Shop It, Live It, Love It!

Decisions, decisions. Do I stay home to break in the new shop vac I received as an early bday gift (yes, it was from a guy; how did you know?) and eradicate all the spider bodies that have accumulated in the basement or hit the road at the crack of dawn to spend the day with Mark? Yeah, you’re right. Those arachnid carcasses have been down there for a while; what’s another week or two? Although I don’t relish the thought of rolling out of bed at 7:30 a.m. and driving solo for 1.5 hours, it seemed like the lesser of two evils and a heck of a lot more fun. Day trip it is! I promised Mark I’d be done grumbling and groaning and fully awake by the time we met in Williamston.

Why Williamston, you ask? Well, it’s exactly halfway between Grand Rapids and Toledo and is known for its antique shops. ’nuff said.  And to sweeten the pot, Mark offered to throw in a birthday dinner. How could I refuse such an offer?

The quaint city, located just east of Lansing, was first occupied by a small band of Chippewa Indians which used the area in the mid 1800s as a summer village for planting crops and burying their dead.  The area was settled by Europeans in 1834 when Hiram and Joseph Putnam relocated from Jackson. Even though they stayed less than a year to plant and harvest a single crop of oats, Williamston Road was renamed Putnam Road inside the city limits in their honor.

In 1839 the Putnam Brothers sold their land to the Williams brothers from New York. James M. “Miles” Williams built a dam, saw mill and a grist mill in town; he eventually platted the land in 1845 and named the town “Williamstown.” It is remains a mystery as to what happened to the “w” in its name. Thereafter the town was a popular stop on the Grand River Trail from Detroit to Lansing in the 19th century. It incorporated as a village in 1871 and later a city in 1945.

Our first stop would be the Antiques Market of Williamston. Since it opened at 10 a.m., we agreed to meet at that time at the Exit 117 Park ‘N Ride, conveniently located at the Williamston exit. As soon as I jumped in his car, Mark handed me a bday gift: a Beatles-themed card stuffed with green and a note which read, “Treasure Bucks: You see it, you like it, you buy it!” By Jove, I think he’s finally got it! Oh yeah … and a package of Double Stuff Oreos, too. He knows me too well! We were then off to discover where I could best put those TBs to good use.

The antiques market was HUGE and had a ton of interesting things. In fact, we didn’t even make it through the lobby before Mark had stopped to scope things out! After poking around for over three hours, our growling stomachs started to get the best of us. It was definitely time for lunch. Although he found several things he liked, Mark only ended up buying an etched glass pitcher for $10. I walked away empty handed, but not because I didn’t find anything fabulous, mind you. I just loved a vintage red and lime green three-piece Hanzakos California pottery coffee table set ... but I didn’t $95 love it. Someday soon I’ll go back; if it’s still there it was meant to be.

The downtown area welcomed us with many well-preserved turn-of-the-century buildings. With such a charming small town atmosphere, how could we eat anywhere but Ellie’s Country Kitchen? BLTs definitely hit the spot. The Victorian-era structures in the business district looked interesting.  I just love old architecture with cracks and bricks and tin ceilings.  A return trip is in order to properly tour historic Williamston. But for now there were more antique stores begging to be browsed.

Mark found a few more things at Sign of the Pineapple Antiques located directly across from the restaurant, but several other stores down the street had already closed up shop for the day. So we checked out Bloom, a funky little boutique with an eclectic mix of vintage and whimsical gifts, grabbed an ice cream cone, and headed to Red Cedar Antiques. Boasting full service quality treasures in 41 rooms you’d think we’d find something. Not to be. In fact, a total bust. Didn’t like the owners, didn’t like the merchandise, didn’t like anything about it. Time to get the heck out of Williamston.

Since the Little Red Schoolhouse back in Lansing was open until 8 p.m. and we still had a good 1.5 hours of perusing to do, we headed west. Unfortunately, it not only housed antiques but also arts and “craps.” But Mark was yet again successful in finding several things he liked. Time for dinner!

I hate eating at chain restaurants you can find in every city around the world, but it seems that was all this neighborhood had to offer. Since I’ve never met a mooey steak I didn’t like, we decided on Logan’s Roadhouse. Add a salad with bleu cheese dressing, a baked potato with butter for four and Mark picking up the tab for my birthday. I was a happy girl!

Williamston was a great little city and a fun place to explore. Thanks, Mark, for coming up with the idea. It was the perfect way to launch my birthday celebration!