Hi, I’m Kelly!
I’m Kelly, a lifelong thrifter and antique hunter drawn to beautiful and unique objects. Every piece in my shop is sourced in Southern California and chosen for its craft, character, and the story it still carries.
Uncovering The Hidden Stories of Antique & Vintage Treasures
I’m fascinated by the stories these objects tell.
Every object is a puzzle worth solving. Learning how something was made, who might’ve used it, and why it survived is half the joy. The other half is the hope that one day, tucked between ordinary things, there’s an extraordinary find waiting to be noticed.
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Making as Prayer: Mexican Nicho Shrines and the Healing Work of Attention
Mexican nicho cabinet shrines are often described as decorative folk art, but their power comes from intention rather than ornament. They are objects shaped slowly, through attention and reflection, during moments of illness, hardship, or uncertainty.
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Square, Gilded, and In Between: Kyoto Mukōzuke from the Early 20th Century
The modern wasn’t invented all at once. It was arrived at slowly, rediscovered by makers willing to look backward and forward at the same time.
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Henri Pille and the Problem of Being Very Good in 1880’s Montmartre
Pille stood in the middle of a remarkable artistic moment, surrounded by artists whose names would become permanent. His disappearance from the market asks an uncomfortable question: who decides what endures, and why?
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Following the Clues: Identifying Avi Thaw’s Folk Revival Cityscapes
These folk revival cityscapes sent me on a surprisingly fun research hunt. Hidden self-portraits, real New York locations, and a few very cheeky clues led me to uncover the artist.
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Pretty Green Pots: Shiwan Ware and the Beauty of Everyday Kilns
These green pots were made in large numbers, but quality varies widely. Learn what separates ordinary examples from those worth collecting.
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Acoma Pottery: An Unbroken Tradition of Precision and Patience
The Acoma Plateau, often called Sky City, is widely recognized as the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States. For more than a thousand years, Acoma potters have shaped clay gathered from the surrounding mesas into vessels that are both functional and astonishingly refined. Long before pottery was made for collectors, it was made…