanse Apothecary to enter.  Urban Bungalow is another fun place to shop.  I bought a clever little two sided measuring cup and Duane picked up a Seminole Heights dishtowel and also special ordered a pillow with her zip code on it.

After we left Urban Bungalow, we headed down the street to Frolic Exchange where it's always fun to see what the owner has added to her shop.  Besides vintage clothing, jewelry, and home decor, there's also a plant section where I've purchased two century plants which are still thriving in my backyard.  I was tempted by a really cute handmade pillow with white and green stripes stamped with black cactuses (cacti?) but I couldn't make up my mind.  Our next stop was D & D Antiques and more where it's always fun to talk to the owner, Debra.  All three us ended up making purchases at D & D.  I bought a pale pink glass dessert plate in a pattern I hadn't come across before.  Linda bought a framed original watercolor along with some vintage glass Christmas ornaments.  (Her two kitties broke several last Christmas so she has to replace when necessary.)  Duane made the largest purchase but I don't have a picture.  She bought a Queen Anne display case table that has a painted distressed white finish.  She plans to put it in her living room to replace a large heavy coffee table that she'd like to sell or give to a new home.

After leaving Debra's place, we headed to our buddy David's store, A Modern Line.  David's place was actually pretty bare.  He's been in the process of having a big sale to move in more items.  Poor Linda missed out on a piece of art that she had been eyeing for some time.  David had just sold it earlier in the week.  Oh, well, we all know it happens in shops where everything is one of a kind.  I was very tempted to purchase a small hand drawn picture of a mid-century modern house.  I'll need to think about it since I would want to re-frame it and it would probably go in my guest room.  If I lose out, then that's the chance I'll take!

After A Modern Line, we were starving -- despite starting our day at Starbucks and imbibing at the various shops -- so we headed to one of our favorite places to eat, The Front Porch.  This is such a great place to eat.  It's in a very old house that dates to 1898 and it has a fun ambiance and great food.

We made it a leisurely lunch and then finally headed home.  Our purchases are below.  The wrapped item is a Christmas gift for someone in my family so it's a secret in case my sister reads this post.

Our purchases for the day.

     

We 'shopped Small Saturday' after Thanksgiving

For the third year in a row, Duane, Linda, and I participated in the Seminole Heights Shop Hop featuring small businesses in the Seminole Heights area of Tampa.  Not only is this a great way to support your local small businesses but the shops go all out with sales, discounts, treats, and prizes.  This year we started at the newly designed Christopher Wayne Home which now includes a coffee shop, The Blind Tiger Cafe, within the Christopher Wayne shop.  Fantastic iced coffee from The Blind Tiger!  Linda and Duane ordered tea and were also really pleased with the taste.

Christopher Wayne Home also shares a building with Cleanse Apothecary, another of our favorite shops.  We each made purchases from Cleanse Apothecary which carries some great lines including Lipstick Queen -- my favorite line of lipsticks.  After we finished our refreshments from The Blind Tiger, we headed to our buddy David's shop, A Modern Line -- always a fun place to pop in and see what's new.  We noticed that there was quite a bit of foot traffic due to the shop hop.  Then we headed to Bali Bay Trading Company which, like the other businesses, had treats out for their customers along with items to be raffled off.  Bali Bay was offering 20% off of all their regular priced items.  All three of us found some gifts there.

After that, we stopped in at The Folic Exchange -- a small vintage shop.  Once again, all three of us made purchases.  Then we headed to Susan Gott's Phoenix Glass Studio.  We feel fortunate that we have someone with Susan's talent in one of our favorite areas to shop.  She had treats set out and there were people being instructed in glass blowing as they made their own items.  Linda and I bought some small Christmas ornaments there. 

By this time, we needed to stop for lunch.  We decided to 'dine' at The Front Porch Grill and have a leisurely lunch.  I have never had a bad meal there.  Their desserts are fantastic, too, but the three of us had been nibbling our way through the shops so we skipped dessert this time.  After lunch we headed to D&D Antiques and More where our buddy Debra was greeting all of her shoppers with treats.  I bought something for myself there.  Debra carries antiques and vintage items.  I came across a metal bird that was screaming my name.  Very simple lines.  I think it might be made of aluminum. It reminds me of the birds you see in places like Design Within Reach (DWR).


