“OH MY GOSH” Antiques & Collectibles, Sterling, MA

Ohmygoshantiques@hotmail.com
at
The Cider Mill
 

“OH MY GOSH” Antiques & Collectibles

15 Waushacum Ave., Sterling, MA 01564

Open 7 Days 11-5, Tues & Thur 11 - 8

“OH MY GOSH” Antiques & Collectibles is a great little antique store that Sandy first brought me to sometime last year. This was before we decided to go on our “Quest for All Things Junk, Cheap or Just Plain Cool". We visited again in late winter 2011.

This gem of a spot is nestled among a converted cider mill in Sterling, Massachusetts. There are shop entrances on both sides of the building. Oh My Gosh is clearly marked and there are lots of parking spaces.
I loved the way the outside of the entrance was decorated. There were a few items hanging out front that drew my attention, but I was immediately drawn to the bicycle/lawn mower parked out front! It was an old bike with a hand pushed lawn mower attached to it. A great way to help save the environment and get
exercise too! We were greeted this day by Owner, Cheryl LaPointe (below).

I explained to Cheryl that Sass and I were co-writing a blog entitled our “Quest for Great Junk” and she was more than happy to tell us about her place. Let’s just say I recall some of the things Cheryl told me, this was a couple of months ago and at my age I'm starting to get brain farts! I do recall however, that the shop holds several Open House events throughout the year. Each of her cubicles or spaces are rented to individual vendors who sell their own items and set their own prices. She does the rest of the work, like maintaining the building, making sales, holding events, etc.

I have to tell you that I could probably spend a couple of hours just poking around this place. Each seller has his or her own style reflected in their space. You can find new, old, hardly used, or really used items. There are collectible items as well as antiques and plenty of other items in between. There’s one particular space I like to go into because it holds a variety of vintage toys, many of which I remember as a child, and so I go in and reminisce a bit on my journey through Oh My Gosh.

Spaces hold things like glassware, antique and reclaimed furniture (in one spot the seller has lovely repainted furniture), Americana items, linens, toys, and paintings. I’m not sure the number of spaces occupied in this shop, but I can tell you that there are many, I seem to get lost amoung them. Each time I go, I usually get separated from my partner in crime, but we eventually meet up at the front of the shop. Instead of shopping carriers there are cubby holes near the register where the buyer  can keep thier treasures while they hunt for more.

The basement of the shop holds a mishmash of all things which are not necessarily displayed as nicely as the things on the first floor. However, do not miss the opportunity of heading down there! You never know what you might find. On this particular trip I was lucky enough to find a large Pyrex mixing bowl for a mere $7. Anyone who is familiar with this brand of cookware knows they are not cheap, used or otherwise. This was most definitely a bargain and I was extremely happy with my find. I also got this funky little wreath with cherries on it for $1. Trust me though, if I’d had more money to work with that day I surely would have walked away with some bigger items! In my one hour of shopping I spent less than $10. Now that’s a bargain! Seekers of Stuff, you won’t be disappointed!

Oh, and remember -  the sellers change their merchandise frequently and seasonally. So there’s always something new there or something you didn’t see on your first trip. This is a great place with friendly people, great buys, cool stuff and a great way to spend a couple of hours. I know I’ll be returning. I hope you take a trip to:

 OH MY GOSH Antiques & Collectibles:

We give OH MY GOSH :

   

For selection, friendliness, good prices and atmosphere!

Audrey & Sass

May 2011

The Big Flea, Cumberland, RI

My neighbor Sandy and I have set upon a journey to find as many flea markets as we can in New England. We decided to do this one day last fall as we took a trip to Northern Massachusetts where Sandy showed me a couple of her favorite spots to shop for "antiques". She has a great love for buying stuff she probably doesn't need, but an even greater talent for getting it at really fabulous prices. We've been to several antique stores and have branched our way to flea markets. After all, there's nothing like buying someone else's junk and finding a need for it. Plus, I have to admit I love the thrill of the bargain.

I just decided this would be a great topic to write about so I'm going to start with a place that was new to us. We visited this indoor flea market in the middle of February and it was a great repreive from all the snow we had succumbed to all winter long. I found out about this particular flea market while I was scrolling for deals on Craig's List, but that's a whole other blog!


 Cumberland, RI home of The Big Flea Market Superstore    http://www.bigfleari.com/en_indoor.php

 They claim to be Rhode Islands' biggest indoor and outdoor flea market, but I can't confirm or deny that at this time, because it's the first flea market in Rhode Island that I've been to (so far). Besides being opened on the typical Sunday, this flea market was opened on Saturday also, a huge plus. Additionally, it was not a long drive for us, about 45 mintues.

This flea market is housed in an old brick factory, and I couldn't tell you what might have been manufactured there way back when. Perhaps there's an old timer there that could....We pulled into a crowded parking lot of sorts and were lucky enough to find a parking spot right near the entrance. And when I say lucky, I mean it, the place was hopping and parking spaces were hard to find.

We were greeted by an enthusiastic cashier who took our $1 entrance fee. As I said, the parking lot was hopping and so was this flea market. Sandy and I had brought along a couple of guests on this trip and it was no surprise that within a half hour we had separated as a shopping group. There were so many booths you were assualted with which direction one should head in.

One of the first booths that grabbed our attention was some folks selling live bamboo stalks. The booth presentation was great, and brought you to the booth immediately. These ladies offered beautiful green, healthy bamboo at really affordable prices. It was available in a variety of ways, either in single stalks, in arrangements in decorative ceramic bowls (Sandy got one for $12) or in clear vases with the option of including a beta fish. The vendors were attentive AND informative to thier customers, explaining the proper way to maintain the stalks and incredibly they guaranteed thier products. If your plant died, they would replace it free of charge. I'd have to say we considered them to be a five star vendor.

There were alot of booths and many customers. They had a section that hosted more of a variety of typcial flea market wares, I mean other people's stuff.  I scored at one table and bought a brand new cake plate for only $4. It was still in the box and had never been opened. Probably someone's unwanted wedding present. It was one of those things I didn't need, but it could come in handy one day when I actually bake a cake.

The rest of the flea market was kind of a blur for me. I went in one direction and got caught up with some gentlemen selling "recreational" items and incense, which was one thing I was looking for. They had the Nag Champa, my favorite. These were the good incense too and I bought 10 boxes of 20 sticks for $10. Decent price. One thing I love about these places are the people. The people who go there and the vendors. It's not unusual for either Sandy or I to strike up a random conversation with someone. The vendors selling me the incense engaged in one of these random conversations and I told them about our quest to find all the flea markets in New England. Lucky for me this gentlemen clued me in on another indoor/out door flea market. So I wrote down the information and tucked it away for our next adventure.

We plan on going back there soon, maybe even next weekend. I didn't feel I got to poke around long enough, because at one point I separated from my co-horts and then panicked when I couldn't find them. So some of my time was spent just looking up and down aisles looking for them.

On the whole this was a pretty decent flea market. We rate it 3.5 STARS (scale 1-5). This flea market is much worth the trip, only a 45 minute drive from Central Mass. Easy to get to. And on your way home, you can stop at Wright's Chicken Farm http://www.wrightsfarm.com/ if you want some cheap eats to go with your cheap day!