Busy November for Antique & Vintage Events

It's November, when thoughts turn to gift-giving, decorating, parties... Here's a list of antique fairs and shows from Cochran's Events section to inspire you.

Nov. 4-6: Hillsborough Antiques, Art & Design Show, San Mateo Events Center. www.hillsboroughantiquesartdesign.com

Hillsborough Antique, Art & Design Fair

Nov. 5: Antique Warehouse Peddler's Parking Lot Sale, 5351 Pirrone Rd, Salida, CA. www.antiquewarehouseauctions.com, (209) 545-9460

Nov. 5-6: Christine Palmer Puyallup Antique Show, www.christinepalmer.net, (503) 282-0877

Nov. 5-6: Puyallup Semi-Annual Sale: Discounts up to 50% off throughout Puyallup's antique district, during the Palmer Puyallup Antique Show. www.antiquedistrict.net, (253) 445-8330.

Nov. 6: Santa Monica Airport Outdoor Antique & Collectible Market, Santa Monica Airport. www.santamonicaapirportantiquemarket, (323) 933-2511

Nov. 12-13: Goat Hill Fair, Santa Cruz Fairgrounds. www.goathillfair.com

Goat Hill Fair

Nov. 13: Sacramento Antique Faire, 21st and X Streets. www.sacantiquefaire.com, (916) 600-9770

Nov. 13: RG Canning Rose Bowl Flea Market, www.rgcshows.com, (323) 560-SHOW (7469)

Nov. 19: Wit's End Monthly Flea Market, Wit's End Vintage & Collectibles, 1433 Tollhouse Rd, Clovis, CA. (559) 905-3674.

Nov. 19-20: Tanner's Marketplace Antiques, Collectibles, Art & Crafts Show, Reno Livestock Events Center. www.tannersreno.com.

Tanner's Marketplace

Nov. 20: RG Canning Ventura Flea Market, Ventura County Fairgrounds. www.rgcshows.com, (323) 560-SHOW (7459)

Nov. 25-26, Dec. 2 & 4: Christine Palmer Christmas Bazaar, Portland Expo, www.christinepalmer.net, (503) 282-0877

Hoosier favorite farm kitchen store?

What do they call people from Indiana? I had to look up the word this morning because it's also what you call a wonderful piece of kitchen furniture called a Hoosier, pictured below. A factory in Indiana made Hoosiers very popular before built-in cabinets were a thing. They had everything: cabinets, an enameled work surface, drawers, often flour bins too!

Here's one from a blog by South End Antiques in Aurora, OR. Beautiful blog, by the way, with lots of photos and news about local events. The current post is all about their farm kitchen finds, and they're awesome! Look up the blog at http://southendantiquemall.blogspot and also find them on Facebook under South End Antique Mall.

The place to be this weekend, for Depression Glass Fans

Depression glass collectors: prepare to be awed at the Sacramento International Depression Glass Club’s twice-annual Show and Sale tomorrow and Sunday, August 13-14. The popular show is in a new venue, at McClellan Conference Center, 5411 Luce Ave in Sacramento.

They’re also expanding the exhibits to include china, pottery, jewelry and linens along with an extensive display of Depression and Elegant glass. Visit their website at ww.idgc.org for a preview.

Classic Cars on Display at Antique Trove

They just don't make cars like they used to. If you love classic cars, and you live in Northern California, don't miss this Sunday's Classic Car Show at Antique Trove in Roseville, CA!

Don't miss these August antique and vintage events!

The Beaverton Flea is every 2nd and 4th Saturday in the parking lot at Curiosities Vintage in Beaverton, OR

So many antique fairs and shows are being held in August, all over the western states! Most of these events have Facebook pages where you can find more details.

August 6: Downtown Martinez Vintage Market, Martinez, CA. 8am-4pm, free. (925) 228-3577

August 6: Antique Warehouse Parking Lot Peddler's Sale & Grand Opening, Salida, CA (209) 545-9460

August 7: Sacramento Antique Faire, 21st & X Streets, Sacramento, CA. 6:30am-3pm, free. (916) 600-9770

August 7: Santa Monica Airport Antique & Collectible Market, 6-8am $7, 8-3pm $4 (323) 933-2511

August 13: Benicia Peddler's Fair, First Street, Downtown Benicia, CA, 8am-5pm, free. (707) 751-1400

August 13: Aurora Colony Days Antique & Vintage Outdoor Street Fair, 8am-4pm. (503) 678-5754. Free, part of weekend long Aurora Colony Days celebration and 160th Birthday Celebration.