We were pretty tired after leaving D&D we we decided to call it a day.  I'm so glad the idea of shopping at small local businesses has picked up and hope the trend continues.

Our purchases.

Handmade soaps, blown glass ornaments, etc.

   

Stocking stuffers and my bird.

     

Christmas in July sales!

Small business owned stores in the old neighborhood that Duane lives in, Seminole Heights, decided to hold a 'Christmas in July' sale starting yesterday (Friday) and continuing through Sunday.  Many of the same stores have been holding a nice holiday sale each year before Christmas and we've always enjoyed going to those.  The stores have various discounts on their items and shoppers also have a chance to win a gift basket in a raffle.

We decided to go the first day, Friday, even though the weather was truly awful.  Lots of hard rain that lasted pretty much all day long.  But, hey, we're hardcore when it comes to shopping.  We didn't have time to hit all of the stores participating but we began in the morning and shopped until it was time for lunch.  Linda and I both bought items from Christopher Wayne Home.  I bought one of their wine bottle photo/postcard/note holders and Linda found a beautiful pillow to spice up her sofa.  One of the owners spent a long time talking with Duane because they both grew up in the area.

Our next stop was Cleanse Apothecary which carries all sorts of boutique brands of make-up, soaps, pottery, etc.  I had been raving to Linda and Duane about Lipstick Queen lipstick for some time.  Cleanse Apothecary began stocking it last year so Linda loves the pinks.  She purchased a tube of Saint Pink previously and I suggested a tube of Jean Queen (which I also own).  She tried it and loved the color, so that was her purchase.  Duane had yet to try it but decided on a tube of Saint Natural.  Even my mom is a convert.  I showed her some of my colors and she now never leaves the house without a tube of her favorite, Coral Sinner.  Linda also purchased some lotion while we were there.  The owner, Greg, had a lovely champagne punch that we all sampled.  

In and out of the driving rain, we made our way down to one of our favorite shops, A Modern Line, which now has one of Duane's paintings for sale!  It was very exciting for Duane to see it on the wall.  David, the owner, has been doing really well, and his inventory (particularly furniture) was actually pretty low at the moment.  It made Duane's day to see her art for sale, though! 

We made our way across the street to a consignment shop called Vintage Post Marketplace.  This is a very large store which features not only vintage items but also items made by local artisans.  A great place to take your time and browse.

We hit one more of our favorite stores before we just had to get some lunch.  Debra at D & D Antiques and more was putting out treats for her shoppers.  We were just in time!  Debra is always fun to chat with along with browsing her shop which has numerous vendors items located in different rooms.  I purchased a green depression glass dessert plate to add to my mismatched dessert plates -- I actually use them.

After D &D, we knew it was time to eat, plus we were finally tired of the storms which dogged us the entire time we were shopping.  We wanted comfort food so we headed to Nicko's diner and had a filling and leisurely lunch.  Then we went back to Duane's house before parting ways for the day.  It was a lot of fun.  (Except for the storms!)

Our purchases.

    

A Shop Seminole Heights Friday

Since one of our favorite stores in Duane's neighborhood, Seminole Heights, just moved into a nicer and larger location, we decided to visit that store along with some others and have lunch, too.  Our buddy, David, just moved his store A Modern Line into a building just behind his wife Sherry's shop, YesterDaze.

The new place has a lot more room inside and there were many vignettes of furniture/decor groupings.  The place looks great and, as always, there are fantastic mid-century items of all types for purchase.  You can also put items on consignment in the shop.

We also headed to the Bali Bay Trading Company where I purchased a white and silver bead cuff bracelet and a long white shell and mirror windchime.  The windchime (pictured laying on a desk) will be hanging in a corner of our guest room.  It should look great against the spring green walls.  Linda also purchased a beautiful thin cotton scarf in white, green and turquoise.

