Antiques...

One of the afternoons of cold winter December, Lara asked me if we had any heirloom passed on to us by our ancestors. I started to think about that. In my present home, I have none that would showcase my family tree or ancestry. My twin girls are, what I call them, antique chasers. Before their births, I had not entered an antique store. Now we hit all the stores on the road. In one of the corners of the study, lays an old typewriter with worn out keys. Majestic and beautiful telling a journey of how the words came together to make a story, what was before what is today. In one of the drawers of the dresser in the bedroom lays a golden pocket watch, that tells stories of the time gone by. There is a certain mystery about them, probably that it belonged to an era or period that is unknown to us and we are curious about it. 

According to Merriam Webster, an antique is “a relic or object of ancient times” or “a work of art, piece of furniture, or decorative object made at an earlier period and according to various customs laws at least 100 years ago.”

Why do we collect these so-called antiques, which are nothing but old, entirely obsolete which has no use what so ever in today's world or even in your house? Call it a desire to attach to the past, the unknown or just sentimental. The mystique of the antique!

On my recent visit to an antique shop on Route 13 on the eastern seashore, I saw beautiful handkerchiefs hand sewed and embroidered. One of them had the letter S embroidered on it in the blue, red and yellow thread with tiny flowers in red. I picked it up, ran my finger on it wondering she must have made it for her loved one, probably her husband, brother or father. And that it found its way here in an antique store and into my hands was a story in itself. It makes you think about the person who either owned it or made it. Reconnecting to the period gone by is one of the most precious attributes of antiques. It whispers of the past. On the corner chest in a tray were few old black and white photographs. The faces, dresses and the body languages were so new to me yet I could feel the connection thinking that this would have been what my great great grandfather must have worn. These faces had a life, a personality, an occupation and above all a story. What is the story behind this photograph? This and many other questions like this lead us to the antique stores. A search of one of a kind, a personality, workmanship, and closeness to our history. The scratches are wrinkles and the grey hairs of a weathered piece. Why cover them up rather than flaunting? These are the predicament of the time and hardship they have gone through living what we call, life. 

So when one of my daughters asked me about the heirlooms I felt empty for having none. I picked up the phone, called my mom. "Do you have any heirloom passed on to you by your father or granddad?" My question startled her a bit, out of the blue and in the darkness of night (time difference between USA and India).
"Yes, I have"
"What is it?"
"A mahogany wood round table.."
"How come I don't know about it? I have never seen it."
"It was always here, in my bedroom under the television. I have a lace tablecloth on it, that might be the reason that you are unaware of it."
"Is it granddad's?"
"I asked him to give it to me because I loved the design. He had got it from his dad."

Now that is the table I want! The one that has a connection with my family tree. The one that has a story. I don't have any piece of my family history with me but I will try to find one on the trip to the country. If I can't, I will visit the antique stores to carry on the story of someone else's life. Pass it on to keep the memories alive.

This weekend, on the way back from a beautiful afternoon of lunch and conversation with a couple of young girls, we stopped by a roadside antique store. It had caught my eyes quite a few times but did not get to visit it. It is a beautiful place, with three different cottages and a red barn. The red barn is being used as a yoga studio. The main cottage is an amalgamation of little shops selling different antiques. The creaking sound while walking on the old wood floor, the compressed feeling of the room and the smell of dust transports to one of the shops in the series, The Little House on the Prairie. What I liked most about this place is the variety of stuff without being overwhelmed by the size of the shop and the magnitude of the stuff. It is a small shop with just enough selection. I love this about it! Take time to browse, ask its history and visualize it in your house. I will go back there to buy a few things that I have in mind for my home.

Antiques
Address: 16650 Georgia Ave, Olney, MD 20832

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