August 13: Beaverton Flea, Curiosities Vintage parking lot, Beaverton, OR. 9am-4pm, free. (503) 646-8653

August 13-14: Sacramento International Depression Glass Club Show & Sale, McClellan Conference Center, 5411 Luce Ave, Sacramento. (916) 515-8558

August 14: Rose Bowl Flea Market, Pasadena, CA (323) 560-7469

August 21: Santa Monica Airport Antique & Collectible Market, 6-8am $7, 8-3pm $5 (323) 933-2511

August 21: Vintage Flea Market, Wit's End Vintage, Clovis, CA. 7am-1pm. (559) 905-3674

August 27: Beaverton Flea, Curiosities Vintage parking lot, Beaverton, OR. 9am-4pm, free. (503) 646-8653

August 28: 52nd Annual Niles Antique Faire and Flea Market, Fremont, CA. 6am-4pm. (510) 742-9868

Treasure Trove lives up to their name

Treasure Trove in Stockton, CA is having an estate sale this weekend (July 23-24) that would be worth the drive from anywhere.


The list of items up for sale is breathtaking... An antique primitive blanket chest dated 1857, a set of antique oak barley twist carved figural chairs, original paintings, a huge book collection dating back to the 1700s including a very large Lutheran pulpit Bible dated 1736...Meissen, Waterford, an ornate iron and brass bed, vintage Japanese tansu...

"One of our best," says Annette, and we'd have to agree! See more details at EstateSales.net, or call (209) 547-0433 for info.

Events are happening every weekend in July!

Spectacular silver service at a recent Tanner's Marketplace in Reno

Annual schedules for each of these shows is included in the Events Section of Cochran's Collector's Guide, pgs. 11-19

Gilroy Downtown Flea, Gilroy, CA Saturday, July 9

Christine Palmer Portland Expo, Portland, OR, Saturday & Sunday, July 16-17

Beaverton Flea, Beaverton, OR July 17

Sacramento Antique Faire Sunday, Sacramento, CA, July 10

Tanners Marketplace, Reno NV, Saturday & Sunday July 30-31 DATE CHANGED!

Rose Bowl Flea Market, Pasadena, CA, Sunday, July 10

Santa Monica Airport Antique & Collectible Market, Sunday, July 31

What's Happening This Weekend?

Every Friday Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage in Aurora, OR, features a Funky Find...a new arrival of particular interest. Today's find is an antique oak specimen cabinet salvaged from a biology lab from department of Chiropterology that was filled with preserved bat specimens. Vintage lab furniture is in demand for the well-furnished man cave.

And coming up next Wednesday, April 20, Aurora Mills' new Portland location at 73 SE Salmon St will be participating in the Open House for Design, with food and drinks and a tour of the new location from 4-7 pm.

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Also in Aurora, South End Antiques recently launched their new blog, at Southendantiquemall.blogspot.com, enhanced with lots of bright, beautiful photos from their store.

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Saturday, April 16th from 7 AM until 1:30 PM, Wits End Vintage & Collectibles in Clovis holds their monthly vintage flea market and celebrates their 3rd Anniversary, with refreshments and live entertainment (9-12) and a raffle for Wit's End gift certificates. Better your odds of winning by seeing each vendor in the shop to obtain your free raffle tickets.

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And also on Saturday, in Anderson, CA, Marigold Antique & Collectibles Mall is holding a twofer: a Parking Lot Sale goes from 9am-2pm, and inside the store, their 9am-6pm Spring Open House with discounts up to 50% off. Check out new arrivals in their popular Man Cave!

Cochran's 2016 Collector's Guide in Stores Now

FedEx has delivered the new edition of the Guide to all our advertisers' stores and upcoming shows. We're proud of the new issue and excited about extended coverage in towns like Paradise, CA and Beaverton, OR, which went all out with their Antique Rows, providing the user with a walking tour for a full day of antique browsing.

When you pick up your copy and use it, please tell our advertisers you found them in Cochran's Guide. Owners of these stores will be very pleased to know you found the Guide useful! And your feedback will encourage further expansion and coverage in next year's edition. Happy hunting!

The entire new edition will be uploaded onto this website before the end of the year.

The Collaboration Concept

What I like about antique and vintage stores is that most of them seem to find collaborating rather than competing does much more for the bottom line. The more stores there are in a downtown district, for instance, the more likely a shopper will pull off the freeway, brave downtown traffic, park and tour all the shops.

