I am a very organized individual with a wavy brain filled to the brim with ideas that often distract me, but an antique store calms my soul. I pace and examine each case lined with the curving maze of vintage necklaces and extravagant brooches. These twinkling colors almost come across as a calming pattern to me, as if I am dancing in the isles. Antique stores are not for the past to be put away and forgotten, but rather they showcase the beauty, horror, and intricacy or history of life.

For some time my home as been filled with the memories in the form of vintage records and the traditions of overused holiday decor. Recently, more and more antique items have been collected by both me and my father and put mainly in the living room or first-floor area. An old 1940s Kodak camera sits beside a secretarial typewriter from around the same era made by Smith & Corona. Sometimes I’ll use the new ink and paper to do creative writing and somehow it creates way more peace than the electronic devices I also use to communicate my thoughts.

An old trunk sits in the same room as other past decor items and it holds blankets and warmth for cozy winter nights. This item has a history like many others across the globe. People may be renting areas of markets across states and countries for the hope of gaining profit. Some renovate and add love and longevity to items possibly on the brink of being tossed in the garbage. These actions are what maintain the stores and that help us recall history that makes us continue on. Whether I hold a vintage glass cup with delicate stenciling from someone unknown or I look upon a photo of my great grandmother beside a vintage automobile, I then completely understand the beauty of being surrounded.