Nostalgia: Making it Last All Year Long
This can be a happy and joyous time of the year, a time full of stress and anxiety, or perhaps a little mash up of both. When I start feeling uneasy and tense about the holidays, I try and slow down and do things that I love. It’s no secret that Lynchburg is lacking in good shopping. But recently I’ve discovered a few stores in town that aren’t your typical shopping experience, and a visit to any one, in my opinion, is the perfect antidote to a challenging day.
Before I let you in on my secret shopping sites, I want to talk about nostalgia. Nostalgia is that wishful desire to revisit a time in your past when things were simple and life was more relaxed and carefree. I always have feelings of nostalgia around the holidays. I think that’s universal. The holiday songs, the smells, and seeing relatives from near and far all evoke a sense of remembering years gone by. I like to ask my kids what their favorite presents have been over the years. I am always ready to chime in with mine: a chalkboard, roller skates and a record player were my most treasured gifts from Santa. My sister and I would spend hours in the basement skating to our favorite music, and inevitably end up playing school, where I made sure I was always the teacher. I hope she didn’t mind…
That feeling of nostalgia has stayed with me beyond the holidays and has led to a new hobby of mine. I love to go to antique stores and stroll. These aren’t fancy antique stores with expensive furniture or valuable artwork. These are the kind of stores where you can get lost in the corners and basements, looking at old bottles and dishes and coffee tins and linens, and wonder who was the owner and what did it mean to them? I love old children’s books, anything copper, vintage milk glass, and corning ware with those iconic blue cornflowers.
You all know I am a big TJ Maxx shopper, and I’ve decorated several rooms in my house with items I’ve purchased over the years. But lately I have been replacing some of those items with older and more unique objects with a past. Just an hour in one of these stores allows me to forget whatever is on my mind and transports me to a different time and place. If you’re here in town, pop on over to one of the store listed below. You’ll be glad you took the time for yourself, and maybe you’ll find the perfect last minute holiday gift you’ve been looking for. If you’re not in Lynchburg, seek out a similar shop in your area- I promise you won’t be disappointed and you may even discover a love for all things vintage.
Renovative Home, 4925 Boonboro Road in Lynchburg - a cozy shop with a various array of wonderful items chosen by the owner herself on her travels, Sarah Camden
Ashwood Manor Designs, 1197 Ashwood Park Road in Forest- a multi-level old brick house with different vendors in each room with anything vintage you can think of, plus clothing, small furniture items and even shoes
Simpson Salvage Company, 325 12th Street in Lynchburg- the newest addition to the downtown area; this shop is small but packs a punch with lots to choose from
