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BY JAMES MCQUILLEN In the annual fury of commerce that is Christmas in America, millions of people will purchase new, mass-produced goods as "special" presents. Dispensing with the gift-giving ritual altogether is the most obvious way to buck the trend, but another approach is to not buy anything new. Go the recycling route and bring in the old. Put a fresh spin on Christmas buying by shopping at antique stores. From furniture to kitchenware, antiques generally have a good deal more character than ubiquitous faux-Mission and Fiestaware knockoffs, and their age attests to their durability. They're not necessarily more expensive than new goods; they often cost considerably less. For the same two grand or so that people regularly spend on a new sofa, they could furnish an entire apartment with a little judicious antique shopping. What qualifies as antique is anybody's guess. According to U.S. Customs, "antique" means at least 100 years old; diehard traditionalists use the term to refer only to items made prior to 1820, before the industrial revolution. In practice, however, it usually just means "old," itself a pretty flexible qualifier. (East Coast transplants regard what pass for antiques here the same way Westerners feel about mountains east of the Rockies.) There's a fine line between antique stores and thrift stores; one person's antique is another's junk. There are a few places, though, with the emphasis on the former. Antique stores are scattered throughout the city, but many are clustered in a few districts. The best known is Sellwood's Antique Row, a dozen-block section of Southeast 13th Avenue. The offerings vary considerably, but there are a few shops worthy of special mention. Both the Sellwood Peddler (8065 SE 13th Ave., 235-0946) and the Sellwood Collective (8027 SE 13th Ave., 736-1399) have voluminous stores of mostly interesting pieces (i.e., not many knickknacks), and prices are reasonable. 1874 House (8070 SE 13th Ave., 233-1874) boasts a huge inventory of hardware and architectural salvage; it's not as big or as well-known as Rejuvenation House Parts or Hippo Hardware, but it deserves a mark on the fixer-upper resource map. With a focus on Early American and painted primitive furniture, American Country Antiques (8235 SE 13th Ave., 234-8551) is perhaps the only store in the area with wares that qualify as antiques by the traditionalist's definition. The Sellwood Antique Mall (7875 SE 13th Ave., 232-3755) houses collectibles downstairs and thrift store-type furniture above. More interesting are the Stars Antique Malls a few blocks away in Westmoreland (7030 and 7027 SE Milwaukie Blvd., 235-5990 and 239-0346). Collectibles--everything from knife rests to figurines--predominate at antique dealers in quaint Multnomah Village, but there are a few stores worth browsing for furniture, glassware, kitchen accessories and the like. Check out Antique Attitudes (7872 SW Capitol Highway, 246-6267) and The Broken Chandelier (7878 SW Capitol Highway, 977-2743). The upscale Le Meitour Gallery (7814 SW Capitol Highway, 246-3631) carries superb furniture and Oriental carpets, as well as diverse pieces of fine art. Some great antique shopping in the area is found in Aurora, the small town south of Oregon City founded in 1857 by William Keil, the quasi-fanatical leader of a German Protestant sect. Despite the roar of Highway 99E, which plows straight through town, Aurora has retained much of its character. It's not exactly Old Sturbridge Village, but the Old Colony atmosphere lends a certain credibility to the burg's dominant enterprise. Most of Aurora's antique stores are located along the highway or on Main Street. At the intersection of the two is the Main Street Mercantile (Main and 2nd streets, 678-1044), a 60-dealer mall with an extensive selection of everything from linens to musical instruments. Impressions of Aurora (21520 Main St., 678-5312), a block away in the 1900 Mercantile building, has plenty of practical items and some funky ones as well, including an enameled-steel child's barber chair. Pearson's Four Seasons Antiques (14979 2nd St., 678-2266) has beautifully refinished European and American furniture, primarily oak and mahogany. Among the wares of half a dozen dealers at The Antique Colony (21581 Main St., 678-1010) are several excellent examples of ancient kitchen furnishings--Hoosier cupboards and pie safes--and a few Mission pieces. Few local antique stores specialize, so if you're looking for something
specific, like an iron bed or a fishing creel, you have to go from shop
to shop. But browsing is half the fun, and it provides a revealing look
at the past; one doesn't often come across miner's lamps or decorative
lard tins nowadays. Best of all, rummaging through random collections
brings with it a sense of discovery that you won't experience at Pioneer
Place--and it increases the likelihood that whoever you're shopping
for will receive something truly unique. - - - - - - - - - - - -
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