When Nate and I decided to open the shop we originally didn’t put too much thought into the name. We knew we wanted to sell vintage décor, furniture and clothing; We liked working with the awesome people we received these treasures from. We took the time to get to know the history of the pieces and took pride in finding them new homes with people who appreciated them. That’s the thrill for us, it’s pretty simple. When we made the decision to open our first store we were on the fence as to where do it. We lived in Atlanta at the time, but missed the nostalgia of our hometown, family and friends. Most of all, Nate and I just genuinely love Jacksonville and it meant something to us to open our first location in our hometown.  Once the location was chosen we continued with the rooting of the company and chose the name Viva La Thrifty because it was similar to my blog’s name: thethriftymistress.com and we wanted the “thrifty” to represent recycled vintage items at affordable prices. After we opened the doors to our store we immediately like most first time business owners had to work out tons of kinks. The largest “kink” was the name. We noticed the word “thrifty” didn’t describe us accurately. We are a vintage store and we sell authentic vintage items. We decided we needed a name that focused on that very fact. Therefore, in effort to not confuse our customers we chose the name: Viva La Vintage Shop. We took what we thought were the necessary legal actions to change the name and not infringe on anyone else’s intellectual property. We were approached by a company across the country that explained they felt like our new name was too similar to their company’s name and they were going to take the necessary precautions to hash out the dispute. Instead of spending our time and money into defending this name we decided we rather just spend our time and money on getting more items for the store.  We got into this business because we truly love what we do, the people that we get to meet and learn from, but most of all the customers that share the mutual appreciation for all things vintage.

So, we are going back to the drawing boards. Until we introduce the new name for the second time you can find us at the same location.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as
sweet.”

I fell in love with paint by numbers after I read all about them in this book  about flea markets. A very thrifty lady living up north, bought an old boys and girls camp and turned it into a lake resort. She decorated and furnished the whole resort using only items thrifted. Throughout her journey she tells the tales about all the vintage goodness she used to authenticate all her lakeside bungalows.

In the book, there is a whole chapter about paint-by-numbers. Wikipedia says: In 1951 Palmer Paint introduced the Craft Master brand which sold over 12 million kits. This public response induced other companies to produce their own versions of paint by number. The Craft Master paint-kit box tops proclaimed, “A BEAUTIFUL OIL PAINTING THE FIRST TIME YOU TRY.”

Paint by numbers became big in the 50′s when people were celebrating a thriving America and a flux in the DIY culture. Now housewives could not only cook dinner in a bright, aqua oven; save the leftovers in a bright, pink fridge; but now they could PAINT, TOO!

Here are a few of the paint by numbers masterpieces I display in my shop.

Andrea Diodati The White Fall

Inspired by textures hailing from vintage cheerleading uniforms and the delicate disposition of white birch tree branches, Andrea Diodati’s Fall 2013 line, “The White Fall” made its NYFW debut in an enchanted pink & white rose chapel.

Click Me for Link!

(Part 2)

Enjoy!

My hours this week:

VERY SPECIAL WRITE-UP FOR MY SHOP:

CLICK ME, PLEASE!

what a sweetie!

The only thing better than having a MUCH needed cocktail is enjoying it out of a vintage glass… or having your whiskey poured out of a vintage decanter that has been pouring end-of-the-day elixirs for 60 years.

With that said.. Let’s celebrate Christmas and New Year’s with my newly inspired vintage obsession..

Introducing: A vintage bar.

Glassware:

Whiskey Decanters:

Fresh Lemon:

Water Decanter:

The hardest part about owning a vintage shop is having to control yourself from keeping everything you buy.

I wanted to feature a few of my favorite things in my shop right now.. && how sad/HAPPY I will be to see them go to a GOOD home.

Floral Swivel Chair:

A 1950′s Hutch:

The perfect party dish:

My PYREX & CORNINGWARE shelf:

Ship Art:

Yesterday I went and bought a cute baby poinsettia and did the exact same thing as shown below.

I like this idea better with the baby Christmas tree. I love Pinterest!