South Main Vintage Market at The Bernice Garden

Saturday August 10th was the South Main Vintage Market at The Bernice Garden and it was FUN!!  Certainly it was the type of great even I have come to enjoy and look forward to at The Bernice Garden.  I love taking my camera and snapping images of great things and this event had so many of them.  There were new vendors from last month and everyone seemed to be loaded down with great stuff.  One thing I noticed was that many vendors had old photos or photo related items which was right up my alley.  And they weren't just some one's old family photos but one box was full of old photos from a photography studio in upstate New York and it was like a walk back in time looking at them.  I bought a few of them that particularly jumped out at me.  The little girl was so prim and proper I had to get that one and the young man so handsome in his Edwardian attire. 

Other finds were an electric clock by Sessions.  What does a chef in need of a kitchen clock need?  Well a kitchen clock in the shape of a French chef of course!  And my interest in shoes was piqued by a child's shoe last, size 3E.  A last is used in the manufacture and repair of shoes. 

There were just so many interesting things and not all of them in booths.  One great item was  purse a lady was wearing that was made out of candy wrappers that she had found in Mexico.  It looked fit for the Esse Purse Museum.

I spent a great amount of time just browsing, amazed by all of the great vintage items and sometimes trying to figure out what all of them were.

After the market I had lunch at The Root Café.  They are a great local place and a focal point of the SoMa neighborhood.  I've never been disappointed by anything I have eaten there and Saturday was no exception.  Their BLT with a side of eggplant fries and a Fanta Orange was a perfect lunch after a busy morning of shopping. 

Afterwards, some friends and I walked down Main street to have coffee at Community Bakery and visit.  On the way back we stopped in Oxford American's new space and caught Crossing Borders which was it's last day.  So glad that we did!  I got to chat with British photographer Chris King and was completely captivated by his pieces.  Being from England his eye picks up on things that might be commonplace to us here in Arkansas but are interesting to him.  And his pieces will have you taking a fresh look at things.  The exhibit is over but you can check out his stuff at his website.

On the way back home I contemplated what a great day it had been so far and how fortunate we are to be able to stop and smell the roses so to speak.  Even mundane things like a door can be appreciated if you open your eyes.

 

All photography rights shared by Brian Kelley/Imagine Photography