Sonny & Cher...dolls @ BabyJane in West Hollywood!

 

If you're a doll collector - and especially if your collection focuses on celebrities - you may want to dash over to BABY JANE (a memorabilia shop stacked to the rafters with priceless goodies) at the French Market and snap up a set on display in the window (complete with original boxes and crafted in the image of a celebrated couple who once graced the little boob tube each week in an off-the-wall variety show).

You betcha!

Sonny & Cher are together once again (separated only by a bit of cardboad & plastic) in the display window of the popular destination spot.

Sonny & Cher (Doll Display)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvnULsZf6N4

The quaint shop - where you can locate just about any piece of trivia or novelty item related to a celebrity you pine for - was previously situated near the back of the Market.

But, now - in a spacious new setting up front - film buffs and fans are able to take a gander at wall-size movie posters splashed across the expansive walls instead of having to roll them out on the floor from a bin at the counter for a look-see.

The owner use to be my landlord a few years go in Hollwyood.

Coincidentally, the tiny sidestreet in the hills where the building was situated, used to boast a turn-of-the-century home where Rudolph Valentino once resided. .

Ironic, that!

Valentino and I share the same birthday (May 6th).

One big difference between the famed heart thob and moi, though.

Rudy was a silent film star, while I'm a loud-mouthed superstar!

Stop by BABY JANE and check out all the delightful keepsakes on tap.

By the way, the name of the collectibles shop was coined from one of Charles' favorite films starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.

You got it.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane!

New York...56th Annual Winter Antiques Show! Exquisite quality curios...

Over the years, I've collected quite a few antiques.

The most precious?

The pieces I ferreted out of the back rooms of dusty old antique shops, purchased for a song by the road at a country-yard sale, even a cherished piece or two  handed-down from a neighbour anxious to trim down their possessions and lighten the load.

Of course, as you can well imagine, I am a big fan of the enlightening Antiques Road Show.

This week, the promos started up for the Winter Antiques Show in New York City.

The Antique extravanganza will run January 21st - January 31st.

Although I won't be there to rummage through the fabulous collection on display in person, I'll be hopping on line to check a few of the treasures highlighted.

http://www.WinterAntiquesShow.com

This year there will be a loan exhibition at the Park Armory site to salivate over also.

LOAN EXHIBITION

Colonial to Modern: A Century of Collecting at Historic New England

Sponsored by Chubb Personal Insurance
(Proceeds from the show will benefit East Side House Settlement)

EXHIBITORS

Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts
Clinton Howell Antiques
Lost City Art
American Antiques, Inc.
Rupert Wace Ancient Art Limited
Peter Pap Oriental Rugs, Inc.c
Georgian Manor Antiques
Aronson of Amsterdam
*Check Web site for complete list

OPENING NIGHT PARTY

JANUARY 21ST

Winter Antiques Show
Park Avenue Armory
67th St. & Park Avenue
New York City (NY)

HOURS

DAILY
12 p.m. - 8 p.m.

SUNDAYS & THURSDAYS
12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

TICKETS
$20.00 Admission
(includes catalogue)

http://www.julianayrs.com

Garage sales...deception! Buyer beware in West Hollywood...

Whenever I turn up at a garage sale and encounter a raft of assorted used (and new) items strewn about a front lawn, I am inclined to quip:

"Where's the garage?"

Yeah, the joke usually falls flat!

Bright and early this morning, there was something more sinister going down on Orlando Street, though.

As I headed out for coffee and the morning daily at the crack of dawn, I spied a large moving truck - and at least two workers - unloading a myriad of household goods, antiques, and brick-a-brack on a lawn just below Waring Street.

Curious, that!

Instead of marching the goodies straight inside out of harm's way, the gentlemen started to place the items in an eye-catching strategic fashion around the dewy ground.

So, I sauntered over to investigate on the down-low.

Quite a few of the items were of fair quality and gave off the impression of having been "hand picked" for the "yard" sale.

But, the truth really rang home when I overheard a couple of the "handlers" chatting among themselves on the sidelines.

"I gave him a couple of items on commission. He sold the stuff right away, but it took a while to get my money."

"He has some good stuff at that location," the other idly responded.

Clearly, they were talking "shop".

It suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks.

None of the items were cherished keepsakes being offered up for sale, at all.

The whole shebang was shipped in under the cover of darkness that morning - from a handful of second-hand stores and antique shops around town - with the ultimate aim of rustling up a tidy profit in sales in West Hollywood.

I expect the organizers made an agreement with the owner of the house to fork over a percentage of sales in exchange for allowing 'em to facilitate that prime neighborhood location for the weekend event.

Later, when I dashed off to do chores, I even spied hand-crafted signs alerting passers-by and motorists about the "garage sale".

Clever!

The script was in a casual scrawl - and gave off the impression the sign was crafted by a desperate housewife anxious to make-ends-meet - or in the alternative a struggling student looking to unload some unwanted household effects for a fast buck at Christmas.

Gee, what a deception!

Judging from the prices I overheard quoted to the carpetbaggers who spilled out of their cars on the turn-of-a-dime, there weren't many bargains to be had, either.

When one dude scooped up about four books and queried about the price, he fell back a little in amazement when the response zinged back at him.

$30.00.

At yard sales, paperbacks and used books normally go for fifty cents or a buck each. Unless they are adorned with lush color plates inside or fall under the category of specialty books.

Even still, the price quoted appeared a tad steep under the circumstances.

I wonder if the neighbors on the street were clued in about the thriving enterprise underway on their tony residential street?

Surely, the IRS would perk up, if they knew that sale items were being sold - in an organized business venture - without receipts or taxes paid - don't 'ya think?

What will greedy scoundrels think of next?