Category: Stores

Rockin’ Thru the Ages Antiques and Collectibles – East Laconia New Hampshire

We were having such a great day we weren’t ready to go home just yet so we looked up another antique store and found the Rockin’ Thru the Ages Antiques which was… an absolute riot. LOVED this place! It was the only antique store I’ve ever been to that had mini golf course out the back door. And inside? A rock wall. Clearly this place used to be something else but now it was an antique store I was loving how quirky it was.

This place was after my heart when right at the entrance there was two ventriloquist dummies sitting on the floor, slack-jawed, just gawking at people coming in. One was a Howdy Doody and the other was the same dummy I keep finding and not being able to buy. He was fully intact and only $35 and obviously almost came home with me. Only reason he didn’t was because he ended up being a pull string doll instead of a proper ventriloquist dummy. SIGH. SO CLOSE.

The main floor of this place was nice, spacious, good variety of things. My companion was a little weirded out by the display case of Nazi medals at the back. I was more freaked out by the wrought iron handcuffs that had a little label stating they were from a prison back in the day. Clearly an otherwise bright and happy store had this weird corner of human depravity. We shuffled off.

Downstairs was more fun because it was the epitome of basement antiques. SO MANY CLOWNS. And they were all hobos. Why? NO IDEA. I was already working through my own hobo related trauma after learning Candy Mountain, that sweet, adorable children’s song, actually had several lyrics that were censored from the final cut. Basically, it was narrated by a runaway boy telling a hobo pedophile to fuck off. And that’s what I was thinking about when I saw the hobo clowns. Adding clown make-up to the mix did not help.

All kidding aside this place had some weird things including a leather wine holder in the shape of a rooster. And the prices were unbeatable. I found an antique ceramic Jack-O-Lantern and brought him home for $5.

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Defiant Records and Craft Beer – Laconia New Hampshire

You find the weirdest things when you’re not looking for anything in particular. I remember reading something that was basically a whole belief system based on the power of going on daily walks. And you know what? As kooky as it sounds I’m not going to disbelieve there isn’t some whimsical hand of chaos at play here.

A great example of this was Defiant Records and Craft Beer. I am a teetotaler. I do not go to bars. But on this day we were walking down the street exploring and on the look out for a bathroom. We thought this establishment might be obliging to such a thing and they were! ‘Course there was only one stall so as I waited for my companion I was left to look around and this place… it was nice! A sweet little hipster bar in the middle of Laconia selling used records in the back for five bucks a pop. How cute is that?? Also loved the bloody Jason mannikin at the entrance.

I don’t know man, if I were into alcohol or looking to cruise for a date in the area this might be a fun little stop.

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New Hampshire Vintage Vinyl – Laconia New Hampshire

After spending a delightful afternoon in the Laconia Antique Center we decided to continue the day by taking a stroll down the street to see what Laconia had to offer. It’s always a fun way to get to know the personality of a town. So, with nothing in mind we ambled aimlessly and found a sweet little record shop.

I love going into these places. They’re usually super small, cramped, dark little dungeons full of old records in milk crates. This place… it was quite a bit more modern. It was well lit with an open-air feel. Records were scattered in various parts of the shop but the rest had musical instruments, supplies, CDs, and other media. It was like a tiny musical Woolworths. With interesting decorating style as the walls were plastered with music posters and similar imagery.

I don’t know if this place takes part in Record Store Day but it should. It’d be a nice stop!

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Innisfree Bookshop Laconia New Hampshire

The last few independent bookstores we wandered into were… underwhelming. I think they were going out of business. So, it was refreshing to find a little bookstore that actually seemed to be doing well. This was an adorable little main street bookshop. It wasn’t big but the variety was nice. They even had a small game section, some plushies, and children’s room out back but I was too distracted by the local history section. What a selection! This place knew I was coming!

I ended up with THREE local history books relating to the cemeteries, folklore, and fantastic events. I felt that they might be great inspiration for further travel adventures. And we shall see! I had to leave after finding three books because if I didn’t, I would have bought that whole shelf.

The woman at the counter was very sweet and gave me a cool extra sturdy bag because I said I was just travelling through and walking through the streets finding different shops. It was great because we weren’t anywhere near the car anymore and it held all my books with ease. I think I’ll be stopping in here again in the future to paw through the local history section again. Never have I seen such a great selection!

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Laconia Antique Center – Laconia New Hampshire

Sometimes we end up at destinations just because that’s where our lazy google searches suggest. This one came up because it was the largest antique center in New Hampshire and we figured it’d be worth the drive. And it was! My goodness!

It was two VERY full floors and some of the things here were definitely different from other antique stores! One corner seemed to have a collection of automatic playing pianos, organs, and an old timey wooden telephone booth that looked like it may have been ripped from someone’s 1930’s parlor. Just aside that there was a FULL 1950’s SODA FOUNTAIN COUNTER with stools, shiny equipment, and an endearing menu that included milkshakes, frappes, and root beer floats. I have no idea when they had a server around but it wasn’t today. Sadly. I wouldn’t have minded a root beer float. I was fondly remembering the first time I ordered one in front of a group of horrified Europeans. Apparently, the rest of the world does not lob gobs of ice cream into their soda. Their loss! It’s a fun way to get diabetes. Did I mention the music they were playing here was mostly 1950’s hop music? So. Flipping. Cute.

