Saturday, July 11, 2009

Review - Morro Bay Antique Shops

Alas, I remember a time when Morro Bay was chock full of antique shops. This was way back when I collected rhinestone jewelry. 25 years later, hardly a one.

One of the shops from the old days is Harbor Gun Shop on Morro Bay Blvd. It is as it says, primarily a gun shop. Hundreds of rifles line the walls, ammunition is stacked up throughout the store, and he even has some military ammunition boxes. In addition to the guns, there are loads of books, mostly on military history or guns. Also, in some cases are some random antique stuff, mostly related to guns, military or ammunition. This is the place to go if you are looking for vintage guns or books on guns.

Down the street from the gun shop is Mikkelson's Antiques, a small shop that features vintage glass, pottery and jewelry. I believe this is the only surviving antique shop from the golden years of Morro Bay antique shops. A wonderful display of art pottery and art glass, with an owner who knows her stuff!! The inventory does not shift too often, but she will add more items as she acquires them. Not really my style, so I probably won't shop here more than once a year, but the owner is so friendly and the inventory so fun to look at I will visit every chance I get.

Brenda Sue's Consignment Shop used to be sort of a combination of thrift store and antique mall. There used to be many booths where you could find antique or collectible items. I was there yesterday and was so disappointed in the current selection. There was literally only one booth that featured the type of items I shop for. Most of the booths had only new items, lots of vintage clothing and new jewelry. Home-made crafts are also featured quite a bit now. I used to visit here often to catch the seasonal items, but no longer.

I have to give you a warning about Antiques et cetera, on Main at Quintana. This building has been here forever, and I recall a past incarnation where they actually had real antiques here. Not so now, at least I couldn't find any when I browsed yesterday. What I did find was lots of new and imported furniture. And, unfortunately, some bad reproductions of Roseville pottery. I say unfortunately because they were not labelled as reproductions. At least they were not priced as the originals. If you want to compare these to the real thing I suggest that you go to Mikkelson's on Morro Bay Blvd. Even if they had some real antiques in here, I wouldn't trust them due to the many reproduction and new pieces offered for sale here. This is a good place if you are looking for decorator pieces at a reasonable price, as long as you don't purchase them thinking they are antiques as the name of the shop implies!! I will not be returning here anytime soon.

Here's to hoping that some of the empty storefronts will become antique shops in the near future!!

UPDATE: Well, since I originally posted, five more shops have opened up.

Treasures opened up in the building that used to be the Cotton Ball on Morro Bay Blvd. It is a mall style shop and I stopped in when it first opened up. There were some good spots, and a good selection of books in the back corner. The next time I went in things had changed quite a bit. Many of the spots were full of new items, including a lot of large furniture pieces. I was there the day before yesterday and found hardly anything that was of interest. Most of the items in there are new, and there were a lot of furniture booths. This is too bad, because it is a great space and could have been a great shop. I have been in there when it is crowded and there is only one person behind the counter. I have to wonder about all the furniture, too. It is almost like someone is using the shop as a place to store the pieces when they are not being used. I will probably return here but so far nothing has jumped off the shelf for me.

A couple of doors up from the Bay Theatre is another new shop called Jule's. It is also a mall style shop, with quite an eclectic selection including antiques, collectibles, and some ethnic imported items. I have been here twice and have not found anything of interest. Again, I will probably return just in case some piece catches my eye in the future.

Today I found Hwy 41 Antiques out on highway 41 next to Miner's. They have a great location, with the crowds coming and going from Miner's. It is a mall style shop, with an odd assortment of goods. There are a lot of ethnic type items, and natural stone beads. Many of the booths feature newer items. They are just opening up so there are still some empty booths. I will go back to see if any new booths open that are interesting.

Yesterday I discovered a new shop on lower Morro Bay Blvd. called Salvage, it is a darling shop that has a nice selection of true antiques, as well as some items that have been restored for home decorating. I was happy to see that they had some of the vintage pottery I collect, unfortunately I already had all the pieces she had for sale in my pattern. I will return here often to check out the selection of new items.