After that we headed to a new store that we hadn't visited yet  -- Vintage Post Marketplace.  It's directly across the street from YesterDaze and A Modern Line.  This place was unbelievably huge.  We knew it was large judging from the outside but had no idea the building sprawled back so far.  They carry a little bit of everything in the line of jewelry, decor, furniture, some clothing.  Duane scored a bulb pot for her Delft collection.  This store consists of new items and older and vintage items for sale and on consignment.  They also feature the work of local artists.  This was our first visit but we'll definitely be going back.

Then we headed to another favorite destination, D & D Antiques and More, where Duane put a table on layaway and Linda purchased a set of beautiful Noritake dessert plates.

After this we were starving, so we headed to Nicko's Diner.  We were so hungry, I felt like a pig at a trough.  (Shameful to admit.)  After stuffing ourselves, we went back to Duane's and went our separate ways.  Till next time...

Duane's Delft bulb pot.

My windchime and bracelet.

Linda's scarf and Noritake plates.

We 'Shopped Small Saturday'!

Duane, Linda and I participated in the 'Shop Small Business Saturday' that was going on all around the country.  Many small shops hope to make this a tradition for the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Duane's neighborhood, Seminole Heights, which is a place we love to shop, anyway, had another good event similar to last year's shop hop.

Each store was offering anywhere from 20% to 30% off their merchandise and also offered refreshments (treats and drinks) from 10am to 6pm.  We started early -- just a little after 10am by visiting the Bali Bay Trading Company.  All three of us bought a few things there.  Gifts and a few items for ourselves.  They always have cool jewelry and I bought a tassel necklace and bracelet for myself along with stocking stuffers for my three nieces and a friend.  Duane found a gift for her sister and a bracelet for herself and Linda also found a pretty wood and mother of pearl bowl along with a bracelet.  She wasn't sure what she would give away and what she would keep.  Of course, we had to sample the homemade treats that the ladies of Bali Bay had made.  Terrific chocolate and peanut butter brownies.

Next we hit one of our faves, A Modern Line, owned by our buddy, David.  He had refreshments out, too, so we sampled the punch and cookies.  I bought a little orange enamel tray for my guest bath that I had looked at a couple of times and Linda and I are both still debating on the same mid-century modern chest by Lane.  Hope we both don't decide to pull the trigger at the same time!

A vintage shop called Frolic Exchange is right next door to David's shop.  They have a little bit of everything vintage although the focus is on clothing for gals and guys with a smattering of accessories, home decor and the prettiest garden area just outside the back door of the store.  They had their refreshments in the garden where I had a glass of tasty homemade lemonade.  I also bought a plant that one of the owners promised me is impossible to kill.  I have high hopes for it in my backyard.  Duane bought a pretty vintage English tin with lid. 

We headed down the same street to an old favorite, D & D Antiques and More, where the owner, Debra, seems like an old friend.  She had treats out, too, and Linda purchased a set of Christmas oven mitts there.   I think Debra would rather have been out shopping but she had to mind the store!

Our next stop was the Cleanse Apothecary which carries very nice lines of anything to do with soaps, lotions, cards, etc.  I discovered that they are now carrying Lipstick Queen lipsticks which I love.  I had been ordering them for years from Barney's but now I know where to get them locally.  Linda decided to try a tube and chose the Saint Pink color.  I bought a bottle of Philosophy bath lotion/shampoo in Cinnamon for my mom along with a Lipstick Queen cosmetic bag (her favorite and only lipstick she wears now is LQ's Coral Sinner).  Duane bought several delicious smelling handmade soaps for gifts.  We all left with our purchases in the Shop Small Saturday bags designed by Rebecca Minkoff.

At this point, we had to have lunch before hitting a couple of more shops.  We ate at one of our fave places in Seminole Heights, The Front Porch Grill and Bar.  Normally, we would have had dessert there, too, but we were getting plenty of sugar from our visits to the stores.  It was certainly a nice break to have a leisurely lunch, though.

