UNUSUAL OFFERINGS

ZANDER spent better than 16 years traveling the world as a navigator in the Merchant Marine, during a time when days (rather than hours) were spent in each port. His parents enjoyed traveling, too, and his school had had an active music program that included a European tour, giving Zander a whopping total country count of 45.*

75 combined years of experience

REHOME, REUSE, REPURPOSE, RECYCLE

As a child, he scooped up sterling silver and Art Deco knick-knacks whenever they turned up at church sales. Though his parents saved twist ties and aluminum foil for reuse, they tossed out his collections when he left home to attend the Academy. That didn’t discourage him, and, during his travels, Zander learned to spot (and ignore) merchandise created for the tourist trade, seeking out local markets and bazaars instead. In the Middle East, he spent hours haggling over goods, while sipping local teas. He collects antique swords, pointing out that they are history you can hold in your hand. His perspective comes in handy when determining whether something is worth what a seller thinks it is. He also never tosses out Devon’s treasures…

When she was 9, VALERIE joined her parents to find out what rummage sales had to offer in a Cleveland suburb. She was hooked. Even with her humble allowance, she could buy things she could never afford in stores—and found treats that weren’t available at the mall. Moving to NYC at 17—taking a “gap year” and then attending and graduating from college—she babysat and cleaned house

for Upper West Side families with creative jobs. Though wealthy, people in those families used to scour flea markets on the weekends, and Valerie did likewise. She worked for a sculpture magazine and then spent the better part of a quarter of a century working in the creative department of a global communications firm. Valerie learned to evaluate and appreciate decorative art, quality, and craftsmanship. Fairfield and Westchester Counties offer better pickings than did suburban Ohio, but the thrill of the game is the same in 2019 as it was when she was 9.

DEVON’s been going to tag sales since he was six weeks old and has shopped like a 20-something hipster since he was 5. At 16, he routinely spots what we miss, although his motives when grabbing that semi-precious mineral, signed crystal decanter, or antique perfume bottle are different. He sees potion bottles and Steven Universe. We see dollar signs. Oh, yes, and beauty.

We offer a wide assortment of eclectic items, including ephemera, accumulated over the course of 30 years. We can’t always explain why we bought something in the first place. Sometimes it was just that we couldn’t allow that 80-year-old coffee tin with cool graphics to rot in a landfill. When we see an item and think it’s too amazing to leave, we pick it up. When people ask what we look for, we confess that we’ll simply know it when we see it.

You never know what you’ll find:

Antiques

Boutique Clothing

Collectibles & Odd Finds

Costume Jewelry

Ephemera

Kitchenware

Pop Culture & Similar Memorabilia

Toys & Vintage Fun!

See you at the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market!

SEARCH BY TAGS

*Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Burma (before it was called Myanmar), Canada, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Chile, Cote d’Ivoire, Crete, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy (and Sicily), Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxembourg, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Yemen.

Please feel free to contact us at unusualofferings@gmail.com.

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