Paris Flea Market ~ Lueur!

Remember this plywood floor and exposed drywall? It's begun its transformation!

The walls are primed and the floors are ready for a (surprise) fun treatment upstairs!


The walls downstairs are starting to glow...

Here's that wide hallway we were talking about in the previous post:


Things are looking good in the powder room too!

And the stark wall behind this vanity is no longer.....!

Oops, you got a little paint on your nose there!

We've been working hard and having fun at our new Paris Flea Market (Livermore, CA) location, but now it's time to scrub our hands clean and get ready for our Room With A Past (Walnut Creek, CA) March opening which starts next Thursday, March 18th. Hope to see you soon!

What's Black & White & Pink All Over?!?!?

It's all of us ROOMIES! You'll notice we've all got a little "pink in our cheeks" these days because we have some exciting news to share with all of our fellow ROOMIES out there in blog-land who love Room With A Past so much!

First of all, The polls are open and you can go to the Diablo Magazine website to vote for your favorite stores, services and restaurants in the East Bay! You might win a trip for two to Maui just for casting your vote, too! Polls close on March 31, 2010.

Second of all, starting in May 2010, we'll be opening a "sister" location!!! Can you stand to see more of the great vintage items we always have?

Here's a sneak peak at what you'll see when you come to our Paris Flea Market location in Livermore just off Highway 580.

The front entry with a room full of goodies to the left and the wide hallway on the right which leads down to two more rooms...

then through this door (looking back into where you just came from) to another nook of a room and a grand plaza-to-be, full of more treasures and the garden area. Hey, what's that up top you say?

Let's go see, shall we? After you!

Look--it's a ballroom! Not really, but it IS the area we've been doing the HAPPY DANCE because we're just so excited to be here and share the beginning of a new dream with you!

Here's the balcony with...

a view of the garden area below!

And we've saved one of our favorite features for last:

a huge roll-up door! Just pull around back and we'll load it for you!

We hope you liked this little tour. We still have so much to do with all the possibilities that are ahead of us. We do have one dilemma, however: if a fan of Room With A Past is called a ROOMIE, what will a fan of Paris Flea Market be called? A FLEA? A MARKETEER? Whatever you call one, you can be sure when they respond, they will be black & white and PINK all over!

Thing Of The Past ~ Peek Into Our Last Sale'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 February's opening. (You can click on the photos to see them larger.)


First off, we need to "hand" it to our new consignors who joined us this month for the first time, and brought some very unusual items to sell! They went like hotcakes smothered in syrup on a Sunday morning!



If you needed a charming piece of functional furniture, we had it!


You could dress them up and take them out (the door!).



Who could resist this pair? Not a certain someone we know!




Talk about storage! This was such a versatile piece. The new owner might use it as a sofa table or a credenza in an office.



This dresser went home to a teen girl's room and it will be the center of attraction, we're sure!



And this was the first of many Spring-green cottage pieces we introduced this month. We'll have a ton more next month!

And even though this lovely pin is gone, we'll always "wear our heart on our sleeve" for our lovely customers and provide you with something you can truly love each month!

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 March sale (March 18, 19, 20 & 21) listed here! We'll have a ton of garden art & accessories, and show you many clever, green ways to re-use vintage items in your home. (You can also SIGN UP to get the monthly email newsletters so you'll be reminded of each sale and any monthly contests just before it happens.)

If You Love It Sooo Much Why Don't You Marry It?

What's a fun-lovin' gal to do when she is head over heels, in love with what she does for a living?

(Susan Goodman--owner & a friend)

Vase-less flowers + a vintage wedding veil + a stray male customer who was accosted by a vintage ladies hat = a little impromptu ceremony! It's just one of the fun things that happens when the ROOMIES (who never miss an opportunity to have fun) at Room With A Past get together.

Our February sale is upon us, so please consider this your cordial invitation! The pleasure of your company is requested to witness our customers falling in love with our one-of-a-kind finds through Sunday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope the sweetest day of the year arrives finding you luxuriating in bed, with chocolate on your fingertips. Rest up, my sweet! You'll need your cocoa-infused energy spurt this Thursday through Sunday for our February 18 - 21 opening! Valentine's Day will be over, but we'll still have lots of XOXOXO's for you!




These chairs are PAIR-a-dice to a ROOMIE!



You can wear your heart on your sleeve and all the way down passed your knees in this fancy coat!



Getting "benched" is a good thing when you think about it.



I scream, you scream, we all scream for this darling table with four chairs! (And that bench would look so nice at the end of a bed!)

Now how about adding a little pink to your cheeks; do you know about our February contest for a $100 gift certificate? You would if you are signed up to receive our monthly email announcement! It's the best way to keep up on special sales and events we have going on throughout the year!

Did We Mention We Got A Mention?

Have you ever noticed how the phrase "Act your age" is usually being uttered by someone looking down their nose at joviality and can be translated to "Stop having so much fun"?
We have some words of advice for you: DON'T STOP! You've got to have your fun while you can find it!

(Mary's Purses at Room With A Past January 2010)

Here's someone who took that advice: Bonnie at One Designing Woman! Funny how one simple find can call your name, and tell you to "carry on with the frivolity!" Carry on...

Before And After ~ Baby Crib

Got the baby blues, or maybe a little empty nest syndrome? Well, cheer up. We're of the belief that when life gives you lemons, you don't stop at lemon aide. You sweeten it up a notch, give it some substance and make lemon pie. In other words, you take what you've got and change it into something new you can use!

This was the headboard of the out-dated, wood crib above before it became a chalkboard message center. (Or an ever-changing favorite quotes board as it is below).

Not to be tossed aside on recycling day is the side rail, which can be hung from the ceiling and used as a pot rack type configuration to store items up high as shown here,

or hang it on a wall to store and display linens, or use it as a quilt rack. You've got two of them, so you can have one of each!

But wait, theeeerrrrrrre's more! You can use the springy mattress support as a bulletin board! Use magnets or cute clips to attach anything you want to see front and center.

What ingredients have you got laying around that could be a recipe for a transformation? Get cookin'!