Peer Into the Past

Go on a winter antiquing excursion

Photo by Barby Dalbosco on Unsplash

By Beth Peterson

We southerners are fortunate in that, for much of our beloved region, winter is often little more than a long, dizzying flirtation with springtime. Notwithstanding a few typical markers of winter—the lengthening of shadows, the shortening of days, and the weaker sunlight peeking tiredly askance through leafless branches—winter in the south is not often associated with activity-altering weather. At its worst, one chilly, gray, overcast day will send us southerners running to our closets for sweaters and wool socks. We relish the change in season and wardrobe.

But once the holiday festivities have subsided, even the fuzziest garments and steamiest cups of peppermint tea begin to lose their novelty. The days stack like stones, one on top of another. Morning and evening commutes become indistinguishable. We begin to feel ambivalent about the change of season and bewail the lack of distraction. It can make for a long, dull season, and a wintertime outing might be just the thing to break up the monotony.

Go ahead and throw on the fuzzy sweater. Brew the peppermint tea. But put it in a travel mug and get in your car. Drive to the outskirts of town. Better yet, leave town entirely. Where are you heading? To some of the South’s most charming and out-of-the-way antique shops.

Photo by Beth Peterson

Relics of the Past

Really, there’s no better time to go antiquing than in the middle of winter. There’s something about an overstuffed antique store that awakens the senses and the subconscious from the stupor of successive granite-gray days.