Interesting Finds: Bartevian Antiques in Boston, MA!
I recently moved from San Francisco, California to Boston, Massachusetts for university. I've been doing some exploring in my new city and stumbled across this incredible antique shop I just had to share with you--if you're in the area, you absolutely must check it out!
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I first found Bartevian Antiques on Yelp when looking for a place near me to purchase some artificial florals for some crafting I was planning to do. Some reviews mentioned their eclectic collection of these, and since it was right near a train stop, I figured it wouldn't hurt to check it out!
I first walked in and was greeted by a woman, Pat, who was working behind the counters. I later learned that she was 92 years old--she and her family have been running this antique store for over 100 years as her father opened in in 1910. Incredible!
Her friend assisted me in finding the flowers. He was a very kind man, and I saw his workstation upstairs--he did painting and carving and his works were really cool! Not to mention, the ceiling paintings were breathtaking. He explained that they had been done by Pat's late sister.
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A view of the upstairs area from the back staircase.
The angels were so cute! I was very impressed. The whole atmosphere of the place was very comfortable and quaint. But what took my breath away--the flowers!!!
These weren't your standard, run-of-the-mill artificial flowers. I've never seen anything like them before in my life. They were made of a plastic-like material rather than fabric, yet still looked astoundingly life like. And even more impressive, they are vintage; these pieces are from the 1940s and still look beyond stunning today.
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Needless to say, I fell in love. I picked out a few bundles and Pat's friend helped me bring them back downstairs.
As I went downstairs, I saw a then-dark area of the store--until the lights were turned on and I stumbled onto a wealth of amazing vintage items. Furniture, clothes, baskets, hats, you name it--it was there. It was incredible!
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I was informed that the particular piece above was the alternative bedroom set for the movie Gone With the Wind, but was eventually not chosen as the wood was not dark enough. However, this authentic rose marble set took my breath away.
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A photo of the entrance to the back area.
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This nonprofit consignment store is also a member of the Edgar Allen Poe foundation, and had many quirky artifacts for him. They had some more manuscripts and paintings and photographs of him I didn't take pictures of.
Pat's sister had an obsession with cats and kittens, so they had an adorable wall dedicated to photos of them. It was so cute!!
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Another set of items that ended up catching my eye was a group of hand-painted Russian pins. I was told they used brushes with a single squirrel hair to paint them. Wow! I wish my photos for these turned out better, but equipped with only a cell phone camera and faced with a lot of glare, I wasn't too lucky.
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I ended up choosing a large bunch of flowers to take home with me. They were quite pricey, but understandable due to the vintage nature of the items, quantity, and quality. They offer interest-free layaway for as long as you need, and since I have recently become a university student I took her up on that offer. I did end up finding some other items that I took home today, though, which I'll show you in a moment. Here are the flowers I ended up buying!
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I went home with three of those gorgeous pins, an incredible coat, and a jacket I won't picture here since it isn't particularly lolita.
Here are the pins I got (once again, cell phone camera and glare--my apologies!):
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I also purchased an incredible long black vintage coat. I got it for an astonishingly low price since the lining was a bit torn up--the quality is amazing and it has real fur around the collar. I'm currently getting the lining repaired and having it dry cleaned. I wasn't able to get any good photos of it on its own, but here are some photos of it coordinated with one of the pins and Alice and the Pirates' Vampire Requiem Long JSK in Red.
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I will be going back frequently as they mentioned to me that they're always getting new things in! There are many things there not pictured here, such as a lot of clothes, furniture, light fixtures, jewelry, and paintings. I highly recommend this place to anyone in the area. It's right near the Boylston T stop if you're traveling by MBTA. Here is their Yelp page for more information.
I hope you enjoyed seeing this cool place! Have you found any cool stores or interesting items near you? Do you have vintage or unique pieces in your wardrobe you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about it! Please leave a comment below and I'd love to discuss it with you guys. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!