In keeping with the brand new look for the blog, I have a brand new feature column.
“It’s Local”
In this new column I’m going to do stories about what is local to me. Local may mean right in my neighborhood or it may mean local to my 100 mile radius. It just depends on what I find. But I want to have some focus here on what’s happening and available around me, and thus what will be of particular interest to my local followers.
Today is a trip to Greensboro, N.C. which is an hour’s drive from my house.
I’ve been there several times since moving down here: my wonderfully fun friend, Mary James Lawrence (you can read about her here), lives there; we went to visit and tour the Civil Rights Center and Museum, site of the “Greensboro Four” lunch counter sit-in in 1960; we have had an excellent dinner at Undercurrent Restaurant, and then there is Architectural Salvage. Many cities and towns have such a place but they can be difficult to find and you really have to dig deep. Around here, Architectural Salvage is well known especially for their huge selection of doors and windows.
This was my third visit there so it is definitely time to tell you about it.
The entrance is well lit and draws you in with the variety of so many, many different items all salvaged from buildings on the demolition block. While the store, which is only open Fridays and Saturdays, has regular staff the “salvage” part of the business is entirely volunteer. What a lot of work to dismantle, oh so carefully, the flooring, the windows, the railings, the bathroom fixtures and on and on.
Our visit this time had a real purpose: I was looking for an old French door, one with glass panes, to replace the door between our kitchen and the hallway. I wanted a door that had been used and seen another life. I have bookmarked Attic Mag’s post “How to Make a French Door Curtain” and thought about the door showcased there. Most of Jane’s post is about making the curtain, but oh, that door! That was what I was after. But it was not to be. None of their doors with glass panes were the correct size, and none could be made to fit. Whether I will go with a new, factory glass pane door is yet to be seen: for now, this project has been put on the back burner.
Here are just a few of the things we saw:
Do you recognize that wooden salvage piece up above on the left? I had bought that on my very first visit two years ago and put it in my office here:
This glass dome caught my eye right away…if only there had been two! Nevertheless, with the bubbles and slightly irregular quality it was a keeper.
I’ve played with it for Christmas shots:
Just last week I tried it with these gourds. Oh yes, it is very hard to photograph all that glass. It did work best with the white background (I tried tables, chairs, wood plank, near and far…) but this is a tricky one. Here is the best I could get. I decided to leave it alone and not put any filters or textures on it.
And more:
“It’s Local” will appear here at least once a month. I’m setting up interviews with local vendors and various local people and look forward to sharing with you!
Do you like it? Is there anything in particular that you would like to know? Leave a comment….
