It has been quite a while since my last entry, and I do apologize. I haven’t stopped or even interrupted the quest for antiques. I just haven’t had the time to write about it! Enough for excuses, on to the interesting stuff…..
This summer I took to the road with my daughter to visit colleges. Our destination was Syracuse, New York. Not knowing what we would encounter in terms of traffic and road work, we did not stop at any of the many antique malls between Maryland and Binghamton, New York. But once we reached Binghamton and realized there was only a short way to our destination, I gave in to the urge and pulled off I-81 to explore the Antiques district. This took me all of 20 minutes. Okay, it was a Monday in July…..but even on a Friday, there would have been few choices. Most of the shops were closed; a good number had gone out of business. The one we did find that was open had no real antiques to speak of. The gentleman informed us that he was selling out, hoping to move to Florida. I purchased one card de visite, as a gift, and got back on the road.
First I want to say that the central area of New York State is incredibly beautiful. We made the decision to take the back roads whenever possible. The rolling hills and farm land and the old homes made traveling a pleasure. On our first full day there we did an early morning tour of Syracuse University. Both my daughter and I were very impressed with the school. By noon we were done and decided to visit Cooperstown and see the Baseball Hall of Fame. My daughter is a HUGE baseball fan and looked on this journey as a pilgrimage. So we cut a deal, I could stop at Antique shops along the way and look without being hurried, and in turn she could go into every baseball shop, wax museum, etc in Cooperstown. We shook hands and hit the road.
We took the Thruway a short distance and then cut to the back roads. It was the most relaxing drive I have ever done. The rolling hills and farmland provided very soothing scenery. Being use to the traffic mayhem of the Washington, DC area, the drive was pure heaven. And as you drove through the rural areas, there would be an Antique Shop at the entrance to the driveway to some one’s farm. If the open flag was out, we stopped. In Mohawk, NY, we stopped at Shedd’s Antiques, Wickerman Hill – Route 28-S. I found a few interesting things there, mostly primitive style, although they had many styles. While speaking with the owner she told us that the area was experiencing a “heat wave” and many people did not have air conditioning, as it was rarely necessary. The temperature had hit 90 (with very little humidity) but was quite comfortable for my daughter and me as the Washington summers high temperatures are accompanied with staggering humidity. But apparently this would affect the number of shops that would be open, since people were reluctant to sit in their hot shops for the occasional tourist. When we hit downtown Cooperstown there was a shop right in front of us. Ron Mitchell Art and Antiques, at 73 Chestnut Street. I found two pairs of 19th century shutters with all the original hardware still on them. Thank goodness they fit in the rented minivan! Then we were off to see the sites of the Baseball Capital. If you have anyone in your family who is a baseball fan, I highly recommend Cooperstown. The town is so charming and offers something for everyone. Our mission however, was baseball. And we went into every shop, toured the wax museum, and spent hours in the Baseball Hall of Fame (which was open late). I took my daughter's picture next to almost every display. She had tears of joy in her eyes from being surrounded by so much “baseball”.
The next day we were off to Ithaca to tour the school of that name and see downtown Ithaca. The school sits on a hill above the town. It was a very nice little town with restaurants and shops but we did not come across any antique shops that day. In the evening on our way to dinner we discovered a high rise in Downtown Syracuse that had been converted into an Antique Mall and put it on our list for the next day.
Day three we were off to visit Colgate University in Hamilton. Traveling along Route 20 we came across the Cobblestone Store, a multi-dealer Antique Shop at the intersection of Route20 and 46, in Bouckville. It was a lovely old building, built in 1844. Unfortunately, a truck had hit the building the day before and things were a bit chaotic inside. BUT THEY WERE OPEN! I found some interesting things and had a nice talk with the owners. They gave me some information about the Madison-Bouckville Antiques Community functions, which includes a Spring, Summer, and Fall sales. There is a 5 mile antique corridor on Route 20 between these two towns. We also found a shop next to someone’s home were I purchased two great antique quilts. Then on to Colgate, which by far is the most beautiful school I have ever seen. The buildings both old and new are set perfectly into the wooded hilly campus. On the way back to our hotel we stopped at the high rise in downtown Syracuse. The Syracuse Antiques Exchange, at 1629 North Salina Street, had three or four floors of dealers, with everything from primitive to mid-century modern. The owners were very nice people, helpful and informative. I purchase a few things and we were on our way.
I know there were a lot of shops I missed. And I hope to return there if my daughter chooses to go to school in the area. And maybe even if she doesn’t.
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