What comes to mind when I say,
antiques expo? Junk, old, a dead grandma’s stuff?
I see treasures. I'm an old soul who likes the one-of-a-kind, story-filled objects.
It was my mom who dragged me to my first expo. She was convinced the Antique Roadshow-esque appraisal station would reveal one of her heirlooms is worth thousands.
I felt a little out of place since the life of the event was coming from the silver foxes and baby boomers. A booth owner even told me,
it’s neat to see a young person like you here. It's encouraging to the antiques world to see someone like you taking interest in an event like this. Was this a compliment? My first reaction was to feign looking for my pretend grandmother, but settled on a simple,
thanks.
As I walked through the massive expo, it was mind numbingly obvious that antiques are alive and well. However, the art of treasure hunting and antique collecting doesn't seem to pique many people's interest -- let alone youth.
Perhaps it’s an interest developed when you're older. You get to a certain age, and you go through antiquberty (antique+puberty) where your right brain matures to trigger a feeling of glee at the sight of old stuff.
For me, I like playing my small part to breathe new life into old treasures.
It's an eerie thought that the antiques of tomorrow will be mass-manufactured seasonal trinkets from Pottery Barn. The treasures of yesterday will slowly make their way to the dump instead of the display case, and our grandchildren
will be passed down the summer dish set from Target.
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