Thrifty Thursday • Hampden Junque

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Hampden Junque

facebook

address : 1006 W. 36th St., Baltimore, MD 21211

hours :  Thursday - Sunday: 11am - 4pm 

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Hampden Junque is one of my favorite spots in the Hampden area of Baltimore.  Before moving back to Texas, Andy and I went exploring for vintage in Baltimore and found a treasure trove on W. 36th St.  I've shared photos from Avenue Antiques / Ideal, Denova, Dreamland, and David's on the Avenue, before.  These are all amazing spots for vintage/thrift and I can't even believe that they're all within walking distance!  Seriously, if you like old stuff please go to Hampden!

Each of those shops has something a little different that sets them apart, but Hampden Junque is truly unique.  It's tchotchske heaven!  They've got tons of old toys and all the knick knacks you could possibly want.  Check it out!

It's a small space, packed to the gills with curios for every type of collector.  I'm a sucker for vintage toys and cat figurines so it's no surprise that I spent an inordinate amount of time in this shop.

Hampden Junque has limited hours, so be sure to stop by on the weekend.  And they only accept cash, so keep that in mind.  The woman at the counter was very nice and hung on to our purchases while we went to get cash to pay.  I'm so bad at never having any!

Every angle of this shop is filled with bits and bobs and things from your childhood that you totally forgot you loved SO MUCH.

If you visit Hampden, let your inner collector go nuts and visit Hampden Junque!  There's literally something for every single person ever.  We even picked up a couple of things in these photos!  They had shelves full of cats...there was no restraint.

Thrifty Thursday - Dreamland

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Dreamland
facebook / instagram 
address : 1013 N Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201
hours :  Monday - Thursday: 11am - 8pm | Friday - Saturday: 11pm - 9pm

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Today's shop is back in Baltimore.  I visited when they were in the Hampden area, but since then they've moved to Mt. Vernon.  Their location might have changed, but their selection is still the same, and still awesome!  I'd love to get some updated shots of the new space, because their instagram feed makes it look so fun.  But for now...here's some shots of the old location.  Carrying most clothes, accessories and jewelry, it's a great stop if you wear a lot of vintage.

Finding shops that specialize in true vintage clothing can be really difficult, and this one is just a fun gem to keep on your list of must-visit places.  And let me know if anyone goes to visit the new place!

***If you've got any shops you love, or own, that you'd like to feature, just shoot a note over to becky@thepinksamurai with the name, website/facebook and why you love it, I'd love to take a look!!!***

Thifty Thursday: Avenue Antiques & Ideal Theatre

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Ideal Theatre / Avenue Antiques
Ideal Theatre facebook / Avenue Antiques facebook
address : 901 & 905 West 36th Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
hours :  Monday - Saturday: 10am - 7pm | Sunday: 10am - 5pm

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Continuing our tour of Hampden in Balitmore, today brings us further down the street to, from what I saw is, the largest antique shop in the area.  It's one of those wonderful, typical antique malls with lots of vendor booths packed with a huge variety of stuff and things.  You could get lost in here for hours!  There's the main floor, a basement full of clothes and an attic filled with mid-century and etcetera.  The day we went, there was a sidewalk sale going on.  I'm not sure if that was a special thing, but it was fun poking through things.

When you first walk in, you'll be surrounded by glass cases that are stuffed to the gills.  You'll also be pretty overwhelmed by how big the space is.  The photo above was taken after walking about halfway into the building.

There's a great upstairs space that has a lot more mid-century furniture and decor.  Lots of specialized booths with ephemera, themed inventory, right alongside booths just packed with everything you could imagine!

I need everything in this photo immediately.

Downstairs is a treasure trove of incredible clothes! Seriously.  I died a little.

Can you picture my eyeballs turning into hearts and bulging out of my head when I saw this display?  Because that's exactly what happened!  There's a pink Sunbeam mixer right under a pink tutu!

This place is just too much fun.  The Hampden area just too much fun and this shop is just on an already big list of 'must sees' on that main drag.  I'm already itching to go back!

***If you've got any shops you love, or own, that you'd like me to feature, just shoot a note over to becky@thepinksamurai with the name, website/facebook, address, hours a few things that make it awesome, I'd love to take a look!!!***

Otakon 09 Picture Extravaganza!

It's been a week since Otakon and I'm still dizzy from the experience. It was SO much fun. We couldn't escape from the booth too much to look around, though I did venture into the dealer's room a couple of times ^_^ Anyway, we had a GREAT weekend and The Pink Samurai is going strong. Here are some pictures of the awesome kids who came out to the show.

Imagine this x 4...and on two floors. I love that Jason is in the middle!

Shun! Shun the non-believer!

Super kawaii in orange.

I don't know what's happening here, but I like it.

This guy had a huge contraption on his back, I applauded his dedication.

Couldn't get a good pic of them, but they were Dr. Girlfriend & Phantom Limb from the Venture Bros.! Only my favorite cartoon ever.

You're gonna say "wow' every time.

OMG RAPTOR JESUS! This guy won Otakon in my mind.

A couple of my sister's friends stopped by to say hi and raid the buttons.

The cutest Bumblebee Mario ever.

I think this is a neopet or something. Props to them if they made that themselves.

I don't think the phone is part of the cosplay.

Remeber her from my first Otakon? She came back wearing the purse she got from me 2 years ago! I was so happy to see it still being used and loved. Its the 99 potions bag. I'll have more bags for you next year, I promise ^_^

I'm a helper.

Checking out the buttons. Dick dyi-ed me a sweet display out of an old frame from Salvation Army.

I wish I could do this every day.

21 & 24! More Venture Bros. goodness. They actually found their pic on my flickr and commented on it! It made my day.

So cute. She was bopping people on the head all day.

na naaaa na na na na na na naa na na na na na naaaa

Samurai Pikachu.

We did really well at the show, a good example for other crafty people that craft fairs aren't the only way to go. Next year will be even better and we're already planning our next cons! Anime USA, Nekocon, and Katsucon here we come!

Learning Japanese

My sister is almost fluent in Japanese. She's been to Japan, hosted an exchange student and is all around immersed in the culture. In other words, she is a HUGE asset to me! We worked together the other day to come up with some new designs for my show at Otakon in July. She supplies the translation, I supply the design. Check out what we came up with.

Za! - Drama

Kira Kira - Sparkly

Gaa - Blushing

Doki Doki - Heartbeat

Zawa Zawa - Chatter

They are all commonly found in manga, just like WHAM, POW and BOFF are found in American comics. I'm really happy with how they turned out! Don't forget to come by and say hi if you're in Baltimore on July 17th-19th. Artscape is going on the same weekend, so it's just another great reason to take a day off and enjoy the Inner Harbor.

Pocket Mirrors

I've been spending a lot of time getting ready for Otakon (22 days left!) and one of the things I've been focusing on is packaging. I made some toppers for the pocket mirrors I'm going to have at the show and I'm really happy with them!

Otakon is at the Baltimore Convention Center, July 17-19. We're in booth F04, and another Etsy seller, Cally's Critters will be in booth V03 so stop by!