Vintage Voyages

(Ok, “journey” would probably be a better word, but that’s cliché in the blog-o-sphere, not alliterative, and cannot be interpreted as a sneaky Star Trek reference.)

I’ve wanted to do a post like this for a long time. Every time I tried, I ended up shelving it, unsure where I really wanted the post to go.

What is this elusive topic? How I discovered and developed my love for old stuff.

I can’t really remember when I first started enjoying vintage things. It seems like I’ve liked them forever, honestly. I can’t remember which influences came first or what things inspired other things. So, instead of pinning down a turning point, I’ll just reminisce through some of my favorite influences in semi-chronological order.

The Early Days

Every Monday night for several years of my childhood, I turned on my local PBS station at 7:00 to watch Antiques Roadshow, a program where antique experts travelled to various locations to tell guests about their items. I particularly remember loving Art Deco pieces and becoming very familiar with 20th century baseball players who were featured on cards and autographed memorabilia. Other favorite items of mine were jewelry and pottery. I was probably the only girl my age who could instantly identify the era and style of items at the antique store. People must have thought it funny to see me, in my shorts and flip flops and maybe a purse that completely clashed, carefully turning over vases to look for makers’ marks.

My beloved great-grandma, Mimi, loved collecting and antiquing as much as I do. When I visited her, I loved pretending to appraise her antiques. I made up my own stories and values for all my favorite objects, like the small orange bowl with a sailboat design in the photo.

Even more than the antiques inside her house, I loved the treasures in Mim’s Garage. It was the greatest place on earth for me. It was also proof of the old saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Most of what I found were old craft supplies, costume jewelry, random knick-knacks and clothes from the 80s and 90s. Since then, I hope I’ve developed more intentional tastes in my vintage items, but I will always treasure the memories of my early days, digging in Mim’s Garage like an archaeologist. Here’s me and two of my “stuffed friends” in our Mim’s Garage finery way back in 2013.

In the early days of my love for vintage, there were many antique stores within an hour or two of where I live. I got to visit them all. My dad was my chauffeur and financier, for which I am forever grateful.

Entertainment

Another major influence on my tastes was television. Last week, I talked about The Dick Van Dyke show, but that was only one of many ‘60s sitcoms I enjoyed. Gilligan’s Island and The Andy Griffith Show were probably the first two I started watching. Once I was hooked, I never stopped. The only reason I don’t watch ‘60s sitcoms as much now is because I’ve seen most of them… more than once. As I got older, I started enjoying mystery and sci-fi shows.

Even the futuristic world of sci-fi enhanced my love for old things, and not just because I enjoy the cheesy early shows. So many sci-fi shows have quirky characters that inspire me to embrace my unique perspective and the abilities it brings me. And, the genre gave me the context of time travel to place myself in. Let’s face it, “time traveler” sounds much cooler than “nerd who likes old junk.” (Though I answer to either.)

TV shows dominated my entertainment interests, and still do. I’ve never been a big movie-watcher. I just prefer the format and style of TV. But I have enjoyed plenty of Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant movies. The Philadelphia Story, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, and Harvey are all hilarious. Add them to your list. One of my favorite old movies early on was Holiday Inn, which starred Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby. It started several years of being a devoted fan of Bing's music.

Music

Music has always been a big part of my interest in the past. Old music was in my life even before the Roadshow or ‘60s TV or Mim’s Garage. Growing up, my dad would play his favorite 70s and 80s songs on the radio for my mom and I in the evenings. I loved it. I’d dance around the room with my stuffed animals or try to play along on my out-of-tune guitar.

As I got older, I started developing my own music tastes. I loved using the Pandora app to stream music from one of their many themed stations. The one I remember most was “Golden Oldies Radio.” It played 50s and 60s music from doo-wop to Motown. I have great memories of singing along in the shower, trying to perform all the harmonies. My favorite song during this time was “Stand by Me,” by Ben E. King. Whenever I hear that song today, it takes me back to being a young teen discovering new things to love.

Partly due to the music, partly because it’s one of the most popular and present vintage eras today, the 1950s was my favorite decade for a while. If you’re in my family, you might remember my 50s themed 13th birthday party. Looking back through the photos, it was probably more kitschy than accurate, but it was loads of fun.

Pretty soon, I discovered the big band music of the 1940s. A local radio station that usually plays elevator music or 70s and 80s soft/yacht rock (all stuff I unashamedly enjoy), also had a program called “Big Bandstand Sunday” that I enjoyed every Sunday afternoon. Big band became my favorite genre for a while. As a result, the 40s displaced the 50s as my favorite and stayed that way for a long time. I still really like 40s music and fashion.

Books

The next shift in my vintage preferences was brought on by books. I’d loved collecting vintage teen books for a long time. My favorites were Nancy Drew, Donna Parker, The Dana Girls, and Vickie Barr. These books spanned from the 30s to the 50s, so they fit well with my interests, though my collection leaned 40s and 50s, mostly because anything older was hard to find or pricey.

It wasn’t until much more recently that my taste in books shifted further into the past. I read my first Christie in my late teens, and the rest is history. I loved the intriguing characters and crimes, but I also loved the style and settings. From there, the interwar period in England (1920s and 30s) became my favorite.

The TV adaptation of Christie’s Poirot probably inspired this as much as the books. In addition to phenomenal acting and (usually) faithful adaptation of the stories, the series did a wonderful job bringing the culture of the books to life. My love for Art Deco that began in the Roadshow days was sparked once more. I started becoming interested in other books from the 30s as well as music, fashion, and the era’s fantastic cars. Another TV adaptation that fostered this interest was Campion, based on Margery Allingham’s mystery series. It was watching this that prompted me to expand my reading from just Christie to the other Queens of Crime.

Conclusion

Now, though the 30s is my favorite decade of vintage, I’m able to balance all my influences and interests. I treat myself to a rerun of a beloved 60s sitcom from time to time. I boogie to some Golden Oldies or dust off my doo wop skills in the shower. I even love the 70s and 80s music of my parents’ childhood that was a big part of mine.

For me, things of the past have always been welcoming and joyful. My memories of each phase of my interests bring a feeling of nostalgia. Even before I had the confidence to share my interests, it was when I could read an old book, watch an old show, or sing an old song that I felt most like myself.

Now, I’m so thrilled to be able to use my interests in my work. I can blog about old books and shows, post photos of things I love on social media, and, of course, use the knowledge I've been collecting for years to kickstart my research when I write stories set in the past. Even if that little, antique-store browsing version of myself wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to be, in certain ways, I think I’m living her dream.