The very best place to shop for antiques in the Bay Area is the monthly Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Fair at the former Naval Station in Alameda, California.  This place is a zoo!  Hundreds of vendors and thousands of customers frequent this event and for good reason:  the selections are incredible.  Regulations are strict – there are no reproductions allowed and everything sold must be at least twenty years old.  It almost ended with a dispute between the partners several months ago, but fortunately the Antique Fair lives on. 

My lucky stars aligned again on Sunday, for who should I happen to run into ?  None other than the amazingly talented Eddie Ross and his partner Jaithan.  Eddie was giving a tour that morning to a sold out crowd.  How fortuitous to run into one of my greatest inspirations in such an incredibly crowded venue !

Eddie is very charming in person, and was so gracious to take the time to talk to me.  Jaithan is equally delightful in person.  Doesn’t Eddie have the best smile ?  I told him how excited I was for his special on HGTV – did you catch it ?  He decorated Kathy Lee Gifford’s home for the holidays with his exceptional Eddie touch.

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When I go to an antique fair, I sometimes go incognito, then I photograph all of the things I love, or the things that inspire me. 

What I truly love about outdoor antique fairs is the exposure to other people’s conversations.  I’m not eavesdropping on purpose.  But one can’t help overhearing the most interesting observations with so many persons milling about inspecting, inquiring, and always commentating.  I find it fascinating.  I find people fascinating, with all of their different tastes. 

I have perused several of the the larger local antique fairs in the past month, and I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve found inspirational.  Some can be recreated right at home. 

Take a tour with me. 

I spotted this mirrored coat rack made from architectural salvage.  It reminds me of the coat rack I made with an old headboard.  You can see that project right here. 

Look at these beautiful conch shells that someone has carefully embellished with pearl string.  They’ve been mounted on secondary clam shells and they make quite a pair.  They were very large shells, about 8 inches tall, and so very pretty up close. 

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