ANTIQUITY AROUND US
FREDERICKSBURG VA
Written by Scott Wharton
One of my favorite things to do in Downtown Fredericksburg is to explore our many antique stores. Breathing in the aroma of old fabric and rusted metal, while looking at all the organized clutter dispersed throughout the shop in a seemingly chaotic manner always leaves me wrapped in an overwhelming feeling of warm nostalgia upon entering. It’s like teleporting through time with the opportunity to be able to observe so many mementos from the past.
Not only do these establishments sell antiques, but they also help to provide vendor space for thrifters, jewelers, folk artists, and other shops like The Grove of Brite Blessings located within Caroline Square.
I love digging through these places because it’s impossible to digest everything no matter how often you visit, nor how long you stay. There's always something new (or should I say old?) to find, whether it is an old ship mast, a Civil War relic, or a Chinese Opium pipe. I lust for every typewriter that I lay my eyes upon when I'm exploring Blue Shark Antiques & Collectibles or South Worth Antiques & Rare Books. I find myself fixated to the strangest odds and ends, items that surely fascinated others only decades before.
It's important that my generation and future generations understand the important relevance of antique shops to culture and community. No two stores are the same! Each individual antique shop carries its own special items and has its own distinctive design and layout. We should support them like other small businesses! They are just like any other privately-owned mom and pop businesses…
However, unlike most stores, the antique store carries various rare and uncommon items that often are not found anywhere else! Walking through an antique shop is very much like visiting your favorite museum as both provide the opportunity and experience to interact and SEE history. Unlike the museum though, the antique shop allows the visitor the ability to bring history home with them through the purchase of these pieces of the past. It's one thing to understand history, it is another thing to touch and feel the history! Fredericksburg is an antique in and of itself. Once we learn to appreciate items from the past, then we can learn to appreciate our town, clean up the rust, get rid of the dust, add a fresh coat of paint and remake it in our own image while preserving a piece of history proudly.
Scott Wharton is a stand-up comedian from Fredericksburg Virginia. When he is not busy doing comedy or writing, Scott prefers to explore the country on a Greyhound bus or exploring his mind with entheogenic substances. He is always accompanied by his dog BO.
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