Two Faces of Calabash

After my meeting last week I took the opportunity since I was on vacation to head to see some good friends from New York who happen to spend their summers in Calabash NC.  For those who don’t know where Calabash is, it’s just north of Myrtle Beach over the North Carolina border.  While I knew it was a bit of a drive from Charlotte I had no idea it would be such a long drive – 4 hours of rural highway (i.e. 2 lanes) and not a Chick-Fil-A in sight!  It was so nice to see my pals though and they were so gracious about exploring the area’s vintage scene with me.

Ok I’ll admit it, the name got me.  While perusing through the long list of antique & consignment shops in the area of course I would pick The Fancy Flea Antique Mall and think “ok, this could be a fabulous spot”.  Well, I am here to tell you that while there is a huge selection of goodies at this shop unfortunately it most decidedly is not what I would consider fancy.

Fancy Flea Antique Mall
2763 Hwy 17, Shallotte NC

There were definitely some cool items but you really have to focus and not be distracted by some of the many other not so unique things.  Lots of older things that were still and interesting look but….not anything that was really interesting enough for me to pack & ship home.

Very Cool Vintage VW Peddle Car!

Lots of bottles...I wonder if that Coke is still fizzy...

Perfect Imperfections’ booth contained some really pretty things – mostly of that painted furniture cottage variety I am so fond of.  They specialize in reclaimed, repurposed goods and do a really nice job of displaying their wares.



Perfect Imperfection's booth...love the painted dresser

The variety of goods at The Fancy Flea was really staggering which made for a very interestingly eclectic mix but it was definitely more Flea and less Fancy.

After leaving The Fancy Flea we headed to Miss Minnie’s Antiques and upon entering Miss Minnie’s I was immediately struck by the difference between these shops.  I couldn’t have planned back to back visits at 2 more different spots. 

Miss Minnie's Antiques
4710 Main Street, Shallotte NC

Miss Minnie’s had very select items that very clearly fit with her POV (point of view for those non-Food Network Star fans).  Everything hit the look she was marketing perfectly – very girly!   

Can't you just imagine a lovely little cottage bedroom with
this in it?

 One of the things I likes best about Miss Minnie’s was the clean look of everything in this store – she has perfectly mixed vintage items in with repurposed items and even added in some new “vintage inspired” pieces.

Vintage Inspired Pillows

Repurposed...would love to make this for
my niece's playhouse...

This is the kind of place I like – not mired down with the seriousness some antiques inspire but showing people how to live with and enjoy vintage items.  It’s not about living in a museum folks and Miss Minnie’s shows that perfectly.

Beautiful Ballet dress/shoes!  Perfect condition!