Brad Stephens Found Objects

Well finally, we got our friend Brad Stephens to Blog a little.  Brad is so much fun that his blog has got to be great.  He takes life to the extreme.  This year he has taken on the project of completely changing the color of his home from ho hum to a wowing Pumpkin.  I  just had to see that.  So, last fall I got my Mother into the car and took a ride down the sedate road in Rural Irvington Va. to see the Pumpkin house.  It was awesome.  The trees behind his house showed an array of fall colors and his home sat nestled in among the foliage.  What a great choice!  His home is now the jewel of the street even though it is not the grandest.

Today he brought in Photos of his newly decorated home.  He recently acquired a vintage black leather sofa from our shop.  This was the catalyst that began the transformation of his living room and his dinning room.  It has been a year or so since he entertained us in his home.  It was an experience.  Everything has changed since then maybe several times.  Brad is a collector of found things.  He arranges them artfully.  His home is a showcase of items that he loves.  Fortunately for Brad he is married to Angie, who must be an Angel to put up with the constant rearranging with which her husband participates.  Although every time he redoes his home, it gets better and better.  He sells his wonderful finds in order to be able to redo all over again!  We all have our addictions.  We are addicted to the Hunt.  There are always new treasures to be found. Check out his Blog!

http://bradstephensfoundobjects.blogspot.com/

Manhattan in Mayberry

Many people are surprised when they come to the Northern Neck of Virginia. Kilmarnock and our two neighboring towns of Irvington and White Stone are very small communities located within a few miles of each other almost like neighborhoods in a larger city. We have antique shops that rival those of big cities. I've already written about Lewis Trimble Decorative Arts & Antiques and our neighbor Comer & Co.. There is also a very large and well run Antique Mall, Kilmarnock Antique Gallery. To the south of Kilmarnock about four miles you will come to a great little town, White Stone. Here you will also find wonderful places to visit. There is Trimble's Tavern Antiques, yes we are related. Chris Trimble is my oldest son. Mothers do brag, but truthfully Chris has an amazing shop. We moved to the Williamsburg area when he was a young boy. Introduced to American History, he loved being able to ride his bike into the colonial area and feel a part of the history. His shop is like walking into a colonial Virginia home. It is full of 18th and 19th century artifacts, furniture, paintings, pewter, and anything else that might apply. Behind his shop he has a wood working shop where he restores and makes his own furniture.

Another shop is called Farm it is a charming shop full of unique items that bring the feel of a comfortable and stylish home. They mix the antique with the unusual and great youthful clothes and accessories. http://www.farmintown.com/ Check out their blog too http://www.farmintown.blogspot.com/

There are many great places to eat or to buy take out foods Like the River Market, White Stone and Carried Away Cuisine, Kilmarnock. Great dining places such as The Seven Martini Bar,White stone, Nate's Trick Dog, and The Tides Inn, Irvington, just to mention a few. There are other great shops too many to mention and Interior decorators too.