It's no secret that Summer is by far
the least popular season on this site. That statement seems
unbelievable on a wondrous night such as this but much of the past
month has been an oppressive, bug-infested, sauna with very little to
keep things interesting. As usual I found myself getting a big old
case of the blahs which meant I needed an adventure, something to
refresh mind and spirit. Thus a day trip was planned to hit some of
the stranger outlying towns to visit antique and thrift stores, &
maybe take in some local cuisine along the way. Last Wednesday I
actually woke up at a semi-regular hour and set out in hopes of
finding adventure and of course I wanted to chronicle the trip for
you all.
One sadly unavoidable element to our
journey was the heat. Michigan was at the time in the grip of almost
primordial temperatures. We’re talking heat indexes in the triple
digits with maxed out humidity. While I’m sure some poor soul in a
desert could gatekeep in this situation, keep in mind that we are
chilly northern folk, the sort who still crave ice cream when the
needle dips below zero. Birds were reluctant to chirp, doors had
swelled to the point of being difficult to open and close, clothing
dragged the wearer down to the pavement. It was just damn hot. Still;
adventure does not wait for perfect weather, especially when there's
no end in sight. With grim determination we set out for our first
destination.
The town of Nashville Michigan is a
tiny, tiny place whose small scale is at least offset by the even
smaller nearby pocket of Vermontville. The most notable detail of the
town is the Mooville creamery which pumps out plentiful amounts of
milk and, as expected for this state, ice cream. What brought us
there were two antique stores located practically across the street
from each other. We began with 66 Unique Antiques. At first I wasn't
feeling the place with most of the vendors veering towards more
decorative baubles that I have little space to accommodate.
Thankfully more fun and meaty material began to appear further in. At
first it was just the occasional bit of old stereo equipment or a
bizarre wood carved picture of Camelot, then I hit the second level.
Seemingly all of my interests had been
relegated to the upstairs, appearing at first on the stairway itself
in the form of old soda advertisements for the likes of Dr. Pepper
and Coca-Cola. The upper level itself had all manner of funky
treasures from old pop coolers and Halloween decorations to Alf party
supplies and a still sealed box of Super Stars trading cards. Then I
found what was easily my favorite vendor wedged in the back corner.
Here was an absolute mecca of vinyl records, comic books, and my
favorite failed media format, CED. Sitting in the front of a record
box was something that was clearly 80's metal, better than that it
was Japanese hair metal. No way was I gonna pass that up. This spot
was absolute heaven and I could have stayed there forever if not for
one unfortunate factor. Remember how hot it was that day? Well these
antique stores weren't well equipped to handle the weather with a
selection of fans and window units struggling to battle the
overbearing heat. Despite being next to an open window this corner
was a stagnate dead zone. The human body simply wasn't built to shop
in such conditions. Still I escaped with my record, grabbed another
item from a different vendor, and began making plans to return during
a more temperate time of year.
We crossed the street and entered the
local pharmacy in order to grab some water and man do I regret not
nabbing a photo of the place. It was so humble it felt unreal. That
done we moseyed down the road to our next stop, Boardroom Antiques.
Inside we found a store that was a bit cleaner than the last and more
strictly organized as I believe everything was under the same owner
rather than a vendor system. Right after the entrance was a massive
glass case of old toys and collectibles while taking a right turn
brought us to items like jewelry and classic cameras. Once again it
was a back corner that yelled the greatest surprise.
The reason this place is called
Boardroom Antiques is because of this room where there walls are
lined with classic tabletop games. There was some nice stuff here
like the original version of Survive and Krull. These
were a little pricier than I would like but there were a few decent
deals mixed in as well. What truly thrilled me was the KB Toys sign
hanging from the door that brought back a flood of lovely
materialistic memories. It's definitely something I'd like to revisit
with more pocket money. As for the rest of the store there were some
very cool items ranging from an old police storage box and even some
WWII items. Also failed to nab a picture of this enormous textured
globe made for teaching blind students geography. Some really good
items here and a neat atmosphere but you've gotta be prepared for a
higher price.
Two stores down we commenced northward
for Lake Odessa. Fun bit of trivia for you all, despite the name, the
surrounding lakes are actually called Jordan and Tupper. This is yet
another small town that is often passed by on the way to somewhere
else. Not this day however as we headed to the heart of downtown.
Hunger had settled in by this time which facilitated a stop at
Penny's Five Star Pizza where we naturally ordered subs and burritos.
Overall alright meal, nothing groundbreaking but it tasted decent and
settled well-enough. After eating we had only a few minutes to check
out 2 Sisters Antiques which didn't seem to have a ton in my realm of
interest. They're much more tailored to those looking for glassware
and decorative items. My sister claimed the prices were on the high
side but I failed to notice. On that same slab of land was The
Consignment Shop but we chose to forgo a visit in order to have a
full hour over at Bonanza Antiques.
More than any of our stops Bonanza
felt the most like what I want from an antique store. There was
plenty of good old beer and cigarette advertising, an old slot
machine, crazy old Halloween items, and the selection vinyl records
was great. A lot of vendors would put together stashes of notable
records so their costumers don't have to dig through countless old
christian and polka albums to find the good stuff. There were cookies
and coffee and just a good vibe. While they had the same cooling
problems as our previous stops the building seemed to breath better
than others and had a very cool basement. Grabbed another album here
but some more money could have resulted in a big haul including a PBR
lamp and this Winston clock that put some sort of tacky spell over
me. Really enjoyed this place a lot and definitely giving it a mark
for a revisit in the future.
Finally we reached the Lake Odessa
Antique Mall where we were at a major disadvantage. An entire day of
antiques and heat had left us nearly shopping blind by this point.
Compounding that issue was just how big this place was. The main
floor was separated into three different wings and there were two
basements along with two upstairs areas to shop as well. It wasn't up
to the level of the Mega Mall we checked out last year but after a
full day we were on autopilot. It's a shame as they had the best
scary items with some freaky clowns and oddly placed bits of
taxidermy. It's a neat place but it requires more energy than we had
left.
Heading home I finally felt a sense of
peace wash over me. In recent years shopping at regular stores has
become more of a chore so outings like this are the only way to truly
subdue the materialistic beast within. I brought home three wonderful
items. Hurricane Eyes by Loudness which turned out to be some
awesome hair metal. Prologue by Deodato, another entry in my
CTI record collection that sounds like the sort of music you'd play
at a sleazy late 70s New Years party. Then there's Dark Wolf: The
Hell Warrior, an ash can comic that I've yet to browse but assume
will make for a solid article further down the line.
Wednesday wasn't my only adventure as
Saturday brought rushed visits to the grandmother in order to save
her fridge food from a power outage followed by a baseball game. That
latter part didn't provide much in the way of thrills for someone who
is bored by most sports but it was still a unique experience to fill
my belly with pulled-pork and coleslaw mere feet away from the
players warm-up area.
These little adventures have worked
wonders. The Summertime blues have dissipated and my mind is now
filled with ideas for stories, board games, and handyman projects for
Halloween. As if to cement this new-found optimism the temperatures
have dropped and the night beckons for a moped ride to get some job
apps. That is where I will leave you all for tonight. Hopefully this
entry has inspired some outings for you all, which I hope you will
share in return. We might as well make the most of this season as we
await the excellent months to come.
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