blue cardinal: Summer travels

Friday, August 13, 2010

Well, the summer is quickly coming to an end. It has been a great
one. Jenn and I have been away on our summer vacations,
traveling around the

country with family and friends and loving every minute of it!

Since I just got back from my most recent trip, I wanted to share the two best spots that I know about....one an old find and the other a new one. (Jenn will write a separate note telling you about her finds too.)

While I was in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, we made our annual stop in the charming town of Boulder Junction, near the spot where my family and I go in the summer, Manitowish Waters. One of our most favorite shopping stops is.....Camp Edna's Mercantile... a wonderful store filled with upscale Northwoods themed hand-crafted furnishings, artwork, linens, lighting, tableware, jewelry, clothing and accessories. They have an entire house there just packed with goodies and displayed in the most creative settings.

In addition to their rustic homegoods, they have terrific wines and cheeses, sweets, and other imported delicacies you don't often find in the northern lake areas. Please go visit them if you are in the area ... you will not be disappointed! The folks that run the place are very friendly and helpful.

(<>Camp Edna's Mercantile)

A friendly gal shopping at the Mercantile mentioned that I should venture out to check out a hidden antique shop called Perennial Antiques located far off the beaten path in Harshaw at 8096 Fawn Lake Road, not far from Minocqua.
She also mentioned they had antique wicker and hickory furniture and a collection of authentic totem poles for sale. I got my map and headed down there.

These are just a few of the quaint sites that you will see as you enter the property nestled deep in the woods that is known as Perennial Antiques.

After driving a little over an hour, I came upon the painted screen door entry sign for Perennial Antiques. (The days and hours of operation are limited, so make sure you call ahead or go online for hours.) A long wooded driveway with matching rusted bikes on entry gates open up to frame the way to several barns and cottages that make up this fantastic rustic compound.

I thought I had died and gone to heaven! (It has always been a desire of mine to one day own a simple lakeside cottage and if I ever do..... THIS is the place where I will go to furnish it!)

Owner Mary (shown in the pink shirt) has the most clever eye for displaying her items. She has everything from old canoes and carved totem poles to Native American Indian blankets, vintage wicker sets, pine tables and chairs, camp-style artwork and linens, garden ornamentation, architectural salvage and more. A true feast for the eyes!

The owner, Mary Adams-Pflieger is a sweet friendly woman with a keen artistic sense of display. She pulls things together in a way where you just want to buy EVERYthing she has!