After fortifying ourselves with a meal, we went to Susan Gott's place, The Phoenix Glass Studio.  Susan was there to greet customers and she was having a glass blowing demonstration along with a chance to make something yourself (with some help, of course).  I bought some more of her adorable little glass kiss designs to give as Christmas ornaments.  I had actually already Christmas shopped at Susan's studio a few weeks back.  She had plenty of treats and drinks (alcoholic and non) so Linda had a nice glass of wine.

The last place we hit (we were getting pretty tired by then) was a store that opened recently.  It's a design studio and it's called Christopher Wayne Home.  The store in Tampa is actually a sister store to one they have in Nashville.  Although the shop does mostly interior design, they have some lovely items to purchase.  I bought the coolest wine bottle picture holder and Duane purchased a book that was written and illustrated by a local writer.  Wonderful treats and drink were also on hand and we finished off our sugar buzz for the day.

We headed back to Duane's house and took the picture below before Linda and I both left for our respective homes.  We all agreed that it was a great shopping day -- lots of fun and we actually accomplished something, too!

Our purchases.

 
    

A Saturday community yard sale

Typical bungalow found here.

As I've mentioned numerous times on this blog, my friend Duane lives in one of the coolest parts of town.  Old bungalows and small businesses.  Great places to eat and shop.  On Saturday, the neighborhood had a community yard sale.  There was a map online that could be printed with the addresses of the people participating.  Of course, there were many people who didn't bother to pay to be on the map, they just put their signs out and joined in the fun.

We hit a number of houses on different streets and there was a pretty big variety of items available for sale.  A large church centrally located in Seminole Heights was having it's Fall Festival on the same day as the community yard sale.  Awesome baked goods.  I bought two homemade devil's food whoopie pies (one for me and one for George) and Linda bought a loaf of something called Hobo Cake.  They had samples to try and whatever is in that Hobo cake, it's really good.

We all ended up buying some things.  I think Duane found the

Mid-Century Modern here, too.

largest number of items.  Besides the food, I found a cool wood ruler listing all of the English 'rulers' up to Queen Elizabeth II.  It's all metric which will come in handy with some of the knitting/crochet patterns I come across.  Duane came across a really neat looking pitcher in the blue and white common to Delft.  We think the markings say 'Delft' but they're hard to read.  Definitely from across the pond, though.  Duane is going to research it.  She also bought a church cookbook, some mugs that match ones she already has and a really pretty bangle bracelet featuring different types of wood.  Linda bought food and a CD.


As usual, when we were finished we hit the coffee shop for coffee/tea, a treat and a long gab.  We're looking forward to the next few weeks because there's going to be a sale in the parking lot of a great thrift store in Duane's neighborhood.  Then, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, there's the annual shop small business Saturday.  The local businesses have great deals that day along with holiday refreshments for shoppers.  Really looking forward to it!  

Our purchases.

A Shop Local Day

Yesterday, Duane, Linda, and I decided to make it a 'shop local' day in Duane's part of Tampa, Seminole Heights.  Lots of independent businesses in the Heights that I've blogged about here before along with great places to eat.  We started at the Bali Bay Trading Company.  (In addition to their website, here's their Facebook page.)  They've really expanded their furniture and home decor section along with their usual jewelry and accessories.  The owner told us that he's expecting two more shipments in June so Linda and I both decided we would wait on purchases we were just about to make.  Can't wait to see their new stuff before making up our minds.  All three of us have bought items from Bali Bay before and the owners are very friendly and inviting.

Our next stop was A Modern Line owned by our buddy, David.  Due to a fire a few months ago in his original location, David had to relocate but he's up and running again.  Great place for mid-century modern furniture and decor.  Linda and I have bought furniture from David and all three of us have purchased decor items.  I've even placed items on consignment in the shop.  There was a new watercolor dating from the '70's that Linda and I both had our eye on.  We decided to think about it.  In addition to his website, David also has a Facebook page here.

