The Walls Have Ears (And Mouths!)

The scene: the Room With A Past sale has just seen the end of Sunday evening sale day. The customers who perused the many treasures and filled the building with bustling energy for the last 4 days have all gone. The pastry crumbs have been washed off the platters, the lamps have been turned off, the curtains are closed and all is quiet. Until.........

Cat Hanger was the first to speak: "It's as quiet as a mouse in here!"

"Ha, ha. You know that was only funny the first time, right?" squeaked Mouse Hanger.

"Please don't say "MOUSE"!" pleaded Pink Elephant.

"Knock it off you guys! I've got a HUGE headache. Man, I urn for an aspirin"

"Ha, ha--good one! You really know how to pepper a conversation!" exclaimed Peppy, as Salty felt worthy of a chuckle.

"Well, another lovely sale has been all buttoned up." mentioned Altered Sisters in unison

"And the customers were all so suet!" noted Three Birds.

"Stop, stop, stop!" begged the Puppies Door Stop.

"My dogs are tired" snorted Small Skunk.

"Really? Well that ranks pretty high with me! " retorted Dog Figurine.

"Look at all the dust!" noticed the Bunnies. "We've all got to hop to it and clean this place up to ready things for the next opening!"

"Well then, we'd better stop lion around!" remarked Lion Statue.

"Then let's get cookin'!" Chef Shakers said as they all worked busy as bees to clean the entire shop.

"You know a little birdie told me the next sale is March 17, 18, 19 & 2oth!" chirped Porcelain Bird.

Spring Inklings

Yes, the flowerbeds are muddy, your rain boots are at the front door and the thermometer may read 40 degrees--but a girl can DREAM can't she?

Right now, Room With A Past is the stuff sweet Spring dreams are made of!
We're a little bit of yellow here:


and a little bit of pink over there:


with flower pots, gardening goodies and a few dozen canning jars thrown in to remind you that, indeed, Spring will be upon us soon, and we're more than ready for it!




You can get YOUR nesting instincts into Spring gear starting tonight from 6 - 9 PM! See all of our upcoming dates/times HERE! and sign up for our monthly email reminder announcement so you don't miss a thing.

Did We Mention We Got A Mention?

We were pleased as punch to have been mentioned in the February issue of our local Diablo Magazine!


(Illustration from Diablo Magazine)

This month's issue featured an article about the success and circumstances of successful "Pop-up Shops" --stores that are not open every day. They state that these types of stores "provide retailers with the flexibility to open at the most opportune times while building up buzz and a unique product line for each opening—all without the commitment of running a full-time store." That describes us pretty well--we're always a-buzz about something! They also say "success depends on many factors (location, availability of short-term leases, word of mouth)" but what they don't mention is customer loyalty, which is number one in our book, and why we appreciate our customers so much!

We hope you'll pop on in to our (quickly approaching!) next opening, February 17 - 20th!

Black & White & Red All Over

It's the time of year when we put out all the pinks, white and reds. You can expect to see a lot of pastels beginning to make an appearance too. But all around the store you'll find we just can't give up the black! And it's all because....

Black is neutral.



Black is bold.



Black is an anchor.



Black adds sophistication.



Black makes other colors POP and



black is not back; it never left!!!

There's lots more black to be had at the opening of our sister store Paris Flea Market in Livermore on February 3, 4, 5 & 6th.

We'll see you in Walnut Creek on February 17, 18, 19 & 20th. Sign up HERE to get our email announcement reminder just before each opening.

Now You Know Why We Keep The Curtain Closed!

Just before each monthly opening, there's a flurry of activity. If you were able to peek inside the shop, you might see something like this:

Roomies are running around with hammers in their hands, nails in their teeth, ideas in their heads, and it's a MESS! But, if you're anything like us, you'll think it's a BEAUTIFUL mess!

It's dedicates waiting to be organized.

It's dishes waiting to be stacked, and linens in need of folding.


It's gorgeous chairs holding things other than our tired little backsides.

