Jung Family Vacation in South Haven, Michigan, Day 3: Saugatuck Antique Pavillion

July 21, 2018

Today, Liz and decided we’d split off to do our own thing. Given the area, we were wanting to go wander some antique malls. She picked one that seemed to have good reviews, and we drove over to nearby Saugatuck.

On pulling in, I realized we had been here before! I couldn’t find a blog post with photos, but was absolutely convinced we’d come here before.

Only much later did I realize why: we were at Saugatuck Antique Pavillion, but it was formerly called Blue Star Antique Pavillion.

A funky, older Singer for sale. Apparently, this thing is more hassle that it’s worth.

Messages and Papers of the Presidents. Seeing this made me sad that Twitter and social media serve as one of the primary modes of communication for our contemporary presidents.

The White Elephant – a book of Indian fairy tales. I was really taken with the cover and design of the book.

And the interior type and illustrations were absolutely gorgeous. The few stories I read were just so so, which made me put the book back. But it was really such a beautiful object – I’m regretting not getting it.

On the same shelf, I spotted these colored books in the top right corner.

Turns out, they were what looked to be self-published books of poetry.

Ok, so the name here is Gwen Frostic. And doing a little digging, her life is pretty fascinating. So this wasn’t just some vanity project, but the product of Frostic’s printing company.

And wow – a thirteen million dollar bequest? Interesting life, indeed.

I love finding old typewriters in antique stores. I especially love the ones that have paper in them, for people to type on.

It’s like a mini bathroom stall of graffiti.

Old comics.

I’m actually vaguely familiar with Gorilla Grodd and The Secret Society of Super Villains (having read an issue or three as a kid). But the whole “Robot Justice League” raises so many questions.

Jimmy Olsen.

Well, that escalated quickly.

I’ve never seen High School Musical, but looked it up and saw it came out in 2006. I’m not sure why, but the idea of a metal lunchbox seems like a thing from another era. Did kids still use metal lunchboxes, circa 2006? Do they still use them at all?

Writing desk.

Right around here, I was overcome with a powerful sense of nostalgia. Walking around all these books, it made me think of the books at my grandma and grandpa’s house. Every so often I’d pull something off the shelf, sit down, and get lost for a hour or so.

At antique malls, generally the books are throwaway nonfiction or mystery novels. The chances are slim of me finding something so compelling I’d want to sit down right there are read on the spot. But walking around, I had that feeling – that desire.

I was reminded of my grandpa’s books. And I was also regretting I didn’t have a similar set up yet at my house – some place where Jasmine or Jahnu could browse, and pluck a book at random… and hopefully get mesmerized, and read right there on the spot.

The title of this made me curious – “Kent’s Album.”

As I was looking at these photos, a woman walked up next to me and said how much she liked history, and things from the past. I was standing in a narrow space, with bookshelves on all sides – and her between me and the main aisle. But rather than feeling trapped, I immediately began talking about how much I love old images.

We talked about old photographs, and she mentioned loving old postcards – particularly those with writing on them. I told her I loved those as well, and sought them out in places like this. We talked about old portraits and photo albums, and lamented the fact that most sellers pluck out all the photographs from an album. We understood why (selling the photos individually garners more money, along with the sale of the album). But we both felt this act separated the story, and separated the family in many ways.

The funny thing about this conversation – there was no introduction, no lead-in. She just showed up and began talking, and we immediately found ou we both shared very strong feelings towards old photos and postcards.

We shook hands before she said goodbye, and I learned her name was Louise. She said it was nice to “meet a kindred spirit.” This whole interaction absolutely made my day.

Food in History.

Eat This, Not That! 2010

Rockin’ display.

I was surprised to see this, and also noticed that the cat seemed equally surprised. My thinking was “Wow, someone made a cat cushion” and I’m imagining the cat thinking “Wow, someone actually made me.”

Popovers – I remember these from my childhood but not sure I remember the packaging.

These were cool to see, as far as jarring my memory. But not cool enough for me to want to purchase them.

Remember the 1980’s? When everything was inexplicably extreme?

An extremely disappointing, non-extreme coin pouch.

Liz posing with what really feels like a family photo.

Oddly placed collection of Code of Honor, which apparently is about cops working in the Marvel universe?

Did anyone else also grow up with this toy? And why is it only now that I’m realizing this thing was haunted, and contained a demon inside it?

On the same shelf – can’t recall if we also owned this, or if I just remember seeing it at friends’ houses. Also from my childhood.

Same goes for this guy, though it’s kind of a distant recognition.

This also falls in the “I think a friend had this” category.

On a shelf full of old cameras, I found this old Panasonic Palmcorder VHS-C. The model number is PV-L501 D, and I’m fairly confident this is the user manual.

Based on the quick googling I did while at the antique mall, I’m convinced that there’s a tape inside. And since this thing was selling for $5, I decided to roll the dice and see if I could get a peek at what’s on the tape (assuming there is something on there).

I tried this once before, on an old camera I found at an estate sale. There was nothing to be found, but the attempt was still pretty fun.

The battery for this thing is dead, and I have no hopes or plans of trying to find a charger for it (the size is super weird). My only hope is to find some adapter that will power this thing.

I’m not super well versed on electricity, and voltage and whatnot. So I guess I’ve got some research and deciphering to do.

The plug is at an odd location, and the adapter that originally came with the camcorder had an ‘L’ shape end to it. Here’s hoping I can figure out how to get this thing running again!

Just as with the cat cushion, I was also surprised to see this squash cushion. In a weird way, it almost looks like a centerfold, posing for a photo.

A trio of old screw jacks. We’ve got one still at our place, and it’s good to know it’s worth around $50.

This device I found rather fascinating. At first, I thought it was some kind of foot-powered alarm/horn.

Given that there was a description of “smoke helmet,” I thought it might be used for firefighting.

Foot pedal.

I was wrong – this was used for diving! For supplying air to the person in the water, who wore a smoke helmet. Re-reading the instructions gave me a chill.

“Everything for Safety Everywhere.”

A literal white elephant! We’ve come full circle.

On seeing this, I immediately thought of the fantastic poem by James Galvin: “On the Sadness of Wedding Dresses.”

We tried to stop in for a late lunch at the adjoining Saugatuck Brewing Company, but the place was packed. In fact, the antique mall itself was pretty packed full of people. In asking around, it seemed that due to the rain – many indoor businesses saw a spike in traffic, with everyone looking for a place to go.