We noticed a new vintage shop that had opened next to A Modern Line and decided to stop in and check it out.  Frolic Exchange is a cool little boutique with vintage clothing, accessories, home decor and even some furniture.  Duane fell in love with a chair she saw but needs to make sure that the measurements will work for where she'd like to put it.  The decoration of the shop was adorable.  We complimented the young girl behind the counter and she said that she and her mother did it themselves.  Very eye-catching!  We recommend checking out this new shop.  They have a Facebook page here.  This mother/daughter duo have done a great job.

Our last stop before lunch was another long-time favorite -- D & D Antiques and More  -- which also has a Facebook page here.   Duane has purchased several large pieces of furniture from D & D and yesterday I got lucky with some smaller items.  I purchased a long scarf style necklace, two pink Depression glass dessert plates and a piece of Hull matte white pottery (yes, one of my obsessions and not the first piece I've bought at D & D).

By then we were ready for lunch.  We decided to eat at one of the many local favorite diners and went to the Three Coins Diner which also has a Facebook page (doesn't everyone these days?) here.   Three Coins is open 24 hours and has a huge menu of selections including breakfast anytime.  Duane and I both ordered breakfast food and Linda had a gyro.  Then we decided to splurge on dessert.  I thought I had left plenty of room but, let's just say that they don't skimp on portions at Three Coins.  My brownie sundae was HUGE.  I did manage to tunnel through it and only left a small piece of brownie.  Linda had a chocolate sundae and Duane had one of the diner's most popular desserts -- their rice pudding.   To say that we rolled out to the car afterwards would be an understatement.  But it was worth it.

We plan to have another 'shop local' day in a few weeks so that we can all go back and buy the larger items that we weren't quite ready to commit to yesterday.  I'm looking forward to it already.

My purchases from D&D Antiques and More.

Seminole Heights Community Yard Sale

Yesterday morning, Duane, Linda and I hit the community yard sale being held at various houses and places in Duane's neighborhood.  This included a church sale and a Friends of the Library sale, too.  We each found a few items along with meeting a lot of nice people and, best of all, we found more yarn to send to The Humble Stitch.  Duane bought some figures that light up along with some books.  Linda bought some books and a CD and I bought an easy primer on crocheting (with basic stitches and patterns) AND we came across a box of yarn -- almost all of it 100% wool.  It's a little unusual to see people selling wool yarn in Florida.  It's mostly cotton and acrylic.  The lovely lady I bought the yarn from only charged $1 for the box and wanted to let us have it for free when Duane happened to mention that we were buying it to donate or make items for The Humble Stitch.  I insisted that this lady accept the dollar.  She was already practically giving it away.  Oh, and I found something else for George this time.  A nice Vivitar zoom lens with it's case for only $4.  It's in excellent condition and George can add it to the lenses he uses for his photos.    

 

After a few hours, it warmed up outside and we were getting pretty tired so we ended up at Starbucks for some refreshing iced coffee and treats.  Great time to gab and relax at the same time.

We did have one other treat (for me, most of all) when I spotted a classic Mini in the driveway of a house we were passing.  Linda was nice enough to get out and take a picture for me to post.  This one reminded me of Mr. Bean's car.  Steering wheel on the right-hand side of the car, driving lights and in beautiful condition.  Obviously someone loves this Mini as much as I love mine. 

Antiquing sales

Duane and Linda and I hit a parking lot sale and a tent sale yesterday being held by two of our favorite vintage stores.  Kaleidoscope was having the tent sale.  Duane found a couple of antique oval wood frames (one still had the original art work in it) and I bought a cool handmade pillow featuring a palm tree print and plastic fringe.  The pillow is for my futon in my home office.  Linda bought a set of two lovely metal and glass tables.  The glass is a beautiful shade of green.  She plans to use them in her redecoration of her guest room.  There were some great deals on so many little tables (I have a weakness for those) but I would have to get rid of something else in order to make room and not crowd any areas.   Too bad.  I usually have to think about something like that for awhile.

