You see, I thought I needed something to keep me off the streets between big faux jobs. After agonizing for years ... where should I sell painted furniture and should I revisit my past life of collecting and finding new homes for antique and vintage furniture and decor ... I'm happy to report that the pieces of the puzzle eventually came together this month. Now, without even knowing me, you can all run out and buy furniture with that special Painted Groove pizazz. And as a special bonus, my alter ego, Vintage Pilar, has returned with funky vintage finds. Now, all of my stuff can be found under one roof, at Back Alley Antiques at Artisan's Alley in San Antonio!
Here's how it all came together: I met Frannie Roberts, the precious and very cool manager of Back Alley Antiques, in a decorative painting class, of all places. She told me about her store and I asked whether she was interested in painted pieces. After meeting Frannie, choosing Back Alley was easy, because of Frannie's knack for merchandising and their longevity in the antiques market. Although Back Alley sells the wares of several different vendors, it is all merchandised together beautifully like a real store and very much unlike your average antique mall.
The store is clean, and pretty, and organized. Most antique stores are just dreadful and give even me a headache after a while, because it is exhausting to look at booth after booth of crowded crap. Even when they're done well, I think they miss out on a lot of sales from people who can't imagine how the antiques can fit into their homes.
So, let me show you around the place!
Here's a little child-sized chair I picked up at an auction. It was brown, stained wood, but I knew right away it really wanted to be gold. Now it is happy as Princess Pilar's Naughty Chair.
This is not one of my pieces, but I wish it was. I love it! Look real close and you'll see a super-cute set of Christmas glasses.
I think these are sooooo cute. In my family, they're the perfect size for a Christmas morning mimosa! Ha!
This vignette just makes me happy and shows Frannie's skill at grouping items from many different sellers. Just in this photo, that's my cute little lamp and my antique mirror I spoofed up with some leopard spots. And that iron bed with the vintage linens? They're not mine, but I love it all.
Here's a beautiful old mirror that I had no impulse to improve. It's great just the way it is.
A closeup of my spotty mirror.
I initially loved this little table for its height. It's a little taller than most side tables, which makes it perfect for today's larger scale pieces. Many older side tables are dwarfed beside beds or chairs but this one was perfect. Right underneath, written on a little white piece of tape, is the name "Frances Doyle." I sure wish I knew who Frances Doyle is, or was. My grandmother used to write people's names on tape and put it on knick knacks or pieces of furniture as a way of designating who would get what when she passed on, or who it came from if it was a gift. It still makes me happy to pick up a piece of something she "put my name on" and see her handwriting. So I named this piece "Frances Doyle."
This piece didn't need a thing. I just love, love, loved it. I really wish I had it back, but times are hard and somebody needs it worse than I do. Or at least someone has more money than I do!
Here's Princess Pilar's Naughty Chair after Frannie found a home for it. I think it needs to be on top of something actually, but I'll bring that up later, when I'm not such a newbie.
Goodbye beautiful crystal chandelier I bought on ebay. You were beautiful and I loved you, but you looked like a dwarf in even my tiny dining area. I hope you find a happy new home in a much smaller room.
Hey! There's that half-of-a-table I thought made the perfect console table for an entry or, as Frannie thought, a table between two slipper chairs. Fantastic. The Venetian Gem leather top is yummy.
I have my eye on this chicken lamp. I know there is a better name for this other than "chicken lamp," but I'm from West Texas and I don't know what it is. It is so fabulous. But I'm trying to make some money here, not spend it.
Two small shades adorned with rick-rack and pompon fringe for a small lamp or sconce. They're super-cute on their own.
But check them out beside that blue lamp? I'm telling you, Frannie has an eye for this stuff.
These ladderback chairs with the faux ostrich rungs finally found a home with this charming table. They look so happy here with this table because the scale is right.To get there, plug in 555 West Bitters Road, San Antonio, into your GPS. For those more familiar with San Antonio, it's on Bitters between West Avenue and Blanco Road.
