Utica Outdoor Antique Market

Yesterday and today have been beautiful in southeastern Michigan - clear blue skies, mild breeze and low 80's.  

This weekend was the second of three annual outdoor antique market/shows held at the K of C Picnic Grounds in Shelby Township.  

When I got home from work yesterday, I asked my hubby if he'd like to go today since the picnic grounds is on our way home from church.  He said okay, so I packed a simple picnic lunch in the small cooler to eat when we arrived - egg salad sandwiches, pasta salad, pumpkin bread and two water bottles - none of which are on my diet except the water!!

With full tummies we were ready to tackle the booths of about 100 different dealers.  I told hubby the watch words of the day were china teacups or dessert plates with strawberries on them.  Even though it was the second day of the market, there were still lots of shoppers and browsers.

I saw some teacups, but none with strawberries on them.

I didn't come home empty handed though.  I saw a few pairs of black glass candlesticks to go with my black dishes/tablescape at one booth, but they were all $45 and higher and more than I wanted to pay.  After we walked the entire market [which took about an hour and a half] I decided to return to the booth to see if the lady was willing to come down since it was the last day of the market.  I decided I'd pay $30 a pair if she was willing to negotiate.  She recognized us from our first visit and immediately said she would give us a better price of $30 if we wanted to pay that.  Sold!!

Tiffin Glass Candlesticks  

I read up on the company when I got home.  In a nutshell, the A.J. Beatty & Sons glass factory of Steubenville, Ohio relocated to Tiffin, Ohio in 1888.  There were mergers and several different ownerships over the years and it became known as the Tiffan Glass Co. in 1966.  The final owner was Towle Silversmiths.   The furnaces stopped production in 1980 and the outlet store closed in 1984.  Towle donated the factory and land to the City of Tiffin.  Unable to find a tenant, the city demolished part of the factory in 1986, but a Tiffin Glass Museum and Shoppe opened in 1998 to display the amazing pieces that were manufactured by the company in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

We enjoyed a fun afternoon doing something completely 'outside the box' for us on a Sunday. I can hardly wait to use the candlesticks in my next black tablescape for a tea luncheon or dinner.