ROADTRIP: The Mercersburg Inn

…Every now and then my husband does the extraordinary and surprises me beyond my imaginings. Like the time he saw my Victoria Magazine the day it arrived in the mail, and noticed a red heart shaped straw box stuffed with lovely little goodies on the cover. He proceeded to hunt through the magazine to find out how to order the box, some of the items and a few of his own ideas. Then, on Valentines Day that year, he presented me with the most incredible gift I have ever received…

Such where the makings of last week’s road trip in celebrate of our ninth wedding anniversary. Ralph somehow found a lovely B&B on-line called the Mercersburg, Inn. So this past Wednesday we packed the car and off we went. Four hours through New Jersey and mostly uneventful farmland in Pennsylvania made striking by a backdrop of the Blue Ridge Allegheny Mountains. We arrived in the little historic town of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, to “Prospect.” A 24,000 sq.ft. mansion built in 1909 by the Byron family, now called the Mercersburg Inn.

Picture yourself staying in museum quality rooms of generous proportions with amazing detailed woodwork, rod iron and stain glass that is still welcoming and homey enough to be intimate. Lovely tasteful spaces with luscious comfortable linens and a gracious staff. It was easy to imagine that we were actually guest of the Byrons themselves – my best B&B experience to date, and I have stay at many.** The Inn is actually run by Jim and Lisa McCoy, transplants from New York City. You can learn more about the Inn and Jim and Lisa’s story at: http://www.mercersburginn.com/home.htm. A destination all unto itself, the Mercersburg Inn is surrounded by a lot of history and great places to shop for antiques and vintage. So here are my favorite picks in the area:

FAYETTEVILLE, PA: Fayetteville Antique Mall, 3653 Lincoln Way E, (717) 352-8485 (about 12-15 minutes from the Inn): Has the WOW factor, four separate buildings, dozen of dealers, the most depression glass I have ever seen in one place. If you collect a specific color you can probably build your collection here – pink, green, blue, cobalt, even tons of yellow.

HAGERSTOWN, MD: Antique Crossroads & Beaver Creek Antique Markets 20202 National Pike (about 15 minutes from the Inn. Frederick, MD is just about 15 minutes more down the road – but I would not try to do both in one day): Next door to each other, the Crossroads and Beaver malls feature dozens of dealers with some really fine antiques and vintage textiles. There are other smaller dealers and a thrift shop along this same stretch of road. Definitely can be made into a day trip. (To the right is a drawing of the "Pope" first car made. It was produced in Hagerstown, PA and cost $650. One of the only surviving models was on view at Beaver Creek the day we went).

FREDERICK, MD: (about a 30 minute drive from the Inn): The one place I regret that we did not have opportunity to explore fully. The county of Frederick is known as the “Antiques Capital of Maryland”. We drove through the city of Frederick on the tail end of our trip. The downtown area is a charming 19th and 20th century center where there are an estimated 200 dealers of English, French, American and Asian antiques in an eight-block area. Less than one hour from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and nearby Gettysburg, Antietam, and Harper's Ferry it is an area abundant in history. If you plan a trip to the area, reserve at least a full day, or two just for this town alone (I regret that I made it my last stop, but plan to do a road trip just on this location later).

For a more detail listings of the area see:
( NOTE: Links are not active, please cut / past links into a new page to bookmark TEAWINGS BLOG)
2009 Sunday Driver Directories – Maryland / Delaware: www.sundaydriver.com

Just to keep the rest of the family happy, the area has lots of other things to do, see: Frederick’s County Tourist information at: http://www.fredericktourism.org

Also:
Mercersburg Inn’s Attractions Page: http://www.mercersburginn.com/activities.htm.
The Mercersburg Inn, 405 South Main Street: 717-328-5231:
**The Mercersburg Inn is featured in Select Registry – Distinguished Inns of North America (http://www.selectregistry.com/).

(While some of the properties on the Registry can be pricey stays, not all are, and some offer “Off Season” pricing, which the Mercersburg Inn does all summer long. Lisa and Jim gave me a copy of the guide when I left, it has already become a treasured reference. You can order a copy from the Registry website). If you visit the Inn, please be sure to let Jim and Lisa know you read my article about them…

The Mecca of Vintage – Savannah

This morning I pulled out my three-ring binder of Road Trips Past in preparation for a trip I plan to take in the fall… Since we are heading out on a road trip in the morning to celebrate our 9th Wedding anniversary, I decided to share one of my all time favorite towns this week.

If you love vintage / antique finds as much as I do, and you have not been, you simply must make your pilgrimage to the Mecca of Vintage – Savannah, Georgia. …Like an old flame, just leafing through the pamphlets and photos stirred a real longing in me to return… In my other life, (the one I have not lived yet) I am a writer who returns to a river front apartment each year to pound out my latest novel…. Ah Savannah…

Home of the Yamacraws Indians, and founded in 1733 by General James Oglethorpe, Savannah’s Historic District comprises about 15 blocks east to west, and 43 blocks north to south from River Street to Victory Drive. Centered around 24 charming Squares, it is one of the largest districts of its kind in the United States. A haven of eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth century architecture, and dozens of antique shops, malls, and dealers. Because Savannah was one of the primary ports of entry during the nineteenth century the range of antique merchandise available there is exceptional. Also, it is the official “Art Center of the South.” Savannah School of Design offers degrees in every thing from accessory to furniture to sound to urban design. Consequently creative people flock to the city from every where for training and/or living… a few years younger and unattached – I would move there in a heartbeat.

