Antiquing in Hartselle unearths surprise gems, sweet nostalgia

Story and Photos by Constance Smith

One of the things that made me fall madly in love with Hartselle is the many antique stores in our town. It’s not a figure of speech to say antiquing puts Hartselle on the map. It is appropriately listed on the official Alabama Antique Trail map, which points out all the places you should visit in our state if antiquing is in your blood.

Shortly after moving to Alabama, a good friend and I began planning day trips all around the region. We would pick a town on the map and head out for a day of fun. It was a great way for me to learn my way around my new home of Alabama, and it was also a joy for her to discover places she had never been to. We would explore the town, walk the sidewalks, visit the businesses, often walking into every shop we saw. We’d have lunch in a locally-owned restaurant. It never failed: Before the day was over, we would find ourselves in an antique shop – every single time.

Of course, many people see visiting antique shops as a great way to find interesting items and décor for their home, and it certainly is. You can find something unique and filled with character – something that isn’t going to be found in every box store in every town – but antiquing is about more than just the shopping.

There’s something adventurous about walking through antique shops and exploring what they hold. What treasures might you find? What memories are sparked from your childhood? The toys we grew up playing with now sit on display as collectibles. The clothes our moms wore can now be found on hangers in a vintage or retro shop.

I can’t tell you how many times my eyes have fallen upon an item that would cause me to stop in my tracks. I would reach out and pick up the gem, holding it in my hands and talk about how “my Grandma used to have one of these!” More than once over the years I have even found myself getting a little misty-eyed, flooded by memories long forgotten.

Seeing an old, cast-iron kettle immediately takes me back to sitting in the back-porch sun room at my Grandma Engels’ house. My grandfather had built a fireplace into one end of the room. Growing up, my house didn’t have a fireplace, so I always thought it was exciting when Grandma would let us have a fire in it. I remember sitting in front of it one afternoon and shelling the hickory nuts we had spent the morning collecting. I remember the sound of the squeal my grandmother let out as she popped a nut into her mouth and discovered a worm in it. Checking the shells for little holes is a lesson I’ll never forget because of it. After shelling all the nuts, we roasted marshmallows on sticks and simply enjoyed the time out there.

A cast-iron kettle takes me right back to that moment – in front of the hearth that was lined with bear traps, a fireplace poker and a cast-iron kettle.

Of course, there are many more things I’ve seen that take me back to childhood moments with my grandparents. A case of glass soda bottles has me drinking a cola with peanuts in it. An old clothes ringer sparks memories of my grandma’s voice warning me of the dangers of the old-fashioned ringer washer she used and not to touch it.

An old trumpet brings back memories of my Grandma Dahl. She was a woman of unmatchable patience. Not only would she let us kids play on the piano or organ all day long, but somehow, she tolerated us marching through the house and blasting “music” on a horn that belonged to one of my uncles. Her love of music and seeing us play with the instruments far outweighed the pain it must have caused her sharply-trained ears.

Yes, the things we find in the antique shops here in Hartselle are so much more than décor. They are the beloved family memories and stories of times gone by and the hidden treasures that we all hold dear to our hearts.