It's things that get hung on the walls still sitting on the floor.

It's tables that need to be paired with a lamp and lamps that need to be given a shade.


It's tangled jewels and tag-less baskets.


It's a new idea for a display unlike what you may have seen before.


It's all the pretty parts that will come together to make us what you expect to see every time you come to see us! Without a mess, there is no creative thinking . Without creative thinking, there is no moving ahead.

We hope you'll stop by our January sale, which begins tonight, January 20th from 6 - 9 PM, to see the AFTER of all these pretty messes. We think you'll love what we've done with the place!

Thing Of The Past ~ A Peek Into Last Month's Shopping Cart

Have you ever snuck a peek at what the person next to you in the check-out line has in their cart? "What did they get? How much did they pay for it? And where did they find it because I want one too!" It's a lot like that at the shop during the sale: people are always so curious as to what's been bought and is heading out the door. Well, we know it's not quite the same, but in the interest of quenching your curiosity, we thought we'd show you what were the most popular and fasted-selling items for December's opening. (You can click on the photos to see them larger.)


It's white, it's got carved embellishments and glass knobs; ladies and gents--may I present to you SUPER CHIC!! This dresser has what every shabby chic lover wants. Also very highly desirable is a great price! This one, with mirror went for $215.00!


Double duty furniture is always on the lists of shoppers who live in smaller abodes. This pedestal base, natural wood topped table actually pivots to open up to a card table or close to make a smaller surface table, just right for an entry way. We'll bet it was used as "the kid's table" during Christmas dinner! And we "kid" you not on the price it sold for: $120.00


I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair... If you've got something that needs 'a washin' we bet you could have used this little table. It's a washstand, (noun--1.: a stand holding articles needed for washing one's face and hands) for those of you youngin's. And YES, they had water back when we were growing up!!! Wouldn't this have looked great in your powder room with the bowl full of sweet smelling soaps, your favorite linens hanging on the sides and extra fluffy towels stored below? Yep, it would have. Sigh. It was priced at $52.00 and it's all water under the bridge now, my friend!


Another double duty furniture piece was to be had in this vanity/desk with mirror. We can see this piece in so many roles! A young girl's student desk, a big girl's dressing table, a table in a reading nook. See, when you do this "think outside the box" thought process in regards to something you see at Room With A Past which you've gotta have, you can justify buying it for the small price of $85.00!


Another big seller in December were small tables that could be used at the end of a sofa or next to the bed. Everyone has stuff and they need something to stuff their stuff in. It might as well be something cute... As cute as this table with its cute little pink glass knobs and curvy lines! If a price tag can be cute, too, well then you'll think this one was adorable: $32.00!

So there's your peek. All done without any sidelong glances, squeaky-wheeled shopping carts or worrying about picking the slowest check-out line in the store. Maybe next month you'll see a picture of what YOU bought at the January 20, 21, 22 & 23rd sale listed here! (You can also SIGN UP to get the monthly email announcements so you'll be reminded of each sale and any monthly contests just before it happens.)

If You Know Where To Look

You know how when it's foggy, gray and cold outside for about 5 days in a row you begin to feel a little glum? You hold on to the thought that the sun really IS up there somewhere, still shining in a clear blue sky? Well, it's kind of like that for us ROOMIES (are you one?) when the lull of the holidays is over and the days of early spring seem so far away. But, if you keep your eyes on the prize, you might just find small sprouts of hope around the shop.

Every year about this time, the roses start to trickle in. "It is the season of "love" with February just around the corner!" we tell ourselves. "Besides, there's no wrong time of year to have roses, right?"

So you can find them here and there if you poke around a little. They might be hanging on a wall,

or underfoot.

You might see them decorating a hat on a small shelf,

or strung on a piece of wearable art,

or waiting for when it's time to store away those thick winter hats and gloves back into a box!

Because just like the fog will recede to reveal the sun, we'll be ready to see things in full bloom!

And as long as we have to wait for the minutes to pass, we might as well be looking in the right place!