Some favorites:
Favorite place to stay – I have only ONE, but there are many: The Olde Harbor Inn (http://www.oldeharbourinn.com/ )

Favorite Shops: @ Home Vintage General (http://www.vintagegeneral.com/v2/index.html) (similar to Parcel in Montclair, but certainly with owner’s Liz Demos own unique flair. I used to buy glorious hand dyed silk ribbons from her for my hand bound books).

Antique / Vintage: Range from Capra Capra Antiques, 319 Abercorn St. 912.236.9004 – which features really high end, and sterling (my love), to Universe Trading, 27 Montgomery St, (912) 233-1585, which one reviewer appropriately described as “A great big junk shop to poke around in with some good junk and a lot of not so good junk” – Hey it’s PINK, it’s big, it’s a fun dig. The best thing to do is to stop in any antique/vintage shop for the “Antiques Historic Savannah Georgia” Guide and map, which should give a good list.

Walking Tours: Google for info, it’s the best intimate way to see the city. Besides the walking tour there is the Annual Home & Garden Tour generally held the last week of March (on my to do list).

More Info:
Everything Savannah: http://www.savannahga.net/; Wikipedia article also a good start.

…Just go to Savannah, I promise you will not be disappointed. …Bought some orange FLAX brand linen pants there on my first visit. They eventually wore out so I made them into paper (http://teawings.blogspot.com/2008/10/tws-new-holland-beater-makes-tomato.html). It is my keepsake from a very lovely town. Can hardly wait until tomorrow, I am so ready to be on the road again…

ROADTRIP: Wykoff, NJ

Image from Tiny House Blog: http://tinyhouseblog.com/yourstory/train-depots/

Wednesday, me and “running buddy” Michelle, still trying to get back to Nyack, decided to just take a local trip for a bit of fresh air. So we headed up the Garden State Parkway to route 208 into the Wykoff area of Bergen County, New Jersey, to this great little shop we know called “Then & Now.” Thinking it was the only shop in the area, we have never ventured further. But since I am doing the road trip series I decided to ask if other shops where around – glad I did. Like Nyack, the area proved to be a surprisingly fertile ground for vintage – and history….

Turns out, Wykoff was originally the site of the Sicomac "happy hunting ground," and is where many Lenape Indians, including Oratam, Chief of the Ackingshacys, are buried. It is also the place where the Minsis Indians of northern New Jersey met to barter with the Long Island Indians, and, contains a portion of the famous Minnisink Trail, which runs from the Delaware River to the Atlantic Ocean. Given as a land grant to Sir George Carteret and Lord John Berkeley (incidentally, the name of the street where TEAWINGS is located) by the Duke of York in 1664, it was finally incorporated into a township in 1926. The Township of Wyckoff comprises only seven square miles 27 miles from New York City, but alone with neighboring Midland Park, it contains some really rich digs:

Then & Now Consignment, (http://www.thenandnowclassics.com/ ), (Rear) 457 Goffle Road, Wyckoff, (201) 445-2447: Has been there for over 20 years, and was just recently turned over to new owners. Layers, layer, and more layers of stuff is the only way to describe it. New items added daily… (Check out their website, you will get a sense of what I mean – it’s a honey of a dig).

Home, 1083 Goffle Road, Hawthorn, NJ (just off 208 on the way to Then & Now), (973) 304-1080, …If I could redo my entire house it would be from this one store. Such a refreshing way of combining vintage and contemporary… It is one of those creative breaks for the senses…

New friends we made yesterday…

Stonecroft Interiors, 26 Goffle Road, Midland Park, (201) 445-5051, (just five blocks down the road from Then & Now). Owned by Carole Mason. What can I say about Ms Carole (pictured above) – she’s a classic…Housed in a charming little stone cottage, she blends the best of vintage and contemporary in her work, rummaging around her shop was just fun!

Across the parking lot from Stonecroft is JCC Jewelry – Coins Antique Center, 26 Goffle Road, Midland Park, (201) 445-0070. Don’t let the name throw you… Rarely do you find a dealer with tons – did I say tons of diversity like this shop. He has been collecting since the 1970’s and the bevy of bounty proves it. Next to a funky old shop I found last year in Winter Park, Florida this is probably my favorite dig in recent years. Just plan to spend a couple of hours…

Across the street from there is The Brownstone Mill, 11 Paterson Ave # 1, Midland Park, (201) 445-3074, which has two floors of multiple dealers including: Ichabod Antiques, (201) 652-5585, Really nice sterling silver among other collectibles, I found a rare Reed & Barton sterling mustard spoon there for a good price;

Pixie’s Unique Finds, (201) 304-2514, Who has vintage broaches and accessories, she specialized in lovely photo frames made from vintage rhinestone (nothing like the real thing!);

Vintage 61, (201) 445-7707 Is a charming light, with really sweet repurposed vintage/shabby chic home furnishings and accessories. (Perhaps a dozen more dealers whose shops we did not have time to visit…Also located on the grounds is a great nursey.)

… I with my spoon, and Michelle with a really lovely rare lamp from JCC (among other finds) left Wykoff exhausted, but smiling like Cheshire cats… O’ where will we end up next? …Not sure, but really glad I am finally taking the time finally to venture out in the region…Life is much too short to live else wise.