Parking lot sale at Yesterdaze.

 

My pillow and Duane's loot from Kaleidoscope and Yesterdaze.

 
We headed to Yesterdaze after that for a parking lot sale.  Duane found a book and a set of kitchen vegetable prints.  There's always a lot to see at Yesterdaze so we went into the store, too, as usual.  From antique to vintage, this store has it all -- packed to the rafters.  Not just home decor but vintage/antique clothing including wedding dresses, fur, hats, gloves and tons of jewelry.  Linda spotted a couple of turntables and left a phone message for our buddy, Danny, who has been looking for a turntable.  He doesn't want one in a cabinet, just the turntable, and these were in good working condition with new styluses/needles.  Apparently, the owner has to keep the styluses behind the counter because they have a way of disappearing.  Tsk.

 We stopped by D&D Antiques to look around.  This was the first time we'd visited since the owner moved her store to a larger building.  A really nice store -- well curated and fairly priced.  This is the store where Duane bought her aqua kitchen table.  (See blog entry for July 17, 2011.)  She's still looking for a pair of chairs that are 'just right' for her table.   


After taking a break at Starbucks for some caffeine, Linda had to leave to meet our friend, Barbara, for a football game.  Duane and I went on to another antique store nearby.  (I always forget the name of this place but I'll add it when it comes back to me.)  Beautiful garden statuary at this one. Linda bought her buddha there -- see blog post for Feb. 20th, 2011.  I saw a free-standing turquoise birdbath that was hard to pass up.  Right now, we have one that hangs from an oak tree in our backyard.  George refreshes it each day.  I'd love to replace it with the turquoise one.  Something else I need to think about. Sigh.

By this time, Duane and I were ready for lunch so we headed to Mikey's and we both had my favorite tuna melt with pasta salad.  Yum.  Too bad we're always too full to buy anything from their bakery when we're finished eating.  We made one more stop after this to shop for yarn.  I haven't knitted or crocheted in years but I had been thinking about making something for the project my friend Kate is involved in -- The Humble Stitch Project.  I've already shipped yarn to Kate that I picked up cheaply at estate and yard sales but I hadn't thought of making something myself until I came across a free pattern for a scarf on the 'net last week.  I'll post a pic here if it turns out well enough to send to The Humble Stitch as part of their distribution of warm clothing items for the homeless in South Florida.

Mrs. Peel visits a cottage estate sale

Duane and I hit an unusual estate sale yesterday. 

Cottage behind bungalow.

This one was in a small cottage located behind a bungalow in an older part of town known as Hyde Park.  As always, Duane guided Mrs. Peel, my Mini, and we found it without too much trouble.  The bungalow in front was very nice but the cottage was just adorable.   It was one nice sized living area but also included a full bath, a small walk-in closet and some kitchen appliances along one wall of the main room.


Lots of art and ceramics at this sale.  I found a large piece of 

Some items outside the cottage.

Hull pottery in my favorite white matte finish for $12. Believe me, that's a good price currently for a piece of this size. I love the scalloped design on this one. Very different from other pieces I own.

After we finished looking at this sale, we hit two more in the south part of town and Duane scored a ton of cookbooks for next to nothing.

My latest find.

Then, of course, it was time for some refreshment so we decided to stop at my favorite bakery, Kalupa's, for coffee and a snack.  Mmmm... Not only does Kalupa's make my favorite cakes but they sell tons of yummy pastries and goodies. My dog, Sammy, loves their special dog biscuits, too.

After our refreshment, Duane suggested we check out the Tuesday Morning store since we were on the south side of town.  I had never been to this particular TM but it was a huge store.  Much bigger than the one on the north side where I usually shop.  Spent quite a bit of time in there and we both found a few things we needed/wanted.  After we left TM, we decided to head back to the Seminole Heights area for lunch.  We both had the tuna melt at one of our favorite places to eat -- Mikey's Cafe & Bakery.  After that we both waddled home with our finds and had to fight wanting to nap the rest of the day.

Mrs. Peel.  Mission accomplished.