The Bay City/Saginaw Roadtrip...

Today was the long awaited trip to the Bay City/Saginaw area! We had 12 places all mapped out to visit today and ended up visiting 6 of the 12. Three others were no longer in business and there were three more that we never even got to! We just ran out of day! Our day started out at 9 degrees.

Our first stop was the American Co. Antiques Mall. There was LOTS to see with decent prices, although neither of us bought anything. There were a couple things that we both gave a second glance, but in the end, nothing ended up leaving the store with us.

The next place, Bay Antique Center, was about a block away, and it was HUGE!! We had NO IDEA it was going to be so big! There are 3 levels in a block long building. Anne got some great deals, but nothing jumped into my hands that I couldn't live without. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

We were worn out when we were done and needed to take a break with a sit-down lunch. On the advice of the sales clerks at Bay Antique Center, we walked about a block away to a neat place called the Atrium.
I ordered the turkey club wrap and it came with a side of tuna macaroni salad, kettle chips and a dill pickle spear--and it was AWESOME! Their prices were pretty good, and the service was great! I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the Water St. antiques stores. We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves! Their Sunday brunch buffet menu looks incredible! I'll have to make a mental note to remember that and try to make it back to try it!

After our leisurely lunch (that was delicious), we decided to drive to the next few places to check them out, and if they didn’t look like princes from the outside, we didn’t plan on going in. That was when we found out that one place had moved ((and when we found it, we decided to load the next address into the GPS ( a brand new GPS-thanks to my dear hubby), without going in)). The next three places were no longer antique stores. One was a chiropractor’s office, one was closed and vacant, and the other was a ceramics studio. That was it for the Bay City area. Our next stops were in Saginaw.

After looking at the clock, we realized we were never going to finish all of the stores on our itinerary, so we opted to go to a place that I had been to a couple of times before by myself- the Antiques Warehouse.

This place is part boutique part antique store with a small diner in the front. This was the place where I found a few things I couldn’t live without. I got a candlewick mayo spoon, a green, primary Pyrex mixing bowl (#403), and a clear refrigerator dish with veggies on the lid. Now I have a complete set of the vintage Pyrex mixing bowls!

Anne got some vintage, funky material to make pillows for her living room couch. It is funny how different we are in the things we look for and buy. It wasn’t my taste, but I have to admit, that I have learned a lot from her and now have a new appreciation for vintage linens (some linens, Anne--not all-LOL!), vintage Christmas candles, ornaments and decorations, as well as a whole host of things that a few years ago, I would have just walked by and not given a second glance at.

Look! The temperature as we were heading home got all the way up to 20-heat wave!

It was a fun day, but a very tiring one! Where to next? We'll have to figure that out. I did pick up a bunch of fliers from all of the places we visited today, as well as a copy of Great Lakes Trader (an antiques and collectibles publication) and I can't believe how many places are still out there to explore!

Stay tuned! :)