ShoppersMap

A Munsters Cave and Antique Gas Station: All inside King Richard's Antique Center in Whittier

King Richard's in Whittier has really outdone itself again.  With a new Munsters memorabilia room, an antique gas station set up in the middle of the store and thousands of square feet added, there is so much to explore here.

The antique center already had a lot to begin with.  A former citrus packing plant, King Richard's is inside a historic building that is more than 100 years old.  Along with specializing in antique and vintage furniture, King Richard's offers on-site certified appraiser courses.  These courses allow people to obtain certification through the College for Appraisers.  

Vintage cowboy gear

Cowboy boots and saddles

Mid-century furniture and decor

Vintage cigarette machine

Jacket worn by actor Butch Patrick who played Eddie Munster in the original Munsters TV show.

The newest additions to King Richard's Antique Center is the Munsters memorabilia room.  The "cave" is packed full of nostalgic photos, toys, pins, posters and more. There are some great collectibles for fans who loved the beloved 1960s Munsters TV show, and items that any monster-type fan would love.

 

Vintage postage stamp machine, Tonka truck, vintage bicycle and vintage motor oil cans.

During our recent visit to the antique center, we stopped to chat with King Richard's in-house jewerly designer, Aram, who specializes in custom pieces and repair. He showed us some of the exclusive and custom pieces he has created for some big Hollywood films.  Aram's work can be seen in Hawaii 5-0, Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Little Nicky, Men in Black, Ghost of Mar, Princess Diaries, and more.

Custom designed pieces by Aram for film. 

Aram with Shopper's Map blogger Sasha

Go to kingrichardsantiques.com for a virtual tour and to preview inventory.  

And for all you collectors out there looking for a bargain, make sure to visit King Richard's during their Labor Day Sale Aug. 31 through Sept. 2. (Rumor is, some dealers are taking up to 50 percent off!)

 

 

 

Shopper's Map is on You Tube

Did you know we have a You Tube channel?

Preview inventory and take a virtual tour of some of the antique and vintage shops around Southern California.  Get to know the dealers while they show you some of their hand-selected items.

Design Services: Leaving it to the Professionals

by Sasha Milena

 @Hom Design Services

Moving into a new space and imagining all the possibilities can easily take you from a state of exhilaration to an anxiety attack.  The shiny keys to my new apartment were placed in my hand less than a week ago and I could not wait to get started on my blank space.  I flipped through magazines for wall color ideas and I scanned my current home desperately to see what was going to work in my new space and what I needed to get rid of. 

For the kitchen, I used Benjamin Moore's Tequila Lime Green which I found in Sunset Magazine's Idea Houses. (pictured below)

Sunset Magazine: Modern Cottage Idea House

After several hours of painting it dawned on me that all the incredible ideas that I had created in my head were going to take much longer than I had planned.  I came to the realization that hiring someone to do what I simply do not have time for would be best.

I looked through the Shopper's Map stores and found a few designers that might be able to help. 

Rumba in Santa Monica accelerates collaboration between client and designer with a unique service: Speed Design. Check out their website rumbastyle.com for shocking before and after photos.

 
Rumba in Santa Monica

Rumba also has quite an extensive art collection with over thirty artists featured in their store. 

 
@Home Staging 

@Hom in Palm Springs has an amazing store and their design services are quite impressive to say the least. The guys from @Hom keep things fresh by mixing new with vintage inside their store and with their design concepts.  Home Staging is their specialty and their designs help sell multi-million dollar homes.

Alchemy Fine Living Design

Blogger and owner of Alchemy in Santa Ana, Deana has a knack for transforming old, beat up furniture into elegant timeless pieces.  Not only is her store full of eclectic antique and vintage decor items she also offers custom sewing services right inside her shop.

I definitely need curtains for my new place and Deana seems like just the gal for the job! Designing for a new home is quite a task and tackling it alone is not necessary.  Leave it to the professionals and have your vision come to life!

New expert column! Joel's out and about!

Yes it's the One String King-aka Joel Easton reporting his adventures on the road as the "face" of Shoppersmap and Antique and Retro.  Joel's fun and insightful posts will feature his perspective as perhaps the individual who has seen more and knows more about the shops in SoCal than anyone!

Technology wonk, blues cat extraordinaire and our shoppersmap lead road dog,  Joel's posts will be a gold mine of information for those seeking to know who's got what, when and where!

Don't forget to ask Joel questions and post comments-he's always anxious to get the conversation going!  His blog is here!

BIG SAVINGS POTENTIAL!!!!!!

   Dick Deluxe here-in my "Tique Tech" blog today I urge all our readers-sellers, buyers, store owners and anyone they know-to investigate how "web services" can help them save a lot of money and ensure greater safety for their data.  In particular if you are considering spending money on any desktop applications such as Microsoft Office,  I think you'll find my comments and the link to Think Free on-line software very interesting and valuable. The blog is here-enjoy and if you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me.

Introducing...

        Greetings, loyal readers!  My name is Britt Warner and I am the latest addition to the mish-mash of voices that contribute to this fantastic site.

I grew up all over Southern California, spending my adolescent years in Malibu.  Talk about eclectic!  Many of the kids I went to school with had access to…well…pretty much anything their teenage hearts desired.  While a lot of the guys wore designer surfer-chic and a lot of the girls wore designer EVERYTHING, a brave few chose another uniform: vintage.  Not necessarily the type of vintage you’d see on the red carpet of a Hollywood premiere…more the type that got them branded with names like “goth” and “punk” and “freak”. 

These “freaks” definitely did not purchase the bulk of their wardrobes in Malibu.  No, they went at least as far as Santa Monica and Venice, where they scoured the racks of vintage stores for 1940s era prom gowns, 1950s saddle shoes, 1920s bowler hats, 1960s concert t-shirts, and 1970s tweed blazers.  The girls accessorized with cameo necklaces and velvet chokers; the guys accessorized with pencil mustaches and suspenders.  They listened to the music of everyone from Billie Holiday to Marilyn Manson, and they had more to say about the “corrupt U.S. government” than anyone else I knew.  The spirit of forward-movement and progressive change emanated from these “freaks”, despite the fact that their clothing came from the past.  They were future writers, actors, musicians, designers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. 

New Expert Blog!

Our first guest expert is on the air!  Dr. Johnny Retro is a Long Beach legend for his passionate pursuit of vintage audio, records, sunglasses, Viewmasters and more!  His carefully selected items are all throughly  tested and  in working condition.

As a 50's boomer myself I got weak kneed at the collection of old Brownie cameras-nostalgia central for me!

Johnny's new gallery is here and features a handful of his many unique and collectible pieces. 

Ask Dr Johnny is his new blog and don't hesitate to ask him ANYTHING-as a long time educator he will either answer the question directly or find a resource to answer your inquiry.