Summer Time

Please come and celebrate summer at Best Friends Antiques.  The shop is prepared for the longer days that encourage us to get outside and appreciate that nature does, after all, have a balance.  Winter travels yielded a few more iron gates/fences, a potting table, large and small tin and wooden totes suitable for flower arrangements, old doors, and a wonderful painted, early red, wood box. 

We are looking forward to catching up with friends who stop by on a regular basis, making new friends; and eagerly anticipate reconnecting with those of you who are putting in the dock and getting the cottage ready for the season.  Along with our usual stock of country and primitive offerings, the shop is filled with new and recent finds that include: two new cupboards, a small white patio table, a pine drop leaf table and an old painted desk top (early red), several crocks, mustard jars, windows, and tons of exciting and unique smalls. 

Plan a day trip to Blanchard, where you can  relax and soak up summer in a charming small country village.  The shops are  open and welll stocked to welcome you. 
For more information on Best Friends Antiques visit our website at www.bestfriendsantiques.com

Winter's Wonder

We appreciate the wonder of winter and the opportunity to step back, slow down and have hot chocolate by the fire; giving us a chance to think about what the spring season will bring.  Winter's slower pace provides an opportunity to expand our shopping trips to include destinations  further from home.  Seems like our visits to Ohio and Indiana always result in another  favorite stop added to the list. While we continue to look for that elusive old blue painted step back cupboard; we are happy about our recent finds that include, a small yellow cupboard,  a few pine totes/carriers, two with old paint. In addition we have some new architectural pieces, a winsome little green kitchen table with two matching chairs, and some new iron garden items.  More updates to entice visitors to join us on opening day, Saturday, April 13, will be forthcoming. 

Back to Blanchard and Basics

Tomorrow marks our last day at the booth in Boyne City.  We are bringing  several pieces that we have on display there back to our shop in Blanchard.  While the people were wonderful and the location  absoultely beautiful; time and distance proved to be a challenge,  especially when it came to stocking and staffing the booth.  I felt like I was neglecting our shop in Blanchard  when it came to deciding which items to feature in each location.  I wanted my favorites to be in both places, and that just wasn't possible.  It was great fun to be part of Dunagain's, even for a short time. I encourage everyone who has not yet visited, to put Dunigain's Antiques on your list of things to see and do when you head north toward Boyne City.

Be sure to come and see us in Blanchard, as Best Friends Antiques of Blanchard is well stocked for the late summer and early fall.  The barn is full of old favorites, along  with several new items,  including two great potting tables, a wonderful red water can; very unique and a personal favorite, two small cupboards, several small and large pine and painted totes, garden accents, tons of crocks and more.  We will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday through August, and then return to our Saturday and some Fridays schedule after September 1st.   Always best to call ahead.

Best Friends at Boyne City.

We have just opened a Best Friends Antiques booth in Boyne City! Boyne City is located bout ten miles south of Petoskey and our booth is located in Dunagain's Antiques, at 209 Lake Street. An amazingly beautiful area, with views of Lake Charlevoix from the pier across the street; it feels like a vacation just to be there.

We are looking forward to meeting Boyne City residents and those who are visiting for the summer. We are also hoping to see some of our mid-Michigan neighbors when they wander up north for a few days. Please stop in and see us when you are in the area. Dunagain's is open 7 days a week from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Spring is coming for sure, because I'm starting to look for the daffodils. Pass an old abandon house and a large old barn every day on the way to work. One couldn't tell where the driveway was, except for the row of daffodils that blooms every spring along each side of the barely visible two track. The barn is falling down, and long since given up its treasures. The house is small and also beyond repair, but the daffodils still come up every year. Some how I know the lady who planted them wore chintz house dresses with aprons. She baked pies, and made lemonade from real lemons. She had grandchildren, and she planted flowers. I know her because my grandmothers wore chintz house dresses with aprons and planted flowers. Thanks to her for reminding me about the simple wonder spring brings.

Another sure sign of spring, is the opening of Best Friends Antiques on Saturday, April 2nd! We have gathered new treasures over the winter months that include a beautiful iron bird cage stand and a unique iron plant stand. We found a cupboard with 1930' green paint that needs a watering can full of daffodils and pussy willows on top. Other winter discoveries include new crocks, benches, one more blanket box, a green kitchen table from the fall Breckinridge show and a few unique architectural pieces that will complement both garden and indoor decor.

Plan to come and help us welcome spring!

Finding Fall

Welcome to Best Friends Antiques fall update. After Blanchard's successful Harvest Festival last week end, we are looking forward to celebrating fall. The trees are showing hints of color and most of the nearby farms have harvested their produce. Roadside stands have a plethora of pumpkins, squash, gourds, corn stalks along with great apples and seasonal vegetables. We are nestled in the midst of huge sugar maples that share their brilliant color with us each year. The shop hosts a barn full of painted and country furniture as well as other unique primitives. The workroom on the south east side of the barn is also being put to use for the first time, as it holds school desks, tables, and an amazing old green cupboard. The little guesthouse is open to offer crocks, blanket boxes, tables, totes, chairs, windows, shutters, and more. Our fire pit has been put to good use during these past cool rainy weeks. It is set up to offer toasted marshmallows and hot cider to visitors who stop by to warm their hands and feet as they browse the grounds of the shop. Please come and celebrate fall with us.

Welcome Spring!

The harshness of this Michigan winter is easily forgotten, as we inhale the heady fragrance of the lilacs. They are in full bloom along the roadside, in our yards and in our hearts, as the memories of our favorite gardeners/grandmothers are awakened by that unique scent. The beauty of flowering fruit trees, and the emerging strength of new hostas quell worry about one final frost. We are all about welcoming the amends nature makes every spring. Best Friends Antique shop is filled with unique items inspired by the anticipation of planting, growing things, and basking in the warmth of the sun. From antique garden tools, sprinklers, and wonderful old watering cans to wicker plant stands and painted "old porch" furniture, the shop welcomes our friends who are emerging from a long winter's nap. Be sure to join us as we celebrate the wonder, hope and promise of the season.