(The Cochran's Guide encourages that spirit of cooperation by offering free display ads to groups of shops.)

An example: events like the Shop Hop mentioned in our previous post bring people downtown, where they can stop somewhere for coffee or dinner, do some extended, relaxed browsing, and stimulate the local economy.

In Junction City, OR, ten stores are collaborating on a Girlz Night Out sales, drawings and other surprises. Time and Again Collectibles and Gifts at 177 W Sixth Ave will sweeten the deal with a Syrup Tasting of new flavors for all the waffle fiends out there. Ten stores are involved, a great evening's stroll with the girls (I'm sure they'll let in guys, too).

Tomorrow night in Phoenix, Pearly Mae's Resale and Home Again Furnishings and Antiques, neighbors at 4314 and 4302 N. 7th Ave., are having a Happy Hour Sale tomorrow, Sept 18, with both stores open until 8pm.  (Home Again is continuing their sale through the weekend.)

We contribute by promoting events like this, as well as in-store sales, on our Facebook page. If your store is in the Guide, and you're having your own sale, or a community event like Girlz Night, the Happy Hour or Shop Hop, we hope you'll let us know so we can help you toot your horn!

Photos: 1) something new from something old, a spoon bracelet by Spoon Candy, at Time & Again in Junction City, OR.
2) Gorgeously ornate wrought iron patio set at Home Again in Phoenix.
3) Tropical seating ensemble at Pearly Mae's Resale in Phoenix.

A trend we hope will go viral: the Shop Hop!

Nineteen antique stores and boutiques in Central California, from Ripon to Turlock, are sponsoring an Antiques and Boutiques Shop Hop Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3, to encourage shoppers to come out and support locally-owned stores.

First you pick up a "passport" and then you get a "stamp" at each of the stores you visit. Snacks and beverages will be available to keep up your stamina. If you get all 19 stamps and turn in your passport at your last stop, you get a chance to win a gift basket. It's the first time the group has tried this scheme, and I'm eager to see  how it turns out. Organizing it required a lot of creativity, effort and cooperation.

Shop Hops, wine walks, holiday open house events, and other festive occasions encourage store owners to work together, create a little excitement in the neighborhood and remind people how lucky they are to still have locally-owned businesses to support. We are surrounded with strip malls, big box stores and chain stores that reflect nothing of local color and character. And when we patronize them, our money only enriches the Waltons and their ilk, it does nothing to support our own communities.

Several of these 19 stores appear in Cochran's Guide, so you can use our maps to help you find them. Click Contents in the menu above and select each town from our Table of Contents.
• Magpie Antiques and All Things Inspiring in Ripon,
• Antique Avenue in Manteca,
• Antique Warehouse in Salida,
• Antique Emporium and Crow Trading in Modesto,
• Main Street Antiques and Trinkets to Treasures in Turlock.

Bravo to the individuals who put these events together —I wish you great success!

Operators are standing by

We're in the home stretch here at Cochran's, winding up production on the 2016 Collector's Guide. The new edition will have some expanded coverage in Oregon and Northern California, and of course we're continuing the new glossy color section. There is still space for more stores and shows, for one more week.

Option 1: Do-it-yourselfers can get the rate information by simply clicking the PARTICIPATE button above, and selecting whether you have a store, an event, a service or internet business, or an association of several stores. A map of our entire five-state coverage pops up; select your state to see rate info for everything from entry-level descriptive paragraph/map to full page color (actually a twofer: an ad in the color section and another in your geographical section of the book). A button below the rates takes you to an instruction page with dimensions for our quarter-page, half-page and full-page display ads. You can then prepare a camera-ready ad, email it to us as a pdf, include a storefront photo (which comes free if you buy a display ad) and the descriptive paragraph (also free) and you're good to go! We'll do the mapping and get a proof back to you pronto.

Option 2: you can email us at info@cochrans.com or call (866) 585-6162 and we'll email you a rate sheet. Our operator will happily give you all the details, take the information for your descriptive paragraph or help you compose it. We can design a display ad for you too, even put in photo(s) if you have some on your Facebook page or website you like.

But please, don't send us any copy or photos by snail mail, it would not get to Cochran's in time.

