ROMANTIC HOMES MARCH ISSUE

Just wait until you see the March issue of Romantic Homes magazine!!!!!
I particularly like page 96 that shows a 1930 maid's uniform. In the Antique Clothing Boutique in my store I have 2 very old maid's uniforms which I would like to show you here in the picture.
The black and white is from 1920's with apron and the gray and white is from 1912 with apron and mop cap. I can just imagine what all these uniforms have seen and heard in their lives below stairs.
I love Romantic Homes magazine and sell it in my store.

January is cold this year

Compared to last year this January has been nothing but nasty weather. Yesterday we had fog all the day long!!! Very unusual for us to have it after the morning. My grandson had some problems with his lights on his truck, when he turned on the lights the left blinker came on, and when he used his brakes the right blinker came on. So what did this new driver do? Drove to school with no lights!!! Had I known I would have been worried sick.
I am posting the pictures of the display window for this month which I promised. I am anxiously awaiting Spring.

January Blahs

Here it is a colder January day in our part of Texas. Not much business out there today.
Most of the people out browsing in antique shops are from the northern part of US. They think this is nice weather. My friend in North Dakota laughs at me when I talk about the cold weather.
But to us in the eastern wooded part of Texas, it is cold when that north wind is blowing.
That reminds me of the name of the antique parlor suite in my store for sale. I wanted to put it in my own living room however my husband said it is too fussy for him. I have a customer coming that was referred by my auction house owner to see this set. Guess her husband likes this fussy furniture. Should I trade husbands when she gets here? No I would not trade off my husband even if he does not agree on furniture styles with me.
This furniture which is a settee, 2 side chairs and 2 arm chairs one of which is a rocker, is called
North Wind. Do any of you know anything about it? If so, I would love to hear from you. The fabric is green and black silk velvet. Very elegant.
A picture is enclosed. On the settee is a wonderful old black and white print. Plus two books which I think are so pretty with their pale covers and gold lettering. To finish the arrangement off is a vintage green floral chandelier.
If I sell it ok, but I will miss it in the store grouped in front of the old early 1800's mantle we took out of a house about to be demolished in the 1970's in Norfolk VA. They had said take anything left in it and we did. Also that day's take was 2 newel posts, 2 doors with the leaded glass missing, a wonderful banister, and a small claw foot tub. We took all that home on the top of a convertible. YES, we did. Those were the fun days. You don't find deals like that anymore.
Lois

