Bestmaid Children's Tableware

 

A vintage set of 'Bestmaid" Children's plastic tableware that we picked up from my most favorite antique mall for just 5 bucks.

This mall is in the next town over and pre-covid we would make it a day trip, going to some thrift stores, other neat shops, and getting lunch at a our favorite retro styled pizza restaurant, such a good time.  However for the past 2 years we have drastically cut back our outings for obvious reasons (ie: Covid and we live in Florida, two deadly things combined) and have only ventured over there twice.  We happened to be in the area back in October, not a planned visit, and decided to swing in.  I was stopped in my tracks when I read the sign by the front door " Last weekend, owners retiring".  I have been shopping at this antique mall for 20 years. It's a part of my history and my life.   I have so many things all over my house that I have bought from there and posted on here.  I loved the way the building smelled.  Everyone knew, no hesitation that The Rusty Cricket* was my favorite antique shop. I was even once at an estate sale run by some friends several years ago and the antique owner happened to be shopping there too.  My friend kinda dragged the owner over to me telling her I was her number one fan.

I loved that they played music from the 1940-60s on the over head.  I loved that it was a real vintage/antique mall having actual old stuff... I know, who would think?  There weren't booths of handmade big hair bows and discarded cookbooks from 2008 like 90 % of "antique malls" in our area are, along with those blasting cringy country music crap.  I know in the big scheme of things this isn't or shouldn't be a big deal.  But it was truly my happy place and I am devastated.   

Mr. Husband and I took our time and browsed the store.  Apparently the whole place had been on sale for the week and it was fairly picked over.  I only found a few things, one of them being this set of plastic kid's toy eating utensils...something that is so me.

I scanned the package card for you all to use for your crafting pleasure!

So then to make matters worse and complicated, we called our friend (the one mentioned earlier) and were like Hey did you know Rusty Cricket* is closing up?  He then tells us a side of this story that made me question my commitment.  Our friend knows a lot of dealers due to his business and the shop is also in the neck of the woods where he grew up, so he knows the gossip.   He first tells us that the owner didn't tell the dealers about the shop closing until the week before, leaving them in a bad spot.  He also told me that the owner is a nutsy anti-mask idiot!  Once he was loading something into her shop and she tells him she would prefer if he didn't wear his mask.  What the?!  Like I said earlier...Florida.

So now I am in this weird state of feelings, having to separate the positive experience of the shop from the morons that ran it.

But to not leave this post on such a negative spot, a couple of weekends ago I had a last minute crazy idea for Mr. Husband and I to drive over to Alabama and go to an estate sale.  It was the last day and only 20 percent off, meaning I figured it wouldn't be packed out with people.  Since Alabama is a hour or so drive away I decided to look up a few other fun spots for us to stop at too.  One was a thrift store and the other was a super cute antique mall!  It only carried vintage what-nots and doodads (no bows!), had really good prices and was housed in a neat mid century modern building.  

I think I may have found myself a "rebound" however it's a long distance relationship.

*Name changed since gossip is involved