Saturday was a beautiful day here. The sun was shining all day, birds were singing happy to be feeling a touch of spring and I had two of my beautiful granddaughters spending the day.
I thought the girls would love to go with me to a favorite antique place for a few hours . Some of you might know "Calder's" antiques on Hwy 35. I have gone there at least once a year for as many years as I can count.
So excited to be going the girls and I headed out. I was telling them how there were miles and miles of very old furniture, piled in the tallest rows . And how they would see many different treasures. I was hoping to instill in them a respect for things used, that have had a previous life, and to imagine what stories might be behind each piece.
We were looking for a piece to be repurposed into a play kitchen for the daycare. All my grand kids love coming here on weekends when they get to play with all the toys, so it seems logical to me that they be my go to people when I'm looking to add something new.
As soon as we walked in the front door I was shocked. There was no one there to greet us. The room was under construction. And I just got a sinking feeling. I checked the outside of the door to make sure I had seen the open sign correctly. Then I saw a gentleman coming from the main house. He explained to me that there were new owners and they were renovating. I really thought he meant the front office, and once we went through the doors to the hangers we would see a treasure trove of items, but he said it was all gone.....
I thought he was just kidding with me and kind of laughed. He offered to show us what was left.
If you've been to Caulder's before you will remember airplane hangers full of Antiques and construction salvage. Anything you could think of could be found.. All that was left in the first hanger was a pile of wood rubble against the back wall and some broken glass on the floor. He said they smashed most of what was there and took it to the dump. I was speechless. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
There were a few things left so he gave us a tour . I don't know how many hangers there really are there, but I know it always took me half a day of prowling and it was impossible to see everything. This was what I wanted to share with the girls and instead they saw empty hollow buildings full of trash.
A few treasures had been set aside. There was an old exterior door, paint peeling and glass broken. It was beautiful. I pictured it as a gate to my garden. The few pieces of furniture left laying around had been pretty damaged by the bulldozer... Yes there was a bulldozer they were using to smash larger pieces to rubble. I could tell from the look on Tori's face that even at her age (she's 12) she knew this was just wrong.
We checked some of the pieces that were almost whole and found a beautiful old vanity. It was in really rough shape but had all its parts. The gentleman.. I wish I had gotten his name.. said he would ask the owner if I could have it. He said that nothing was being sold but he thought maybe they would give it away if I would come back and get it. If this was the case I suggested I might rescue the door as well. I haven't heard from anyone yet but I have my fingers crossed.
I am saddened by the loss of this wonderful place, even more so now I was about to share with the girls. I wish I had taken some pictures, I was just so blown away by what I was seeing I didn't think. I'd love to rescue even a few pieces from there. It's heartbreaking to think of all that history lost.
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