ANTIQUE AND VINTAGE CLOTHING

Today I wanted to talk about the extensive collection of antique and vintage clothing I have here in the store for sale. If you are ever in this area, stop in and enjoy seeing all the items I have obtained through the past few years.
The periods begin with 1850 and end with 1960's. I do not want to carry any items newer than 1969 unless it is of top most quality and/or indicative of a special occasion. I do have 1960 go- go boots, hippy leather hats, with bell bottom pants and dresses of the hippy era. But nothing newer than that.
I have on exhibit (and for sale) a 1850's white ballgown with intricate little flowers. It has seen hard times but is still very beautiful and haunting. You can almost see Scarlett wearing it!!!! I will try to post a picture of it soon.
I have many dresses, skirts, tops, and other clothing items of that era to 1919 of the Victorian and Edwardian periods. There are white lawn dresses, tall latch up boots, sashes, crinolines, and hats from that era. All of my items are in very good condition.
I do not buy those that are tired, worn and ragged or stained. The 1850's ball dress is the exception and even it is wearable and in fairly good condition for it's age.
There are many items from the 1920's; flapper dresses, boas and other dresses, 1930's with it's own selection of lovely dresses designed for graduations, weddings, parties plus every day wear. You can find dresses like the ones worn by Meryl Streep in Bridges of Madison County. Many made of old feed sacks. The 1940's are well represented here with many suits, hats, gloves, dresses and evening wear. Dress like Joan Crawford or one of the other stars.
The 1950's are perhaps more represented than any other era in the store here. I have 1950's prom dresses, 8 at last count in pinks, greens, white, and black. There are crinolines to wear under these and the 7 1950 poodle skirts I currently have. There are cashmere sweaters to go with these or the sheer blouses worn in the 50's and tissue thin scarves and belts. Also, several dresses for day wear or parties, and even pajama parties. The party dresses are the best though.
I previously mentioned the 1960's.
In addition to all these outside wear items, I have an extensive line of antique lingerie, gowns, bed jackets, pantaloons, slips, and girdles from the 1850's to the 1960's.
My husband James laughs when we have a group of ladies come in together as he said they act like teenagers whatever their ages really are when they get in that room. You can hear the giggles and laughter coming from the clothing room. College girls refer to the room as my walk through closet. As it does appear that way because there are clothes on racks on both sides of the room with an armoir , cheval mirror, and a dressing table in between.
There are also men's clothing items. There are tuxes from 1904, 1920, 1930 and 1940 with cummerbunds and ties and old 1900's white shirts that have never been worn and old stock from a store, as well as suits from 1920's, 1940's, 1950's, 1960's. I have western shirts, fringed western jackets, old uniforms from WW 1 and WW 2, and hats of every era. I have old Hawaiian shirts and ladies long muumuus from the 1950's. You just have to see this to be able to take it all in.
So this is my passion, I guess. I love the older clothing and even though I would like to sell more of it than I do, I still love to exhibit it. I have regular customers plus drop ins who buy from me.
The local drama dept at the College, the local community theater, nearby towns send their community theater people here also to buy. But the best are the college girls who are looking for clothing from a certain era for their decade parties. They come from TX A&M in College Station, here at Sam Houston Univ and Houston too. And there are the groups who do reenactments, Daughters of Colonists, Daughters of the Confederacy, Daughters of Republic of Texas and even the Red Hat ladies who keep me in business. Each year we have the classic car show exhibitors when the Fair on the Square is going on the first Sat. in Oct. here. They come to buy poodle skirts, or other clothing from the same age as their cars.
So, stop by and see me when you are in town.
Lois

Name of my store

I promised Theresa, my friend at Garden Antiques to tell the story of how I came to be calling my business Callie Magee Antiques. So here it is:
One day my sister Deb and I were driving to an antique store going out of business sale in Groveton TX. We had been discussing various names for my new store. We tried them out for how they sounded as we were driving. I suggested Back Porch Antiques and she said there was already one nearby. I liked the laid back names suggesting a slower time than we currently live in. We were still doing this when we arrived at the sale and each shot out of the car like bats out of you know where on a mission. We get this way when there are antiques involved. Deb does not have a store but buys strictly for her own pleasure.
We entered the old brick walled store and started our own individual search for the perfect items to take home with us. Not long into our searches Deb called out to look at this. Well, antiquing with Deb is always like this, she sees and if she doesn't want it personally she calls out to me to come to buy. We work this way. I do the same toward her. It works!!!
I went over and here it was, a long green and white and black sign saying Callie Magee Co Millinery, dry goods, ladies ready to wear, victrolas and radios. It was big. About 12 feet long.
And only about 28 inches tall. A local sign painter has told me it is a very good sign of that era.
It showed her name later added to the sign as Callie Hall and then on the other side her husband's name James Hall. So we bought the sign that day and had to return later to pick it up in a truck. And hence, the name of my business was discovered in an out of the way place.
Now, that is not the end of the story. I got my DBA and the business was born as Callie Magee Antiques. The sign was in place. Then I discovered that the James Hall she married later in life was a distant relative of mine. How about that?
A few months after I opened the store two little old ladies came in the store and asked to see the owner. I said that is me and they said" Which of the Magees are you from?" They had seen my outside sign that was painted saying Callie Magee Antiques and came in. They were from the Magee family and thought I was one of them. It was quite comical. By the time they left, after
a long visit of over an hour, they declared me one of the Magees and said they would bring all the other Magees who came to visit them in to meet me.
So that is the story of how I came to be called Callie Magee Antiques. And why I now answer when customers call me Callie. She is reborn again in me. She was a business woman back in the early 1900's to 1920 and here I am now living her life in some ways. I like thoughts like these and visit them often.
So Theresa, here is my story for all to see.