Ahoy vintage nautical mateys!

ATTN: Antique dealers, coastal shop owners, hoarding eccentrics and cottage nerds

This is a bit of a detour from our regularly scheduled programming, so thank you for indulging me! 🌊🦀⚓🌞 I’m selling off my entire collection of vintage nautical and camp (as we call it here in Vermont, or cottage if you like) items.

A while back I wrote about what inspired me to start this collection over 15 years ago and also about deciding to let it go:

Now that some big fires in my life have been put out, I’ve had time to get back into storage and attempt to get my arms around this collection. I’ve been taking photos, measuring, taking stock of it all, enjoying the memories. Remembering rising early at the beach and heading out to the flea market, with a stop at Frosty’s for donuts and coffee first, then returning a half day later with a car full of paintings, needlework, ceramics and one time, a chair. I’ve spent many lazy, muggy hours with my kids at library book sales in Maine and Provincetown, searched thrift stores in towns all over Vermont and across New England, and spent hours upon hours navigating my trawler through eBay and Etsy. It has been such a joy.

But now the time has come for these items to move on, to find proper homes and cottages and camps where they’ll be loved and appreciated and, most importantly, no longer stored away or packed in boxes. I will be selling everything as one lot, and will not be selling any items individually. Sorry, I know this sucks but it’s the only way I can do this efficiently and not turn it into my third job!

I’m currently working on a spreadsheet of all the items (with measurements) and a folder of photos. What’s included here is just a glimpse of what I have, this isn’t even half of it. I will share the spreadsheet and photos with potential buyers once it’s all complete. If you’re interested, simply reply to this newsletter or DM me on Instagram! Serious inquiries only, please.

This collection is all vintage — nothing new — and includes framed original oil paintings, paint-by-numbers, all-wood dimensional artwork. Driftwood sculptures, several lamps (two with nautical patterned paper shades). Vera Neumann items including napkins, tea towels, and china. Unlabeled tea towels with lobster and lobstering illustrations, various Maine items (glassware, metal pill case, note holder, metal coasters and more) and Vermont glassware too. Pinecone juice glasses with gold highlights and pinecone patterned dishware. A child’s dress. A Marushka sailboat tote bag. Various lil boats and a ship-in-a-bottle. Milk glass things. And yup, much more than that.

Am I crazy? Yes, indeed I am! But do I have a good eye? You have to admit I do!

I would deeply appreciate it if you would forward this newsletter to any and all potentially interested folks in your life, especially anyone who’s in search of an instant collection or instant inventory! Again, I am selling EVERYTHING as a lot (although I might be open to dividing it into smaller lots by item type, i.e. artwork, textiles, and so on. Let’s talk). I will deliver just about anywhere in New England, and am hoping to do that in late May, late June, or early July at the absolute latest.

Thank you in advance for any forwarding and posting you do on my behalf and on behalf of all vintage nautical-loving dorks out there in the world! I hope you have a perfectly sunny and salty summer! 🌊🦀⚓🌞

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You can find my books here. You can find more writing here. You can find my work for brands here. You can find me wasting time on Instagram.