The rest of the first floor was filled with the usual vendor booths and small items. A lot were clearly marketed towards bikers which made sense as Laconia Bike Week is huuuge every summer. Other books included a fascinating volume of English history, a book on cryptids, and lots of weird recipe books. Scattered among them were a lot of plastic dolls in varying levels of creepiness. There was even a possessed Snow White with red eyes. Why red eyes? No idea. Maybe she was getting ready for Halloween. There was also a tub of 30 naked Barbies for $45 which I had to debate not buying because I really want to start doing creepy doll make overs… the artist in me is bored. Or just procrastinating being an adult. Whatever you believe.

Speaking of letting my inner child play the upstairs was ADORABLE. There were a series of fully set up model trains with complete villages. And hidden among one we found Ninja Turtles protecting the streets from… bad guys? I forgot what Ninja Turtles fight but they were there! So were some dinosaurs. Because we like to be historically accurate these days. There were signs up letting you know when the trains run – only a few hours every weekend. It’s a bleeding shame we were there on a weekday because I think my heart may have melted if they were running.

We left empty handed that day but that’s mostly because I don’t have a cabin in the woods to install an old cast iron cook stove. This place was wonderful and well worth the drive. If you are looking for a little antiquing adventure punctuated with lots of nostalgia you absolutely should check this place out!

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Green Fields Market – Greenfield Massachusetts

It’s kind of funny, I am a bit jaded because I have been so many places and done so many things but it’s always a real joy for me to bring someone along who hasn’t. After enjoying quite a good chunk of time at Whitney Hall Antiques we decided to amble up the street a bit and see what was there in the way of shops and whatnot. And the first we came to was a grocery store. My companion was curious so we went in.

We were immediately greeted by an impressive produce section for a city market. It seemed to have everything – loose hot peppers of all kinds, fresh full figs, several other fruits and berries I had little to no recognition of, and all the usual things you find but so fresh looking! I was impressed. This was almost a farmer’s market.

As we walked in further I found the first fresh kombucha machine I’d ever encountered with no less than four flavors to choose from. As much as I appreciate the health benefits of a good kombucha I had to pass. That stuff really smells. But to each their own! Around the corner there was a grind your own coffee bean station with several different varieties to choose from and there was a whole isle dedicated to bulk things which included but was not limited to carob chews, granola, various oats and grains, dried beans, nuts, really anything you could think of being dispensed in such a way.

I’d been to these little hippie/hipster markets before and I absolutely adore them. I used to get granola at a place like this to put on top of my yogurt in the morning. It’s these simple luxuries that can make life so worth the little moments.

ANYWAY, if you’re in town check it out! Never know what delicious thing you’ll find. (And also props to the giant paper mâché cow sitting above the dairy! It was adorable!)

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Whitney Hill Antiques – Greenfield MA

One thing about exploring new places is that if you do it often enough you will run out of things to poke at in the area and will have to travel farther and farther away. That’s when it’s nice to have stops along the way! On this particular venture we wandered to a different corner of Massachusetts, one I had very little familiarity with. At the end of our destination, we were promised a large antique store, and we were not disappointed!

Whitney Hill Antiques is a multi-vendor antique mall that spans over three eccentric floors. As with every antique store we go to this one had its own character and on this particular day that would be because it was LOADED with paintings, photos, and other portraits of probably long dead children. You know the sort of thing you hang on your wall as an insta-ancestor or to beckon a haunting at your place. Seriously. Creepy, haunted, children. Swarms of them.

Not to be outdone there was also an assortment of terrifying dolls – one was even three feet tall. Don’t do that. Don’t make dolls 3 feet tall. It’s alarming. Another bizarre find was the first porcelain doll I have ever seen that possessed a mask. Why, I could not tell you. Perhaps it needed to hide its identity while haunting some poor child’s bedroom.

With this many vendors there was A LOT to go through and we spent a few hours here just overwhelmed by the variety of weird things. And most were pretty decently priced too. This definitely wasn’t a high-end market. I didn’t bring anything home this time, but this is definitely somewhere I would visit again and suggest to others who may be in the area.

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Somero Maple Farm – New Ipswich New Hampshire

You ever have one of those moments when you’re driving down the road and you see an interesting sign but you’re on your way somewhere else and don’t have the leisure to go poke at something? That’s what happened the day I hiked the Ponamah Bog. I was driving there when I saw a sign promising maple syrup which just by coincidence I’d run out of earlier that day on a sweet batch of wheat pancakes. I tried to make a note in my head to remember on my way back but that’s always a super dicey prospect when you have flagrantly untreated ADD.

Well! You wouldn’t believe it but several hours later I was still hankering for maple syrup when I remembered to look for the sign on the way back. It’s a small sign and it points vaguely down a country road with the instruction that it was a mile down said road from the sign. Oh boy. I just love these little sketchy adventures I go on by my lonesome.

