Two Chicas in Chico

Last Thursday a girlfriend and I hit the asphalt for a little road trip down to Chico California. We had talked and talked about taking an overnight antiquing adventure and Chico is a good destination for just that thing! There is a a wonderful overload of antique shops, consignment and thrift shops in the greater Chico/Paradise area. It's about 3.5 hours from Ashland. Just a titch too much for a day trip but perfect for an overnight. We hit browsing overload and visited maybe half of what's there. But that doesn't mean we came home empty handed. In fact the "party" van was pretty loaded with stuff as we headed north on the I5 for home.

My dear friend got some wonderful furniture pieces to fill a perfect little dollhouse of a second home. I think the whole thing is around 800 square feet so while few pieces are needed, they all are important. A lovely chair and large wooded rack with shelves made it into the van along with some other neat smalls. Myself, I had one or two little things I was looking for, foxes always and but only spied furs. Mid century or danish style smalls of which a pair of salt and peppers



 and a pair of candlesticks fell into those parameters and my bag!



 Easy to pack and inexpensive. And then of course, the strange and funky that might catch my eye. This old elementary school desk probably fits that bill.



I was unhappy with the step down end table. The bulk of it too low for ease of use next to the comfy chair and no secure storage from curious little thieves. Frankly, it was too small to hold all the crap that accumulates by the much coveted comfy chair. Enter indestructible school desk, mid century vibe with those legs and some great storage areas.



 No worries about drink rings on this piece with its Formica top!



And it was cheap! It was gum free! A score!

Did I mention that Chico is the hometown of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company?
If you like beer this is THE place to be, and we like beer.



 I was expecting some great beer, but I wasn't prepared for how good both the food and service are. The menu is not large (but the brewery is!), but it has a good selection and that goes for vegetarian options too. It was a classic case of eyes bigger than stomachs but we managed to roll ourselves out to home base at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel, another nice place with excellent value.

So if you like antiquing and are on the west coast, I'd say the Chico area is a good bet for nice finds. The prices on the whole were astoundingly reasonable. You won't find any really early stuff like on the east coast but late 1800's/turn of the century 1900's oak and mahogany plentiful and well priced. A plethora of fine glass and decorative arts and some great furniture. I found some amazing danish teak pieces and some Heywood Wakefield items all at jaw dropping low prices. Take that San Francisco! And if you are a weaver, AVL Looms is right in Chico proper too. We will certainly make a return visit at some point in time.

Parting shot: Jack and the new tattoo flash collar. A gift from a Swig & Stitch demo.