Today we’re kicking off a new series, Stars Customer Collections, and are very happy to be talking with some our amazing Stars customers about their personal collections. It’s so fun to see where some of the wonderful things from our shops go and we’re elated to find out what good homes they’ve ended up in!
“We look at our collections of items and call ourselves the caretakers of these tins and seed boxes, signs and primitives until the time comes they go to the next caretaker’s home.”–Marilyn Ryan
Our first customer collection comes from Marilyn and James Ryan. They have serious dedication in building their fun, extensive collections! Here’s what Marilyn had to say:
How did you get into vintage?
Our original collecting started with pre-1950 Coca Cola advertising since my husband worked for and retired from the company in Yakima after 38 years. Once we started to sell our collection, the walls became bare and we decided to blend our remaining coca cola advertising with country store items and primitives. We’ve really enjoyed the networking and meeting people who also collect this kind of advertising and have made a whole new world of great friends and shared experiences with them.
What is your favorite era?
Pre 1950′s.
A few things you particularly love to collect?
My flower seed boxes are at the top of my list, then we have a wonderful Hires root beer collection, some one of a kind pieces, Amocat advertising (Tacoma spelled backwards), Golden West advertising, and other WA/OR advertising coffee and spice tins and signs.
What is your dream vintage score?
We been lucky to find 2 trolley signs for Golden West, an Amocat trolley sign and a great, rare 1920′s Kay menuboard. Actually, we’ve had several great scores that we love.
Is there a vintage score that got away?
There’s always one that got away but not without our trying hard to get it first.
Are there other collectors in your household?
Both my husband and I love the hunt of finding our next great treasure.
Any vintage shopping tips?
Finding the unusual and truly great find for us sometimes takes us to the out of the way. Sometimes we find them in hole in the wall shops where you’d least expect to find something. Winter months sometimes come up with great finds that people decide to let go of when you least expect to see it show up. Networking has been wonderful for us to find other collectors that do the same things as us. Finding clubs too that specialize in your type of collecting has helped us find wonderful pieces of Coca Cola advertising for the 36 years that we’ve collected it.
What are some of your favorites place to eat, visit or shop in Portland?
We love seafood, so if we find a place like that to stop and eat, that’s great. Because of our travel time (3hrs to Portland) we will pack our lunches then grab dinner en route home.
What is your perfect summer day?
Wow, we haven’t been below 90+ since the first of July, so a nice day in the mid 70′s and walking the antique districts like West Moreland’s Stars malls, Sellwood and Aurora are at the top of the list!
Thank you for sharing your amazing collections with us, Marilyn & James!
READ MORE: STARS CUSTOMER COLLECTIONS