I drove for quite a while until I came to an intersection. The sign didn’t say anything about an intersection. Had I gone too far? No! For there was another sign promising I was close! And so I was.

I drove into a small parking lot of what was clearly a farm but there wasn’t a soul about. It said something about a gift shop but it looked dark. I slinked uncertainly up to the door which had one of those digital number locks on it. This was not feeling great…. so I peered in through what looked like a darkened window and guess what? I saw the cutest damn gift shop I’d ever seen! So I tried the door handle and it wasn’t locked! I walked into a tiny one room temple to the glory of maple syrup.

Here I found all color variations of maple syrup in every size from adorable nips to a full gallon. And there was flavored maple syrup! In coffee and cinnamon. And maple syrup BBQ sauces, maple salt water taffy, honey, fresh eggs, cute NH related swag… this place knew I was coming.

I grabbed a half gallon of maple syrup like I was the goddamn ham burglar. And those sweet little maple leaf shaped cookie cutters! Obviously I needed eggs too and a teeny tiny whisk because it was shiny.

Then I didn’t know what to do because how was I to pay for this? I muttered to myself getting distracted as I wandered to what sort of looked like a counter. There I found detailed instructions on how and where to leave exact change (or a check but c’mon I’m not 80.)

This place was so adorable… I just can’t. If you’re in the area and in need of maple anything this is your place. You need to come here.

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One Stop Country Pet Supply Keene NH

Today I decided to go to the last pet shop that’s within an hour of home. As usual I was looking for somewhere that might sell aquatic plants, a search which has been so unfruitful I had literally no expectations for this place. I’ve been here once when the place first opened but that was years ago and at the time all it had was pet supplies. No fish, no critters. I didn’t think anything had changed until a friend told me I really needed to check out the fish. The fish?

This place is right next to Home Depot which was convenient considering I broke the sink trying to set up an RO water filter for my own fish babies. I had to go in there anyway, might as well just wander over to the pet store and take a peek… Maybe rescue a Betta for cheap or free. I’d heard of other people going to large chain pet stores and purposely picking Bettas that are two breaths away from death, convincing the staff they’d never sell it alive, and getting insane discounts on said fish, sometimes even bringing them home for free! If you’re talented enough to nurse it back to health you can get decent Bettas this way.

As I walked in the first thing I noticed was a very good variety of wet dog and cat food. Lots of leashes and whatnot. The place was very open, very clean, and the cashier was wearing a mask which is much appreciated by immune suppressed self. I didn’t see any critters or fish tanks but I walked to the back of the store and there they were. The first thing I saw was a rack of Betta fish in the usual plastic cups but unlike all the other pet stores these cups were hooked to same water as all the fish tanks and the Bettas were SO HEALTHY and vibrantly colored! I had never seen Bettas this robust in all my years of poking around pet stores. There wasn’t a ton of them but the ones that were here were amazing and they were sitting next to cups of various kinds of moss that was just as healthy! I expected these fish to be top dollar as they were so perfect and was shocked at their low prices. They ranged from $6-14 each. And then I saw him – a gorgeous dark blue crown tail. AHHHH. I have a particular fondness for crown tails and aside from pictures online I’d never seen one with full fins like this. Turning the corner there was also a female crown tail for $7! The male was $10. I had been planning on buying a pair of crown tails online and was expecting to pay $25 a fish plus shipping, this was a steal! They came home with me with a little tub of Taiwan Moss.

As I continued deeper into the fish section I noticed it was small but had a fairly decent variety and everything was intensely robust. Even better they had plants! For very decent prices! FIRST time I’d seen this in the area. I was impressed. A single saltwater tank had a very well-fed clownfish. Nearby the reptile section had a solitary resident, a large and vibrant chameleon. Chameleons are notorious for being hard to keep healthy so seeing this guy here was eye-opening. At the front of the store there was guinea pig, some mice, and rats, all in large very clean enclosures. Everyone was bright eyed and glowing.

I am going to be back to this place! HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED. And in the meantime if you’re wondering how my two new babies are doing – the female is a voracious eater and the male is very very docile for a male. I have yet to name them.

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Oh My Gosh Antiques and Collectibles – Sterling MA

We found yet another win with this one! This antique store really stood out for having 4 dedicated display rooms full to the brim with Halloween antiques. They weren’t for sale as they were the private collection of the owner but wow, they were fun to gawk at just the same! And there was actually a number of Halloween antiques throughout the store that were for sale as well. It all delighted me to the core. I am SO HAPPY to see Halloween becoming a serious competitor for Christmas. It makes my darkened heart leap for joy. A win for all the freaks among us!

But back to the antique mall – this place was pretty sizable and had a very good diversity of dealers. It had multiple floors, all in a barn-like environment that got sweatier the further up you climbed but honestly at this point I feel like that’s part of having an authentic experience at these places.

There was a lot to find – old movie memorabilia, creepy dolls, tons of cutesy country chic decor, a whole room of homemade soaps and body butters, a display cabinet full of dolls who had heavy metal make overs by what I am guessing is a local artist. All gave this place a lot of personality. I loved it. Would highly suggest giving this place a little lookey loo if you’re into these sorts of things.

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