“Freshly picked vintage finds and farm fresh produce…could there be a better combination?,” said Colleen Allison on the announcement of her new vintage home goods shop, freshvintage, located at Highland Orchards in West Chester, PA.
Highland Orchards has long been a favorite food & family destination, famous for its apple cider donuts and 200 acres of pick-your-own produce. “We hope to add to the magic of this Chester County institution with our fun and fresh vintage products,” said Colleen.
“Highland Orchards is very excited to welcome freshvintage to our location,” said Highland Orchards Business Manager, Dave Hodge. “Vibrant colors and fresh ideas emanate from the freshvintage shop as they have been setting up these last few weeks. In fact, my sister-in-law found it necessary to do a close inspection, coming away with a prized purchase!”
The freshvintage shop features vintage furniture, home accessories and linens for every style: industrial, primitive, retro and farmhouse. Husband and wife owners, Colleen & Chris Allison, scour local markets, farm auctions and barns to uncover unique and functional vintage finds. Two local dealers will be adding their farm-fresh vintage finds to the stop as well: Colleen’s sister, Erin Hovey, and Mary Bigham of PA Eats, who has a side passion for vintage and will be selling her Vidalia’s Vintage items.
“So many people are intimidated by the idea of decorating with vintage, especially new homeowners. We’d like to make antiques more accessible, and encourage people to start with one or two vintage accents to their home – maybe a cool 1940s-era desk lamp or a pull-down school map in a child’s room or a card catalog for wine storage. Mixing unique old pieces with your existing store-bought decor makes for a great conversation-starter, too,” said Colleen.
Continuing with the idea of mixing old and new, Colleen has added a few new products to her inventory of antiques, including reproduction vintage-style tablecloths and dish towels with a farmhouse feel. For the wine-lover, Rewined candles are deliciously-scented candles inspired by eight different wine varietals and poured into hand-cut recycled wine bottles.
Her antiquing obsession began 2001 when Colleen, along with her sisters, realized that the finds from yard sales and flea markets had taken over their garages and basements. Since then, they’ve sold at local venues such as Clover Market, Kimberton Antique Show, and Renninger’s Antiques Market. In 2010, they secured a cozy space on the second floor of Brandywine View Antiques in Chadds Ford, PA. Colleen and Chris will continue selling there, while they build a new customer base in West Chester.
Colleen chronicles her adventures in buying and selling antiques on her blog, freshvintageblog.com. She tries to add a little humor to the traditionally boring topic of antiques, and educates readers (and herself), including the history, value and selling potential of her finds. Colleen’s built quite a following on a national level, and her collections have been featured in Country Home magazine and in national newspapers.
Celebrate the Grand Opening of freshvintage with Colleen & Chris on Saturday, March 10th from 10 to 5. Taste some sweet treats and local wine from the wineries along the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail. Highland Orchards bakery and local produce stand will be sampling some of their delicious products as well. Don’t forget to check out the baby goats at the mini farm and let the kids play on the on-site playground.
Visit highlandorchards.net for their upcoming activities including family hayrides and pick-your-own produce events and promotions.
Hours for the shop are 10-5 on Saturdays and 11-4 on Sundays, but there are plans to expand hours to Thursdays and Fridays. For more information, visit freshvintage.com and the freshvintage Facebook page: www.facebook.com/freshvintage.
Photographs credited to Erin Klimas Photography.
