Fall Transformations

Fall has officially arrived at Vintage Chic Boutique! We began switching over the summer to fall merchandise Saturday and were able to complete the transformation today at the shop. Several fall products have already gone out the door, so now is the best time to get an early jump on the season ahead. As the weather has cooled this week and kids are returning to school, it seems customers are beginning to search for new products to add autumn colors to their homes.

Here are a few photos:

First in the window display...(small feather wreath, tin pumpkin stars, iron pumpkin carriage candle holder, fall wall basket & cornucopia)

Next, is the main door stand display, which changes with each season. In the center is a glorious feather wreath surrounded by an assortment of fun and classic fall signs (my favorite allows you to select between " Today I'm a good/bad witch"), new corduroy pumpkins, fall hued hobnail votives and message blocks, Halloween garlands and ornaments on the glitter tree.

The wall shelf and mirror's new look (black feather tree, glitter beaded gourd, wreath, flying monkey sign, and autumn garland with seed lights) ...and on the left of the picture you can get a glimpse of our newest creation: a double tea cup lamp with pink silicone bulbs!
And finally, the table and corner redo- complete with "spiderweb lace" tablecloth, fall floral picks and candle rings, "If the boot fits" broom, and our harvest tree.


** Note for our local customers: we will be open late (until the fireworks show at 9:00) this Friday, Sept. 4 during the Blue Ball Car Cruise event across the street at the Fire Co.

New/Old Wooden Accent Furniture

We have added a few new solid wood furniture pieces to the shop this week. All of them are actually old accent pieces, and we have them currently listed on Lancaster, PA Craigslist. The first is my personal favorite, since it's painted in my favorite color, a soft shade of lavender. This magazine rack was given a fresh lease with a single coat of primer and the lovely lavender paint. The curvy lines and side diamond cut-out design make it a truly pretty stand. Suggestions for use: child's room/nursery with a lamp on top and prized big books on the bottom shelf; holding magazines in a bathroom or living room; housing cookbooks in a kitchen or dining room and a small appliannce on top; phone books and phone/answering machine.

Buyer's beware: If someone doesn't snag this beauty, and I'm left to look at it too long, it might be forced to come back home to me!! I have purple and lavender throughout my home, so it would definitely fit in many spots. The small size (22 3/4" high x 22" long x 11" wide) makes it an easy piece to grace even small spaces.

The next piece is just as adorable. This wooden vintage youth chair is decked out in its original (now gloriously chippy) cream paint and rose decal/print on the back of the chair. The arms are metal and the whole thing stands 34" high. Imagine it with a sweet teddy bear or Raggedy Anne sitting on this chair...too cute and so hard to find.

The final inclusion is this pair of vintage dark wood end tables/night stands. Again, the intricate detailing and curved lines make the set truly unique. They could be painted to match your decor or stained. Two bottom shelves add to the practical storage side. (Sorry about the shadows in the pictures below, not that I can really complain about the sunshine!)

Bella Taylor

In June, we introduced Bella Taylor bags at the shop. These are quite practical yet lovely and stylish bags that we are bringing to our customers for a great value. Can't beat that combo! I have to add that we had them before some of our competitors, and our prices are much more reasonable. We checked, and were quite pleased to see that our little boutique is far better priced. It's often tough for us to compete with the bigger places since they buy in higher bulk than we are able to or may be a retail outlet for wholesalers that we shop at as well. Of course, they don't have our signature craft pieces or our thrifty vintage finds. We are the best of all three worlds!! (a bit biased of a comment, but quoted by customers.) Dare to compare!

To preview design details, browse our website under the Purses & Totes category. You'll find the specific dimensions and special features (pockets, etc.) of each style as well as pattern close-up photos.

There are shoppers, daily totes, small wallet-style purses for quick trips, mini backpacks, and even fashionable lunch bags. All have lots of storage pockets to keep you organized and most include coordinating beaded tassles for extra pizzazz. The new cell pockets are popular, as they are basically hidden yet outside, making it easy to locate your phone quickly and easily!!


"Sunkiss" pattern: (great for all seasons)

" Vintage Chic" pattern: (spring, summer, fall)

" Hollywood Beach" pattern: (summer-worthy)

Also from this same vendor, Victorian Heart, you'll find these adorable pillows currently in the shop. These are in the "Wellesley" pattern (stripes & quilted floral) which also have matching/coordinating valances.

We're a Best Kept Secret!!

Vintage Chic Boutique has been selected to be in the Fall '09

Lancaster County's Best Kept Secrets Tour

Dates: Oct. 9-24 (9:00-5:00 daily Mon. thru Sat.)

Tour bags are now available for purchase/pick up in our shop. Cost is $6 per bag/tour participant ($1 of each bag goes to Clare House, a Lancaster-based women's charity providing temporary housing to homeless women and children as well as life skills programs leading to their self-sufficiency. The remaining money goes to advertising/promoting the tour).

Details: The 3rd season of the Lancaster County's Best Kept Secrets Tour will feature shopping, food, and fun to support (and get great deals from) local small businesses. While the tour list is part of the secret, the following types of businesses will be included: home furnishings, gift stores, garden/florists, nurseries, farmer's markets, clothing boutiques, farms with crafts, cafes, restaurants, a winery, a pottery store, art galleries, antique shops, and a few speciality businesses. Games, prizes, events, demonstrations/classes, special discounts, and door prizes are available only to tour-goers. Simply bring or wear your included tour bracelet to participate. Please note: only those with a bracelet will be able to earn tickets and prizes, attend special events, and receive discounts.

Perks: Within each tour bag, you'll receive coupons and promotional items from each of the 35 participating businesses, a map and tour guide with detailed descriptions of each business (all within 15 mins. of the next). The bag contents, alone, will more than return your $6 investment!

You will receive a game ticket upon visiting each business on the tour and an additional ticket for each place you make a purchase. These tickets will enter you into the Shop & Win Game which will culminate in a drawing on November 10th for spectacular gift collections. Each business is donating a gift valued at $15 or more! Three combined prizes will be awarded with a total value of $1,000!

*Plan to get your tour bags early, as only the first 2,000 participants will receive the bags with promotional items. After 2,000 bags are sold, customers will still get all the materials and perks minus the promotional items in the bags. Anticipation for this now quite popular event is high, and bags are expected to sell out early.

Cobalt Depression Glass Collection

This past Saturday, we finally opened up one of the two boxes of Cobalt Blue Depression Glassware that we've had for over a month now. We were able to clean, research, tag, and display the pieces shown in the above photo. The looking up (in collectible books and online) part is what led to the procrastination. It seems as if there are so many patterns of Depression Glass that you can spend an hour trying to identify a few pieces. Luckily, the following patterns were fairly easy to identify. We listed the found value on the back of the price tags, along with the resources. These items are a higher price range than our general vintage dishware in the shop, but we are still able to offer our customers a considerable bargain for these collectibles.

The first ice pail is in "Windmill" pattern.

Then, there is the "Ships or Sailboat" ice tub, below, along with matching ice tea pitcher, and 5 tumblers.

The vase collection includes the following 6 pieces in varying sizes and styles.

Cobalt Depression Glass was primarily produced in the early 1930's up to the early 1940's. Many of the designs were produced by the Hazel Atlas Company, including the "Ships" in our collection.

There are more pieces from this collection to be added to this display in the shop...but that remains for another day (or few weeks)! Look for mixing bowls (most valuable of pieces) and dinnerware sets when(ever) we get to them!!

***8/17/09 update: We've added the bulk of the remaining pieces to the cobalt glassware collection this past Sat. Here is the now-two-shelf-display: