There is a coming of age irony to my love of things old and cast iron; it all stems from one of the many times my mother said to me “Someday you will look back and realize you are just like me, when you are older.” And every time my mom has said those words to me they couldn’t be more true (Mom, you were right. About everything. Always). You see, my mom and my grandmother before her, always loved antiques. My love for all things old and dusty, however, was a late blooming love much like my love of glittery blue nail polish in 6th grade.

But the way I justify that when I was younger I didn’t like antiques and now do simple: We have different antique tastes. My mom likes things you would find in Europe’s old castles and colonial style furniture where as my love is in cast iron, workman’s tools, and all things old wood.

I’ve always had great luck in out of state antique stores and by far my best and favorite finds are from Marietta shops. And one of my favorites has to be FOUND located in the Historic Harmar Village. The bright yellow and blue building spoke to me as soon as I walked down the brick street and was greeted by a beautiful flower decorated bike, which has since become a DIY pinterest like project I will be working on.

FOUND is full of antique farm house pieces that make me wish every time we hadn’t driven up in a Ford Focus because I know deep down that not even my best Tetris skills could get them packed in the car. A self described “unique shopping experience offering a mix of Traditional American Antiques and Primitive Furniture” it is certainly not your typical antique shop! It is clean and organized with all the pieces displayed in a way that complete each other, not stacked and hidden away because so much is put into a tiny space. If antique stores have a motto, FOUND’s is somewhere between “less is more” and “quality over quantity.”

An absolute “must-go” every time we are in town, I can honestly say that I always find something I’ve been looking for. The first time it happened to be some old printing press drawers that I wanted to use for shelves to store my essential oils in. And every time since then I have had great luck! Even if it is something that isn’t on display, an ask to Chuck and he seems to have it either in the basement or tucked away!

Right across the street is The Train Station, which as the name eludes to is literally 2 train cars that have been converted into an antique shop. Be still my heart. A mix of vintage finds, antique shop gems, and thrift store feel this train car is full of surprises!

If you are in search of vintage pyrex and cookware,this is the place to start your search at because they always have pieces and are incredibly well priced. I’ve managed to find a few gems in there myself, like this little tiny bottle of perfume and the cedar box behind it.

Of course, while I look around Tim always seems to find a guitar to play with or some records to jam out to. We even found Tim’s grandfather’s high school graduating class year book, when the phone numbers in town weren’t yet seven digits!

The Antique Mall of Marietta is another great stop and by far one of the larger antique shops in the area. I have spent hours searching through corners and ever so gingerly shifting things about in my search for the perfect find.

Since the first time we went to Marietta, I have been searching for an original Marietta Brewing Bottle. Normally I am not one to get defeated, but this bottle was quickly turning into Ponce De Leon’s Fountain of Youth. After all it is not east for a bottle to survive over a 100 years. But finally, after 3 trips up to Ohio I found one at the Marietta Antique Mall.

Norwood Antique Mall is the other large antique mall in town. And this 2 story wonder even comes with its own mascot in the form of a very friendly and eager for petting grey cat. This, too, has been the spot of many a great finds for me. And let’s face it, nothing beats a $20 Singer sewing machine that still works!

I am a huge history junkie and maybe its because I grew up in The South that I am fascinated with Civil War and Civil Rights era history. It is crazy to think that it was really only 50 or so years ago that segregation ended in the US.

So often it seems like it was a lifetime ago, yet the subtle reminders of the lack of equality are still around. Surprisingly enough, one of those moments happened in The Anchor Shops on Putnam Street, Marietta when I found this book.

Ever so quickly, our nation’s history came back to haunt me as I decided whether or not to buy the book. Part of me really wanted the piece of history that I would keep as a reminder to always be a good person and fight for the underdog.

The other part of me felt ashamed that I would even consider buying such a hateful piece and the idea of book burning came into my mind. How ironic would it be, to burn this book? How many people would be okay with the idea? This all was because I was reading Fahrenheit 451 at the time. And then I made the decision to buy the book, primarily to have in my collection as a piece of American history but also to ensure that the person who had it wouldn’t use it to carry on hateful ideas.

And just as easily as I found the previous book, I found this notebook. After reading the thoughts of a man from a 1899 memo book and knowing his struggles I feel like I made a friend in the past. I can tell you that he sold 3 chickens to help feed his growing family one week. The next month the snow covered his barn and he said it was “a white blanket of winter saying hello.” And after that he made a list of things he needed to get at the store.