I had such a good time exploring around the Traverse City area! Though I went in search of antique stores, it gave me an opportunity to see some of the nicest little towns. My friend, the
Bargain Hunter & Treasure Seeker, blogs about all her (our) antiquing adventures and always takes pictures. So when I was going to TC, she made me promise to take my camera!
Each day started with an iced tea and a scone at one of the little tables outside of the Good Harbor Coffee & Bakery.
On the first day, I drove northeast to Elk Rapids. I went to the Elk Rapids Antique Warehouse, which is one of the nicest antique malls I've been to in a long time. The booths were arranged with lots of attention to display -- not the 'tossed in' look we see from time to time. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera inside, so no inside pictures. I really recommend a stop there, though, if you're up north.
Next I drove into the harbor area of town. It was a beautiful day -- just perfect for exploring! It was sunny & in the low 80s and there were lots of people swimming and boating.
Hmmm. . . I need to check with our pastors -- is this what it means to be
on sabbatical?
I don't know what little river of creek this is, but it was really pretty.
Next stop was Harbor Antiques, in town. . .
The outside was great with lots of interesting stuff, as you can see. The inside was really cluttered, though, and I thought most of the prices were a little high.
The other antique shop was also downtown, but I never caught the name of it. It was a small shop and had nice items, but I had to hurry through and move my car, as they were getting ready to close the street for an 'Evening on the River' festival.
The next day I went to the southwest, down to Beulah & Benzonia, on Crystal Lake. It began as another beautiful day, but rain quickly moved in. Beulah has several nice shops -- the first one I stopped was my favorite, Black Horse Antiques. The owner had lots of vintage metal chairs which had been powder coated (I don't know why I never thought of having that done to all of mine -- they looked as good as new). The shop was jam-packed with great stuff and the prices were good, too. I'm already looking forward to going back next time I'm up there.
The other big place in town is the Granary Antique Mall, in an old (what else) granary, complete with the machines still in it. You can see how long it is with all the booths arranged on either side.
In Benzonia, I visited the Gwen Frostic Studio, which is a wonderful place! Gwen passed away several years ago, but her block prints are still sold on notecards, calendars and prints, etc. She loved the wildlife & outdoors in Michigan and that's reflected in the studio itself, as you can see from these pics:
The printshop where it all happens . . .
On my way back to Traverse, I stopped at the Cherry Hut in Beulah. The food there was so good -- it was even
featured by Jane & Michael Stern on Roadfood! I had the special of the day -- a ham salad sandwich and cup of clam chowder, and had to skip the cherry pie because I was too full -- too bad, so sad. I took a picture of the sign, but drew the line at taking a picture of my lunch, as the
Bargain Hunter would have!
On the last morning we were there, I stayed in Traverse City and visited the local shops. The first one was Wilson Antiques, which has a basement and 3 floors of antiques. There is a lot to see there, but I didn't find anything I couldn't live without. My favorite booth was in the front window, pictured below -- one side was all red & white kitchenware & the other was all red, white & blue boating & nautical stuff.
I stopped at Union Antiques, also very nice, and filled with great booths that had a lot of variety & good prices.
My last stop was right next door to Union Antiques -- the Bookie Joint. I can NEVER resist a used book store! This one was charming, as you can see by the pics.
Then it was time to go home, and we said goodbye to Traverse City!
Tomorrow: cool stuff I picked up on my trip north!
All this can be yours at the Roadside America website!
Pelican at Cocoa Beach
