This Is Why We Do It!

Look! Someone wrote a book about why we do what we do month after month:



That describes it perfectly don't you think? We bet Kris Mendez (shown below) would have to agree! She was the winner of our $25.00 shopping spree raffle! All she did was "go bag-less" (you can go bra-less if you want to too, but we don't have a raffle for that!) during one of her visits to Room With A Past and signed up!



Our magnificent obsession leads us to estate sales and flea markets to hunt down goodies all over the state, and then some. We also love to share our wares at local street & vintage fairs. Today we're at the Heartland Danville Antiques & Art Fair, which is organized by the hard-working, always gracious Marcia Harmon of Cottage Jewel.







Don't forget to pick up your Cece Caldwell's Paints here too!




Hope to see you at our next opening on September 20 - 23rd!

Sisterly Sale

We're just so proud of our sister store, Paris Flea Market, in Livermore! They had their first parking lot sale during the last opening, August 4 & 5th and it was a huge success!



There was a TON of cool items, many at marked down prices.



Plus, lots of SMILES!





And miles of beautiful items (indoors and out!).









Need to find out more about our sis? You can sign up to get on the monthly announcement list HERE. And don't forget to visit Room With A Past August 16 - 19th for our last opening of the summer!

Show Up And Show Off!

Have you ever brought your purchase to the front desk and had one of us ROOMIES ask you how in the heck you're going to use it?? We can't help ourselves--we too, love to re purpose the odd, the beautiful and the one-of-a-kind items we come across while we're out seeking the treasures we love to sell at Room With A Past!

So we REALLY love it when you send us a photo or show up on our doorstep with your project! Here's customer Kathleen Waeny a few months ago, showing up and showing off a few of the vintage embroidered linens she's made into precious pillows!



What have you got to show us???

Almost Ready To Shine!

You've caught us with our bloomers down again! We're not quite dressed up in the magical finery that we like to present to you, but we thought you'd like to see what we look like before the curtain opens this Thursday at 5 PM!

There's no laying down on the job when you have a lot of work to do. This bed spring in a delicious green will become a wondrous display when it's up on the wall:



Need a ladder? We've got all kinds of them to sort through and price!



All this regal chandelier lacks is a hook on the ceiling before it makes its shining debut.



We can't wait to see what one-of-a-kind baubles jewelry artist Ann Tatum has to share this month!



There are lots of things on the floor yet to be hung on the walls!



More empty walls await some artful arraigning of frames, while tabletop displays are still packed away.



Linens and laces are waiting to be fluffed, folded and stacked onto their shelves:



Suck in your stomach and follow me down the hallway!



There are still boxes of summer treasures waiting to be unpacked:



This looks a like a trail of pirate booty!



We can't wait to welcome you!



Don't miss how we pull it all together for our July opening: July 26 - 29th!

Proud to Be Best Of The East Bay

Who would ever think that behind this humble door in Walnut Creek, CA lies a paradise of sorts?

We see it all the time when a "newbie" first visits at our shop; they step just inside the door, stop abruptly, gaze upward at the chandeliers, then all around at the vast array of vignettes. Next we'll see anything from an almost imperceptibly small grin to an all out face-encompassing smile!



And now, once more, we are humbled again. Our beloved customers have voted us:



We couldn't be more proud to be in this issue!



Thanks to all of you who have discovered your paradise in us!

Don't forget our sister store, Paris Flea Market in Livermore, CA will be open this Thursday evening (July 12 - July 15th)!

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 May's sale. (You can click on the photos to see them larger.)



With the weather getting warmer, we like to cool things down a little at Room With A Past. Out with a lot of the dark woods and in with the lighter colors, like all the pieces featured here today. This armoire, which opens on top to reveal more sliding drawers, was priced at $255.00 and is adding a touch of vintage charm in its new home as we speak!


This four drawer desk (always a much sought-after item) was hiding in plain sight in a corner of the Tea Room, or so we thought! It was spotted pretty quickly, with a price tag of $139.00, loaded up and headed for home before we had a chance to polish its pretty glass knobs!




Oooh, yum! We can hear you salivating over this delicious nine drawer dresser. What's not to drool over? It's got plenty of curves, the original dark brass drop-pulls and an ambrosial, creamy white paint finish. And, it had a sweet price ($212.00) to seal the deal!



Talk about sweet--how darling is this vintage dressing table? Is it not the ultimate in fine feminine folly? Talk about sitting pretty! At $280.00, that's only seventy seven cents a day to feel like a queen for a year!!



It's a little bit country, it's a little bit down-home. This oak dry sink (priced at $110.00) with lots of drawers and a cupboard, was updated with a coat of CeCe Caldwell's Vintage White paint--metal hardware and all. Have we mentioned how much we LOVE this paint? We can give you a quick lesson on how to use it when you buy a quart, if you need to give something a quick and easy make-over!



Oh baby! Peeking out from behind the candy-coated pink and blue nightstands is a massive vintage hunk o' pretty buffet. Our customers love these versatile pieces. Use them in a home office to store your printer & fax machine, or use them (as this one was destined) as a baby's room changing table. When baby grows up (not too fast, little one!) it becomes a dresser low enough for the youngster to use themselves! $229.00 had it out the door; ready to hold diapers and baby powder!



This one's not all white--it has a ever-so-light pink roof to protect the tiny family that will soon be moving in. But we couldn't resist showing you. It was featured on our Facebook page with a price of $76.00 (including furniture!) which is a steal, even in the current Walnut Creek real estate market!!!

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 June 21, 22, 23 & 24th 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.)

Changing Of The Seasons

Can you believe that June is here already? For us, it signals the start of SUMMER!



Colors get lighter and brighter,



and we bring in everything in all the shades of the ocean,










and things for the sand!



It means we'll have a lot of the old fashioned red, white & blues











everywhere you look!



If you can't find something this month (June 21, 22, 23 & 24th) at Room With A Past







that screams "Summertime and the livin' is easy..."




You're all washed up!!!

Don't forget we'll be having our much anticipated, not-to-be missed PARKING LOT SALE on June 23! Sign up for your email announcement on our "Contact Us" page for more info.