COEYMANS — There are opportunities up and down the Hudson Valley for people to rummage through antiques and vintage items. These people are affectionately known as “pickers” as they spend weekends plotting what estate sales to hit and what antique shops to visit.
Sundaydriver.com produces several brochures of antique dealers broken down by different regions. The name itself further suggests the type of readers it caters to, and at what time. On Route 9W, just outside of Ravena, there are three such antique and vintage shops within a stone’s throw away from one another.
Walking into Picker’s Nation is like gaining admission into a museum that wants you to touch the exhibit. It also encourages you to walk out with it, provided you pay first. That’s the appeal to visiting vintage shops. Where antiques imply white gloves, appraisals and insurance policies, vintage provides a broader range and a sense of personal nostalgia.
“I’m always happy by the younger people that stop in,” said Casey Reppert, owner of Picker’s Nation. “I’m surprised by how much they know about certain vintage items.”
Reppert sits behind the cash register behind the door. Behind her is an electronic analog clock that looked like it once hung over a classroom door. Next to her is a black, iron typewriter with hammers and keys that can still make a fresh piece of white paper snap. Throughout the store, there’s period furniture mixed in with pop culture items. Things area dealers purchase from estate and garage sales, and turn around to have them sold at a shop.
Customers often walk in looking for specific items. They may want to add charm to a new home with local folk art and period pieces, or they’re collectors looking for a good price. Popular items still include baseball cards, Coca Cola memorabilia, art deco clocks and manual typewriters.
Reppert said vinyl records have recently become one of the more sought after items. It’s those items that often strike up conversation in the store.
“They will tell me what they have, and who they are looking for,” she said. “It’s great. We need younger people to come in and take in interest in vintage. And, they are.”
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