Due to the nature of my business, I get invited into a lot of Tucson yards. Often, in those yards, I’ll come across a small garden sanctuary. It can be very small, with just a single statue, or it can be more elaborate with a Madonna, other statuary, running water, plants, flowers, etc.  

No matter their size these sanctuaries always warm my heart. The shrine might be honoring a lost pet, a fellow human, religious devotion or Mother Nature.   

If you want to construct a sanctuary the Midtown Mercantile Mall is a good place to start. We have thousands of items to choose from and some of those items just might fit perfectly into your very own garden sanctuary.   

Come on in to The Mercantile. We’d love to help you get your sanctuary started.

Carol Fenn 5-2018

Every fairy needs a garden
Of that there is no doubt
But fairies, they’re always busy

Granting wishes and flitting about
Perhaps you’d like to help them

Build a garden where they can stay
Cozy, cute and magical

I hope you’ll find a way
Come in to The Mercantile

And we can help you out
We’ve got the pots

We’ve got the plants

We’ll even show you how.
You’ll walk out of our door

Fairy garden in hand
And when you get home

Just give a little call
Your happy fairy will hear you 

And will know exactly. where. to. land.
– Come to our March Mash-Up!

“Peter Cottontail Hoppin’ Through The Secret Garden”

March 1-4 Thursday – Sunday

We have everything you need to make your very own fairy garden.

Your fairy will thank you!

Carol Fenn 2-2018

Due to their variety, collecting hen on nest dishes can be a lot of fun. They are not the absolute easiest collectible to find, but not the hardest either.   

Over the last 150 or so years, a wide variety of glass companies have produced about 250 different forms of glass hen covered dishes. These dishes are referred to as an animal dish, hen in a basket, hen on a nest or the rather frugal, hen on nest. Most collectors use this term, “hen on nest.”

 
Glass hen on nest covered dishes have been made in sizes ranging from less than 2 inches to 8 inches in length. In addition to the variation in size, the type and color of the glass ranges from milk glass, carnival glass, depression glass, pressed glass, Victorian glass, lead crystal, etc.

Prices vary. Some are less than $20. Most are less than $100. But some of the rare Hen on Nest dishes can sell for a lot of money. In 2009, a Fenton hen on nest with combined yellow, blue and green sold at auction for $2500. It had an estimate of $100-200. 

We have quite a few hen on nest dishes in the Midtown Mercantile Antique Mall right now. Come on in to 4443 E. Speedway, Tucson AZ and check them out. You can start your own collection!

Carol Fenn 9-2017

In 1915, chemists at Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York, developed a special glass that they branded as “Pyrex.” It could take extreme temperature changes. This made it ideal for scientific experiments, railroad lamps, and, of course, cooking.

Corning’s first line of clear Pyrex ovenware came out in 1915, featuring casseroles, custard cups, a bread pan, pie plates, etc. On this early Pyrex the word “Pyrex” can usually be found on the base. Pyrex was very popular with homemakers who’d previously cooked in metal pans and earthenware. Now they could bake, serve, and store their food in the same attractive dish! Also, as you can see from the old ads, there was a strong emphasis on the fact that, after use, it would get so “clean.”

Collectors today love the colorful Pyrex products that were produced from 1947 until the late 1960s. These new Pyrex products were made out of opal or white glass, sprayed with a bright color, and sometimes printed with an attractive pattern.

The original nesting bowls are among the most beloved of the vintage Pyrex. The very first, and most popular set, is the solid “#400 Multicolored Mixing Bowls.” It includes a 4-quart yellow bowl, a 2.5-quart green bowl, a 1.25-quart red bowl, and a half-quart blue bowl.

In 1957, the #300 nesting bowl sets were introduced. These only had the three smaller bowls. In 1967 Pyrex introduced the very popular “New Dot” pattern. These are white glass with three rows of dots in a single color. It is a 3 bowl nesting set, and each bowl had its own dot color: orange, red, and blue. A fourth 4-quart bowl with green dots was introduced in 1969. It is the most valuable of the set.

