January 28, 2010

The Summerhouse in Winter


Preppy Player told me I had to go. Jersey Shore cupcake cutey Jenny said, "WOW!" when she first visited. And I finally made it to Summerhouse in Point Pleasant, NJ.

And it is really, really lovely.


The mother/daughter duo that owns Summerhouse has put together a fabulously curated collection of old and new, with a distinctly vintage French vibe. I had a hard time putting anything down, and left with a few small treasures including a trio of vintage Valentines and this little metal "Entrance" sign I think I'll use for our powder room door.


At $5, it fits nicely into my $500 (hopefully) reno budget. With purchases to-date (including that vintage sewing cabinet/sink stand) I still have $320 left. Tight, but I may be able to do it. Or at least come pretty close.

I've been a busy bee without much to "buzz" about. Although you would think five hours of looking at tile would yield enough content for at least one blog post. To tell you the truth the store's proprietor was way more interesting than the tile shopping itself. I'm fairly sure he'll be the basis for a character in a future novel...

"Well dressed but wild-eyed, this fast talker's staccato laugh rose from his nicotine-stained lips like lava from a long-dormant volcano..."

On second thought, maybe I shouldn't quit my day job just yet.

23 comments:

Blondie's Journal said...

I love the Summerhouse. That is a trip to Jersey all on it's own!! Love the 'Entrance' sign...

Remind not to shop for tile where you do.

xoxo
Jane

preppyplayer said...

I am so happy you like Summerhouse as much as I do!
And, thanks for a glimpse of the new store. I can't wait to get there. I can already see from the pic that there a some little "somethings" I've got to get :)

The Quintessential Magpie said...

I wish I had been with you there. A friend and I went to a thrift store day before yesterday, and while I got a pair of candlesticks and she found a stool, I wish there had been more temptation. I ended up buying a piece of furniture yesterday from an antique shop where the dealer was going out of business. It was 75 per cent off, still a little high, but actually very, very cool for the piece. It's old, shabby, and wonderful.

Today, I went thrifting again, no luck, and to the fabric store which was so messy I couldn't concentrate.

I mentioned you on my blog in a little shout-out, Laura. It's for a long ago blog award. I realize I did a post about it before, but I decided you all needed to be thanked again along with the list of others who hadn't.

XO,

Sheila :-)

Beach House Living said...

Wonderful place of fun stuff.

Courtney said...

no, tell me more, tell me more! (About the shop owner I mean!)

Summerhouse looks just lovely. And, I was scrolling down and saw the dress that you (gasp!!) made. Am beginning to not believe you when you say you do not have crafty talent.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

So many good places to shop in the Garden State... I'm getting jealous!

I pictured Humphrey Bogart ... keep writing! :-)

Cori Heff said...

I like your blog and although I've lived on LI for 20 years. I'm a shore girl born and bred! I miss Point Pleasant. It's my favorite beach town. BTW have you tried overstock.com? They have tile, not alot but the prices are good.

Kwana said...

What a cool place. And love the sign.

black eyed susans kitchen said...

The Summerhouse is one of my stops when I go antiquing in Point Pleasant. There are so many great stores in this town. 5 hours looking a tile? I would have been crying by the time I got back in the car! So...did you decide on a tile yet?
♥, Susan

Shellbelle said...

Well, I was locked in a deadline without much blogging time, so I did some reading back to the auction (congrats on the final bid, the lucky bidder and most of all the people of Haiti who will benefit the most from such generosity) and got caught up on this whole bathroom redo. I can't wait to see the final result!

sarah said...

ooh it looks lovely, sooo my kinda place sarahx

Anonymous said...

Laura,

Thanks for sharing. I will add this to my list of places not to be passed by.

Deborah

Fifi Flowers said...

You go shopping to some FAB places!!!

desiree said...

Love the metal sign--I'm currently on a quest for vintage metal signs for a project I'm working on.

Seems like your project is coming along at a nice pace. I'm enjoying following it.

Local Girl said...

Wow you have the best stores near you. I'd love to have a rummage in there, it looks like they have some great finds :)

Anonymous said...

OH how I could use a trip there right now! WOW! Beautiful! Can't wait to see your bathroom makeover. It's gonna be amazing. :-)

j.cro said...

I'd read that book! I need to get to this cute shop too.

j.cro said...

I'd read that book! I need to get to this cute shop too.

Aimee said...

It looks so pretty!!

Simple Daisy said...

Looks like an awesome place:)

preppyplayer said...

Laura,
So weird, just ran into Kathe and her daughter, (the owners of Summerhouse) at the gift show!

They have a line of jewelry they are introducing made of recycled...jewelry.

Anyway thought you might like to know that they have a blog,
http://s299166564.onlinehome.us/SummerhouseBlog/

Sue said...

This looks like a great place for me and daughter to go to....thanks for expanding our Jersey shopping experiances...

Lorrie said...

What a neat place Laura, I can tell from the pictures that I would love to browse through. A perfect winter day diversion for sure.