charmed in charlotte

the trip to charlotte, nc was a success. despite the dreary rain on saturday, the bride was stunning!

i had success with the antiquing mission. we found the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall and were able to swing by for a few hours on our way out of town.

we walked into the warehouse building + were greeted with a smile and quick run-down. this place is 55,000 square feet of antique booths. FIFTY-FIVE THOUSAND. luckily, they give you a map + the floor is marked with aisle numbers so you don't get lost. there's also a handy place to make notes in case you want to return to an item later.

[yep, there's a retro clothing section AND a vintage vinyl records selection]

we stumbled upon some treasures:

[chippy paint porch balusters. LOVE the color!]

[scary punk-rocker doll]

[oversized ceramic cat. hellooooo 1987]

[lamps made from re-purposed industrial grates]

[cricket stumbled upon this. this photo is now his id on my phone.]

and we made it home with a few scores:

[cracked wooden architectural finial. LOVED this + the bridesmaid bouquet adds a little color]

[recycled glass jar. i'm thinking of diy-ing a terrarium in this jar, similar to the PB hack @ A Soft Place to Land. the little red books were a steal, too!]

[vintage books. including "little women."]

[cricket got a treat for his patience roaming the aisles. nifty camera, eh?]

so we brought home the camera, jar, architectural finial, + books for about $100. not bad, and the antique mall supports the local roller girls team--how fun!

all in all, some of the booths were overpriced [for example, some antique iron + wood windows from mexico were priced at $250+. i bought mine, as shown behind the finial, at Lakewood last fall for $40/pair.] we also stumbled upon some candleholders with the pottery barn outlet sticker still on the bottom. ummm....

but there ARE plenty of great finds at reasonable prices, too. i feel like this is the case with any similar antique mall set-up. people will try to sell anything, but you can definitely find some unique pieces. or, it's a fun way to kill a few hours on a cold, rainy sunday.

all in all, i'd MUCH rather spend $100 on several unique pieces at a place like this that supports the local community instead of walking out of pottery barn with just one pretty [that my neighbor is likely to also have].