A Day's-Worth of Browsing at Niles Antique Faire

One of the oldest antique street fairs in California is hosted the last Sunday of every August by the Niles Main Street Association in Fremont. The 51st Annual Antique Faire and Flea Market is set for August 30, opening at 6am and continuing until 4pm. More than 200 vendors will line the Boulevard, which is also the home of the famed Niles antique row. More than 80,000 visitors will enjoy browsing to the tune of live music by Big Sandy and His Fly Rite Boys —if you go, plan on spending the whole day! Admission is free.

There'll be special sales inside the stores, too. Check it out on Facebook at Niles Antique Faire

A Little Sweet Romance

I've been finding some delightful antique and vintage eye candy on Facebook and various websites. Today the Internet took me to South End Antique and Collectible Mall's Facebook page. Guess I'm in a mood for romantic feminine touches, and I found plenty to like in the bedroom setting on their cover photo and this sweet fainting couch. South End's bright, well-composed photos were a pleasure to look at.


I could swear I smelled roses and lavender when I looked at these photos. Amazing how it lifts the mood. Soft lighting, filmy draperies, floral tapestry, pink coverlets and throws...I'm not a pink kind of person, but here it's just perfect.


Want a romance in your daily grind? South End Antiques and Collectibles Mall is in an old pickle factory on Hwy 99E in Aurora, OR, a popular destination for antique, vintage and collectibles shoppers.

MCM Vintage, a promising start in Chico

Last week a couple of dealers who had space in another large mall in downtown Chico, CA struck out on their own and opened a new multi-dealer store in town, calling it MCM Vintage. It's always exciting to watch these new beginnings, from the grunge work of repairs, hookups and refurbishings on the building, to the erection of the sign identifying your business and welcoming the new dealers as they unpack their merchandise and set up their displays.

MCM Vintage is going with a mid-20th-century theme, sometimes referred to as "Mid-Mod." Sleek Danish Modern furniture and décor such as colorful and fancifully shaped glass. Fun and innovative Steampunk objects. Rugs with geometric designs. Lots of kitchenalia like the gadgets Mom taught cooked with, often much better quality than the Chinese-made appliances available today. And, an MCM specialty, a collection of old vinyl records so large they call that part of the store the Wax Museum. If you grew up in the 50s and 60s you're bound to get a sweet nostalgic rush when you walk into the store, or visit their Facebook page.

Rare Rides in Roseville!

Antique Trove in Roseville, CA has an antique car show series, with the next one Sunday, August 9.
Visit their website at www.antiquetrove.com or see them on Facebook.

Bring on the Bargains...and the Rain!

Whistlestop Antiques in Santa Rosa, CA will be overflowing onto the sidewalk this weekend, Aug. 8-9, with everything 20% off. This sale only happens once a year, so don't miss it if you're in the area. Munch some free popcorn and browse their huge selection, watch Bob the Train Guy demonstrate his trains and meet Betty Boop, world's cutest umbrella stand! Now they just need some rain!

Visit their website at whistlestop-antiques.com and view their Facebook page at Whistlestop Antiques.

Benicia Peddlers' Fair Sat., Aug. 8

They started off small, but now they're a town tradition: Over 52 years the Benicia Peddlers' Fair has grown into 300 select antique and collectible dealers from all over the country, attracting 20,000 visitors, spanning the entire 11 blocks of First Street in the historic town of Benicia, CA. Along the same route are a number of antique and vintage stores to browse. Proceeds from the Fair go to the preservation of St Paul's Episcopal church, built in 1859. Admission is free, and free appraisals are offered by Steve Yvaska. See the Fair's website for more info, www.BeniciaPeddlersFair.org

Photo: Benicia Peddlers' Faire website

Turn It Into a Planter!

Urban Ore in Berkeley puts their passion for recycling, repurposing and Zero Waste into practice by making planters of all manner of things, from wheelbarrows to bathtubs to old tanks. 

And believe it or not, the gardener who has transformed their grounds is named Alice Green! 

For inspiration and an idea of the vast selection of items they've rescued from oblivion and made useful again, visit their website, or their Facebook page.

Silver by candlelight

Candlelight, crystal and silver make any table setting romantic and festive. Pasadena Antiques and Design has a stunning display of sterling silver and silverplate serving pieces and candlesticks. Our favorite: the unusual candlesticks with removable butterflies from Thistle & Bee of London (top). The graceful water pitcher is the "Lancaster Rose" pattern by Poole Silver Plate.
 A real statement piece, the solid silver Spanish tray from the 1920s (bottom). See more of the collection on their Facebook page.