Cinderella bowls with pouring handles came out in 1958. Casseroles were made in similar colors. Many were offered as promotional items or Christmas specials. Others were a part of huge kitchenware sets, so that homemakers could fill their kitchens with matching Pyrex patterns.

In 1956, 2 quart Jetson-like casseroles on stands (with candle warmers) came out. My mother had something similar to this to go with our Jetson-like kitchen. I wish I had it today. The dish and the kitchen LOL

There’s a lot more to talk about when it comes to vintage Pyrex. Refrigerator sets, measuring cups, later Pyrex, and all the different patterns, etc. Perhaps we’ll discuss these things later. Stay tuned! … and come on in to the mall. Our merchants usually have some vintage Pyrex!

Carol Fenn 6-2017

It’s rodeo time in Tucson!  

In 1925, Frederick Kramer, president of the Arizona Polo Association, created The Tucson Rodeo, known as La Fiesta de los Vaqueros. The event gave visitors a taste of cowboy range work and glamorized Tucson’s Wild West background. It also gave cowboys a chance to win some cash! The first rodeo featured four events—steer wrestling, steer tying, calf roping, and saddle bronc riding. The purse was $6,650. 

The first Tucson Rodeo was held at Kramer Field, now a neighborhood called Catalina Vista, near the U of A. 

Advertising posters are an important part of any event, and Tucson rodeo posters have certainly been an important part of this tradition.  Over the years there have been some spectacular posters inviting folks to come to the rodeo. The tradition continues today. The folks who run the rodeo are still producing some great artwork.  

So, pull on your cowboy boots, dust off your western hat, and get on down to the rodeo, and don’t forget to check out this years poster while you’re there!

Carol Fenn 2-2018

This evening, August 17th, we are having an event from 4-7 to benefit the Tucson, Arizona organization, Youth On Their Own. Cakes are being baked and you can win one of them! When you take your cake home, or next time you bake one, wouldn’t it be nice to serve it off of a lovely antique or vintage stand.

 
If you don’t already have one of these items from days gone by, look around the mall. We usually have a few for sale.  

You can also use them to display flowers or small collectibles. Or you can start a collection of cake stands and display them together.  

 
Brides love cake stands. They use them at their receptions to display the wedding cake, cupcakes, flowers, etc. And, when the wedding is over she might even gift them to members of the bridal party.   

So come on in to The Midtown Mercantile Antique Mall at 4443 E. Speedway. You might find a beautiful old cake stand. And if you come in today, August 17, 2017 from 4-7 you just might win a cake!

Carol Fenn 8-2017

Right now, in the Midtown Mercantile Merchants Mall at 4443 E. Speedway there is one of the cutest egg plates I’ve ever seen! This got me to thinking about these specifically useful items.    For example, did you know that there are two things that Southern women traditionally got for wedding presents: a hand-crank ice cream maker and a deviled egg plate?

Today, with men and women both cooking and entertaining, I believe that all women and all men, northerners and southerners, should probably be given a deviled egg plate at birth. LOL … After all, deviled eggs are the first thing to go at a party, so you better have an attractive empty plate.

There are plenty of egg plates (or platters) to choose from. You can find them in glass, fine china, Italian pottery, Fiestaware, etc. Some are figural with Easter bunnies, chickens, hearts, geese, pigs, you name it. 

The egg plate’s popularity peaked in the 1950s, but there has been a significant resurgence in their use. The recipes for the eggs range from simple to fancy schmancy gourmet. Here’s a simple old time recipe from our mid century maven, Betty Crocker, to get you started:

 6 hard cooked eggs

3 tablespoons mayonnaise 
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper 

Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Slip out yolks and mash with fork.

Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Fill whites with egg yolk mixture, heaping it lightly. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
Sprinkle with a little paprika for that “deviled” look.  
Enjoy! And don’t forget to share!

Carol Fenn 4-2017