anyway, there's this store in denver called Old Glory Antiques Urban Home + Design (yeah i used capital letters, so it's a big deal).
OGA facebook
OGA twitter
www.oldgloryantiquesinc.com
my mom owns it and operates it, which might make me bias, but really, being unbiased is overrated. she puts more work into this store than i've ever seen anyone put into anything, and it definitely shows.
it's one of the coolest retail stores in colorado, and probably the country, and probably the world. the merchandise is a mix of old and new, combining beautiful and worn antiques with art, jewelry, and other new merchandise. it's definitely a local favorite, and it's gotten more and more attention over the years (see their website for press and stuff if you don't believe me, and even if you do believe me). it's a beautiful space and environment, and at any given time, there are customers in the store saying how the space and arrangements have inspired them to make their own houses look cooler and less...well, less bad. she's an expert stylist and a wizard of creating beautiful arrangements with all kinds of antiques, ephemera, art, jewelry, and anything else she has in the store. her creativity would put picasso to shame and her brilliance for business would put steve jobs to shame.
just some of the great stuff she has regularly stocked and the stuff she hunts all over the country for to bring to eager customers:
(all pictures taken by candy rice)
my mom's store has been a constant source of pride and fun and happiness for my whole family ever since i was about 6 and she opened her doors to the world (at a different location). really, retail is in my blood. so watch out for that umbrella store. it's coming so just hold off buying any umbrellas for a while, please. it'll be worth the wait.
anyway, ever since me and my brothers were little, my parents would take us along on all their trips to hunt for great antiques, and whether it was smelly kansas (no offense to kansas), hot oklahoma (some offense to oklahoma), or anywhere else in the country, it was always fun. my mom taught me to live for the hunt. which would definitely explain my addiction to etsy and internet shopping these days.
small business owners have it harder than anyone, and my mom's success has shown me the real value of hard work and sticking it through hard times.
"it takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." [ee cummings]
this is a quote my mom lives by, and she has taught all of her children to live by it too. despite the hard work and challenges along the way, she has been able to grow up and create her dream store and live her life with love and light every day. and that is something i admire more than anything else. i always used to wear those life is good shirts in middle school (simpler times) and i never really understood why the tags always said LET WHAT YOU LOVE BE WHAT YOU DO. but now i do since i'm finally old enough to see how much my mom loves what she does every day. she is completely dedicated to making people happy with a perfect mix of antiques, framed quotes, good smells, inspirational arrangements, and just genuine, authentic, pure kindness. and that makes the store so much more awesome.
so, long story short, if you're anywhere near denver or colorado, or really, if you're in america or even a human being living on earth (no astronauts or aliens please), you should come check out Old Glory Antiques Urban Home + Design and see what it's all about. you can get a lot more than great furniture and accessories here. it's certainly my favorite store. it's also the single most significant thing that's helped me figure out what i want to do with my life. watching hgtv is probably a close second. and then the color blue after that. but really, who knows what goes on in my head?
even if you don't live in denver, support local businesses and all. it's where you can find the real good stuff, not chain stores. and that's hard for me to admit because of my crippling addiction to ikea and west elm and pottery barn. but for real, local is where it's at. and even more specifically, old glory is where it's at.
sorry for ending a sentence in a preposition. twice in a row. my mom taught me better that that.
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