Addicted To :: 5gardenias

After a brief holiday hiatus, the Addicted To series is back in action! And we are back with a fabulous interview with Kathi, the owner of 5gardenias. After reading through Kathi’s interview responses, I realized I couldn’t have said any of it better myself. So read on and enjoy!

Q: Tell our lovely readers a bit about yourself. Is buying and selling vintage your full-time gig or a hobby? How and when did you get started in this business?

A: Hi there readers – I’m Kathi Roussel of 5gardenias vintage on Etsy. While I spend a fair amount of time tending to my vintage shop, I also have a jewelry shop – making jewelry is actually how I spend most days. I have a studio in an old industrial building. It’s there that I fabricate, solder, forge, cut, grind, and finish pieces for my Etsy shop and shows throughout the year. When I’m not making jewelry, I’m collecting goodies for my vintage shop, photographing items (for both shops) and getting them listed. I have an 8 year old son, Henry, with whom I spend a good deal of time (and two older sons, 20 and 22), so when I’m not working, I’m still quite busy! My husband always says it keeps me young…hmmmmn…

I’ve been collecting vintage since I was in my late teens, early 20′s – my family had a retail business selling furniture and gifts and branched out by adding antiques to the mix. They had an old Victorian farm house that was refurbished and each room was used as a showroom for the furniture and gifts. There was a huge amazing rehabbed barn out back which served as the location for all of the antiques.

I lived up in the New England area for about 8 years while going to art school in the 80′s – I used to go to auctions, flea markets and thrift stores with my boyfriend to hunt down treasures – some to keep and some to sell in the family store. My boyfriend and I were fanatic collectors, from 50′s kitsch long-necked cats and poodles – to early American antiques (we had a wonderful collection of grain painted boxes). Our apartment became a storehouse of just about everything! We had a lot of fun and went out vintage hunting almost every weekend with good friends of ours! When I had my children years later I didn’t have time to even think – it’s just been in the last 3-4 years that I started collecting again.

Q: Do you have any favorite, never-let-you-down, treasure hunting spots? Would you like to share, or are they top-secret?

A: I tend to do the rounds of local thrift shops, and stop at estate sales when there’s time. I made myself a promise when I started my vintage shop on Etsy – it has to remain fun. If I have time to vintage shop, then great – it’s a treat. If I don’t, that’s ok. I don’t want to feel compelled to get to every estate sale with that sense of urgency, as though I might miss out on the good stuff. I always manage to find something that I like – no matter what.

Q: Is there a certain aesthetic you look for when you’re thrifting? How do you decide what to pick up, or just pass on? Do you wait for an item to speak to you?

A: I’m afraid I have a tendency to like things of all kinds from all eras. I have very eclectic taste and my shop probably reflects that. I go through definite periods where I’m fixated on Victorian, (I call it the Ms. Havisham in me) – or 40′s kitchen ware – then a few weeks later I’m finding great joy in bringing home 70′s glassware, and mugs with mushrooms on them! I do wish I was one of those sellers who seems to be able to focus on a particular era or style, but I just love designs of all kinds and how they reflect a period of history and popular culture. I’m not terribly interested in highly refined antiques – as they often seem so unapproachable and laden with perceived “value.” I tend to be attracted to weird objects that have a bit of grit and wear to them, and surprising integrity…

Q: Be honest, do you keep many of your finds, or is it strictly business? And do you have any personal collections that you have built over time through thrifting?

A: Ahhhhh…well the advantage of having a vintage shop is that it allows me the pleasure of the hunt – that bit of thrill, but then I can move the object along after I’ve had a chance to enjoy having it around for a bit. Of course there are some things that I won’t part with. I can’t always explain why one thing gets to stay and not another. It’s more a feeling than a logical thought…I think objects connect us with emotion in ways that we’re not always even aware of.

A few of the things I don’t want to part with are my x-ray of a human foot from the 1920′s, my theatrical makeup and paper candy box collection, my Victorian shell art box collection, a shell jewelry collection (very intricate and delicate), a fair amount of celluloid necklaces from the 30′s and 40′s, and some wonderful ceramics (old and contemporary).

Q: Are there any items you’ve regretted selling and wish you would have kept for yourself?

A: Well actually about 9 years ago when I was moving, I had a big moving sale and sold lots and lots of things to make the move easier – there are still occasional moments when I’ll recall having gotten rid of something and think – why did i sell THAT? One of them was a beautiful hand painted Mexican ceramic folk art lamp base that was probably from the 30′s or 40′s. A neighbor of mine bought it. A good while later I visited her after she had foot surgery and couldn’t get out of bed…I brought some soup to her room, and there on her bedside table was the lamp! It had been given to me by my vintage-loving boyfriend from my Boston days. I have to admit it gave my heart a pang to see it there.

Q: Pick one and tell us about it: Weirdest, most valuable, or most satisfying find?

A: I found 4 amazing early AD Peruvian ceramic pots at an estate sale sitting on an old beat up file cabinet. No one paid any attention to them. I was drawn to them immediately. I wound up taking them to our science museum and we were able to pinpoint the cultures and times they came from – Nazca (between 200-600 AD) and Chimu (from about 900 AD). They are fabulous pieces. One has a jaguar on one side and a human figure on the other painted in slips, and great big decorative ear lozenges. Another is a large owl pot with handles where rope had been tied – probably for carrying water. Another is a double-spouted wedding pot with a black burnished finish, and incised decoration, and the last is another figural pot with big eyes. I paid $10.00 for each of them. They make me shiver when I look at them and think about their age and the hands that made them and held them. It blows my mind…

Thanks, Kathi! It was great getting to know you better, and we’ll be keeping an eye on your shop for new goodies in 2010!

Robin Eastwood is a treasure hunter and vintage fanatic. Visit The Fancy Lamb on Etsy to drool over some of her latest finds, and follow Robin on Twitter to hear about her latest thrifting adventures.