Buried Treasure Finds & Fate's Unexpected Turn

Every once in a while fate throws you a curve ball leading you to the exact place in time you are supposed to be in life – last Saturday was one of those unexpected adventures. The day starts like this, I had expected to be back home after running a few errands, but I had decided to hit up one of my favorite estate sale shops, Good Deals. Surprisingly, I ran into my good friend Gene, we got chatting about as we looked around. Before leaving, I found what I believe to be is a 19th century canvas wall hanging with a hand-painted sleeping cherub laying on clouds. This was just the beginning…

Spur of the moment, I'd had asked if he wanted to hit up this antique store about 15 mins away called The Zeppelin & the Unicorn. My heart melted after stepping inside this rustic red building, filled with several rooms and just enough clutter. Different flavors of new and old line the store with a recent award for the 2015 Best of Delaware Antique Store.

Treasures were pilling to take home with me, including a antique 40" circus clown antique wooden cabinet with movable head, included spider webs and that Poltergeist flare we all remember. Two darling fabric dolls also got a new home, a ballerina and jester with painted faces were a perfect match for my cotton candy studio. A vintage tiny 'An Evening in Paris' cobalt blue perfume vial was just the sweetest, and a Chinese brass dragon brooch, came with a handwritten tag stating that it came all the way from London's Portobello Road, the world's largest antique market.

Lastly, I picked up a 1975 Frazetta beer stein for my husband, then right before checking out, this thick black hard bound book caught my eye! I couldn't believe what I found, the first addition printing of 'Tales of Mystery and Imagination' by Edgar Allan Poe with illustrations by Harry Clarke, featuring halftone tipped in illustrations and his famous style pen & ink drawings.

I thought we were about done for the day, but again, fate lead us the right way!! Before leaving the store, Gene had asked one of the owner's if they ever get any haunted objects, but supposedly objects move about the store from time to time, along with lights turning on by themselves. Turns out, the previous owner died right outside and at one point a customer saw an apparition of her. They had recommended us visiting this special little boutique about five minutes down the road called 'The Oddporium: The Gallery of the Peculiar and the Bizarre' where we would find just what we were looking for.

Here is where we take a peak around the black curtain. Walking into a life size cabinet of curiosities, we were welcomed by unusual objects of modern medicine, mourning, the spiritual and skeletons of all kinds. The owners were so friendly, and very helpful in a few requests I had in mind; as I'm always on the look out for unusual keys from retro hotels and abandoned hospitals. To my request, I picked up two skeleton keys, that unlocked every door and cabinet, from the newly demolished Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital.

Two hours went by, talking about unusual objects, including a haunted geisha doll, and our interest in the paranormal. Real life ghost stories were told whilst playing EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomenons). Before leaving, we picked up a business card on file next to the haunted doll, it was for a local paranormal investigator of the 'Delaware Researchers of the Paranormal'. The owner's told us he was looking for new members – luck turns out, he contacted us that night!! And that folks, is a story for another day. 

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