On the hunt: Searching for treasures in the Hill City
By Liz Barry on Nov. 08, 2007
My living room is beige. The couch is beige. The rug is beige. Even the walls are beige.
I moved to Lynchburg a month ago to work for The News & Advance, and haven’t had the time or energy to decorate. I spent Monday morning scouring Estate Specialists and used furniture stores in downtown Lynchburg to find décor for my apartment.
My mission: to find a lamp, a sofa chair and miscellaneous decoration. They had to be cheap and colorful.
Though I did not find them all, I had an adventure that brought me face-to-face with a snarling leopard and a life-sized Santa Claus. Whether or not you’re in the market for furniture, décor or Santa, you, too, can have an adventure in downtown Lynchburg. Be sure to bring an open mind and an eye for the hidden treasure. A credit card wouldn’t hurt, either.
As your tour guide, I feel obliged to tell you a bit about myself. I graduated from college in May with a degree in English. There I lived with three roommates who decorated our apartment with homemade art (crayon drawings) and objects procured from yard sales. Between the magenta Barbie Power Wheels, leopard print rug and life-sized cut-out of Chewbacca, our place was a sight to behold.
Alas, at the pleading of our parents, we donated most of those items to Goodwill. So I’m starting with a blank slate in Lynchburg. I have the basics - bed, table, chair - but lack the flair that will turn my apartment from dull to dazzling.
Estate Specialists
My first stop was Estate Specialists, on 1228 Commerce St. Owned by Betty Davidson, Estate Specialists sells items big and small, from high-end antiques and silver to decidedly used armchairs and owl trinkets.
Although headquartered on Commerce Street, Estate Specialists actually needs three multi-level properties on Commerce and Main Streets to house all its wares. With limited time, I visited just one.
On the main floor I eyed sofas upholstered in rich reds and blues, regal taborets, hand-carved mirrors. Most of these items were out of my price range and belonged in a stately living room, not my first apartment out of college.
And then I saw him.
When I laid eyes on the doll in all his cornhusk glory, I knew we were meant for each other.
My find was an 8-inch tall Johnny Appleseed, made entirely of cornhusk. The details are intricate, from the brown laces on his boots to the seeds falling from his gray satchel. Triumphantly, I picked him up by his wooden base and presented him to the cashier.
“I can’t believe that of all the stuff we have you picked that,” laughed Davidson.
With a glance at the price tag, Davidson knew exactly where Appleseed lived before taking up residence at Estate Specialists.
“I’m not going to name any names,” she said, “but this one came from the estate of a local eye doctor - a very prominent man.”
Davidson said that the former owner was an artist himself, but she suspected the piece came from a woman who made cornhusk dolls in Appomattox. A woman by the name of Peggy.
She picked up the doll by the wooden base and peered beneath for an artist’s signature. And there it was: a floral sticker with the name “Peggy Hillman” in bold letters.
When I got back to the newsroom, I checked the archives and was thrilled to find a file on Hillman. There was a clip from 1991 reporting that Hillman won first-place for “Best in Craft” at the Roanoke Festival in the Park craft show. She created cornhusk dolls, better known as “Peggy’s People.”
Before I left Estate Specialists, the sales clerk informed me of the upcoming Christmas Open House on Nov. 11. All of the Christmas items received from the estates throughout the year would be brought out of storage for a Christmas decoration extravaganza.
“It’s a real conglomerate, as you can imagine,” said Sandy Garrard. “Some of it is very old and very strange.”
I can’t wait.
McCraw’s Furniture Co.
I headed up the hill to Main Street, still glowing from my find at Estate Specialists. Next stop was McCraw’s Furniture Co. at 1210-1214 Main St.
Here I met Thorne McCraw and Lyle Campbell. With a chair propped in front of the TV, Campbell was watching “The Price is Right.” At 75, Campbell is retired.
He rents a room in the back of the shop, and watches over it when McCraw is at lunch or on vacation.
When I asked McCraw how long he owned the business, he replied, “God, forever. Before you were born.”
McCraw has been selling new and used furniture on Main Street since he took the business over from his father in 1973. He sells furniture from homes and estates, mostly larger wooden items, not sofas and “small stuff.”
The store’s narrow rooms are lined with wooden bureaus, headboards, end tables, coffee tables and more. Some pieces are stacked to conserve space.
In one room, a metal rack halfway up the wall holds a collection of wooden rocking chairs, from candy apple red minis for a child or doll to sturdy ones with intricate carvings.
One room has shelves lined with lampshades and lamp bases of all shapes and varieties. McCraw makes and repairs signature lamps for his customers.
A lamp with a wine bottle base caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, the label indicated that it was champagne from the 2005 presidential inauguration.
Wowzers! A presidential wine lamp!
McCraw made the lamp for a good friend, who went to the inauguration. McCraw will give it to him on New Year’s Eve.
Though I didn’t find a lamp for my apartment, I now know to come back with a base of my own and have McCraw make me a one-of-a-kind lamp.
Before I left McCraw’s, I noticed a stack of tin signs near the door. I fingered through them until I landed on one featuring a particularly rotund Santa Claus.
With one book in the chimney, he was clasping a loaf of “Santa’s Whole Wheat Bread.” The bottom of the sign read “Ho-Ho-Wholesome!”
I had to restrain myself from buying the sign. With Halloween just a few days away, it is too early for Christmas decorations.
I waved goodbye and headed to my next destination.
Sweeney’s Curious Goods
I entered Sweeney’s Curious Goods a few doors down.
Here I met Billy Sweeney, the owner for almost 20 years. He greeted me from his spot on a sofa by a TV.
Sweeney sells mostly used furniture. Though some of it comes from antique auctions, he readily admits he is no authority on antiques.
To get the full experience of his store, Sweeney took me, via freight elevator, to the third floor. On the way, he explained that the building was built in 1914, originally as a hardware store.
At the third floor, Sweeney left me to explore the dim room. It smelled of wood and dust.
One of the first items I spotted was a chrome toy dispenser that said “Toy ’n Joy.” In its glory days, the toy machine must have brought joy to thousands of children. I could almost see their grubby fingers inserting nickels and dimes into the metal slots in anticipation of a toy surprise.
But at $150, no joy. I couldn’t afford it. If I sold one toy at a dime a day to my friends, it would take 1,500 days for me to sell enough toys to make back the $150. That’s more than four years, not even accounting for the cost of supplying the toys.
I made my way to the stairs to inspect the second floor where I came across a handsome wooden rocker with teal cushions. I leaned over for a sniff and detected no strange odors. The sit test was more precarious. Every time I rocked back, a high-pitched squeak erupted from the joints. It would take a bit of oil to quiet that baby down. At $99, the rocker was more than I would pay.
As I was walking down the steps to the main level, I encountered a strange sight in an alcove: a leopard curled around a nondescript lamp, guarding his treasure with his fierce snarl. Next to the lamp stood a life-sized Santa Claus, complete with shiny black boots and a fur-lined red coat. Santa had plastic bags covering his hands.
I can only speculate as to what brought this unlikely pair together. Did Santa give the lamp to the leopard for Christmas? Why is the leopard so angry?
The shop lived up to its name. Curious, indeed.
With Johnny Appleseed in the passenger seat, I drove back to work.
That night I placed Appleseed in a prime location in the dining room, next to my pet fish.
My living room is still beige.
COMMENTS
Shocking, but this place has a great selection of high-end fashion sunglasses and really cool, modern jewelry. Skip the cubic zirconium-plated crosses (kitsch that is a must for it’s location) and check out their selection of B. Tiff rings and bracelets