This new shop, Antiques & Collectables opened up recently on N. Main, next to that cool Art Deco styled building that always seems to be up for rent these days!! Look for the wacky painting of a lady that is displayed on a tall pole. I heard that these two guys moved to town and opened up this shop. I wandered around and was pleased to find a nice selection of true antiques and collectibles. So many of the shops these days feature vintage clothing and jewelry, most have a lot of new items. I drive by this shop and they often have a little yard sale going on along the side of the building. One of these days I won't be in a hurry and I will have to check the sale out!!

Review - Morro Bay Thrift Stores

Achievement House

Morro Bay offers many thrift store options, my favorite is the Achievement House store on Morro Bay Blvd. They offer a wide selection of affordable items, and support a good cause. I like the hand-made price tags on the jewelry and the selection of books. They even have a little video-viewing station in the back. I have found great kitchen items here, knitting needles, and other household goods. They have books, magazines, record albums, and videos. They even have music scores!! They are always friendly and I will always shop here. A side note, check out their warehouse store at the back of the Cuesta College campus.


Castaways

Castaways is another thrift shop on Morro Bay Blvd, specializing in vintage clothing. There is also a large selection of books, DVDs, and a small selection of random thrift store staples which are a bit overpriced. If you are looking for some sand dollars and other quirky souvenirs, check out this shop. There are a lot of books, but they are hard to get at, I found some good ones here the other day which were on sale.

Fabulous Finds

I love Fabulous Finds, on Napa by the post office. They are a church-run shop and don't always have predictable hours. But, if you see the red, white, and blue banners outside, they are open. The prices are fair and the inventory is constantly updated. I have purchased several items here, including a Cornishware tea pot, a vintage chrome Sunbeam mixer, and a cast aluminum ice cream scoop!! The ladies are nice and they really take their time arranging the items for display.

The Good Flea

The Good Flea on Quintana at Main has been around for a long time, and just recently changed hands, again. The previous owner's remodeled it and opened it up a bit, the new owner has closed it up again!! The previous owner's prices were less steep than the owners before, but now the new owner has returned to steep prices. Most of the inventory is the same, but I miss all the books that the previous owner used to sell. Most of the items seem like someone just cleaned out their house and put it all up for sale at high prices. They offer a new area for clothing, so that might add to the shopability. I wish that the great deals could be found here again, but I will still shop here and hope for the best.

Brenda Sue's Consignment Shop

Brenda Sue's Consignment Shop used to be sort of a combination of thrift store and antique mall. There used to be many booths where you could find antique or collectible items. I was there yesterday and was so disappointed in the current selection. There was literally only one booth that featured the type of items I shop for. Most of the booths had only new items, lots of vintage clothing and new jewelry. Home-made crafts are also featured quite a bit now. I used to visit here often to catch the seasonal items, but no longer.

Love me 2 times

This shop is on Morro Bay Blvd at Main, it recently changed hands. I have been in here a couple of times, but am disappointed. They have a lot of clothing. I think they need to beef up their household, antique, and collectibles or they will not stay open for long.

Review - Restaurant - Dutchman's Seafood House

This restaurant used to be called The Flying Dutchman. It has recently been renamed "Dutchman's Seafood House" and has been majorly renovated. Gone are the kitschy booths and pirate-themed wall decor. They sort of "fancied" it up. I was happy to see that there were many diners in attendance the day I lunched there. They still offer bottomless sodas, and their servers are quite friendly. Their menu is rather fish- and seafood-oriented, but they offer a grilled chicken breast on the side, and there are several beef items, as well.

I was happy that I was able to order my cheeseburger cooked medium-rare. Their lightly seasoned french fries were great, crisp and slightly seasoned -- no ketchup needed. There were several that were overcooked, though. The bun is buttered and slightly toasted, which was great because the burger was so juicy!!

As usual, I ordered the side salad minus cucumber and tomato, which left a pretty naked salad. The green lettuce was good, and there was plenty of blue cheese dressing. The croutons were good, too, even if they were not homemade. It was rather expensive for a side salad, though. They brought out the salad early for me, but neglected to bring a new fork with the burger.

I will definitely return here, perhaps when there is a group of people. The view is fantastic, the servers are friendly, and if you have their old "locals-only" off-season discount card don't throw it away, they still honor it if you show it to them. I will return here, especially with my friends when they visit from out-of-town!!