RBH
Bartender
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- 15,306
Sorry for the bad luck...but I enjoy the hell out of your photos!
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Vintage Picking and Road Tripping with Dinerman
- Thread starter Dinerman
- Start date
Joao Encarnado
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 7,776
- Location
- Portugal
Nice pictures!!
- Messages
- 10,562
- Location
- Bozeman, MT
Alex and I took an impromptu, "hey want to go to Livingston in ten minutes?" trip this morning a half hour east of here. Livingston's an interesting town, a mix of worn wrangler jeans and patagonia fleeces, cowboy bars and high end flyfishing shops.
Time ran short, so we had to skip my favorite thrift shop by the railroad tracks, but we managed to hit a thrift shop, two antique stores, and a secondhand shop. I walked out emptyhanded from the thrift shop for the first time- they had a fair number of early '60s sportcoats and orphaned suit jackets, but have raised their prices since last I was there, and the online market on late '50s-early '60s tweed is below even thrift shop prices. The secondhand store had a lot of things I was *this* close to buying, '50s fleck, '40s overcoats, a couple '50s hats, at reasonable prices, but again, all were the kind of thing that I like, but which the market right now is pretty iffy on and didn't want to risk. Most of those have been there for the two years I've been going, so if things pick back up, or if any of you pass through Livingston, they'll probably be there.
A little over a month ago, I got an invitation from Tamara Mason, owner of the Mountain West Mercantile to drop by the shop and introduce myself and to chat about vintage. I've been in a half dozen or so times since I moved out this way, but still have a hesitation about coming out to shopowners as a fellow dealer. We're a small community, and nearly everyone I've run into or talked to has been incredibly supportive, friendly and helpful, but I still feel like I'm on their turf or somehow in competition. So it was a great feeling to get the invite for Tamara and to get to go geek out. Unsurprisingly, it turned out that we know, or know of a lot of the same people in the business. We commiserated about the difficulty in finding golden era vintage and the changing market. She pulled out some real gems for me to see from the back, and I made some exciting finds. As I'm sure you all know, I'm a fan of the vintage westernwear, and this is the most I've seen in one place. A real treasure trove of peak lapel gabardine suits, ranch jacs and vintage hats. If you're in the neighborhood, it's a must stop- jam packed with high quality, real vintage from the era we like. It's at 205 S. Main Street, Livingston, MT
So the finds for the day- a Dobbs Golden Coach thirty, a Stetson Gun Club, a late '40s Bouldercord suit and a '50s Miller suit.
Time ran short, so we had to skip my favorite thrift shop by the railroad tracks, but we managed to hit a thrift shop, two antique stores, and a secondhand shop. I walked out emptyhanded from the thrift shop for the first time- they had a fair number of early '60s sportcoats and orphaned suit jackets, but have raised their prices since last I was there, and the online market on late '50s-early '60s tweed is below even thrift shop prices. The secondhand store had a lot of things I was *this* close to buying, '50s fleck, '40s overcoats, a couple '50s hats, at reasonable prices, but again, all were the kind of thing that I like, but which the market right now is pretty iffy on and didn't want to risk. Most of those have been there for the two years I've been going, so if things pick back up, or if any of you pass through Livingston, they'll probably be there.
A little over a month ago, I got an invitation from Tamara Mason, owner of the Mountain West Mercantile to drop by the shop and introduce myself and to chat about vintage. I've been in a half dozen or so times since I moved out this way, but still have a hesitation about coming out to shopowners as a fellow dealer. We're a small community, and nearly everyone I've run into or talked to has been incredibly supportive, friendly and helpful, but I still feel like I'm on their turf or somehow in competition. So it was a great feeling to get the invite for Tamara and to get to go geek out. Unsurprisingly, it turned out that we know, or know of a lot of the same people in the business. We commiserated about the difficulty in finding golden era vintage and the changing market. She pulled out some real gems for me to see from the back, and I made some exciting finds. As I'm sure you all know, I'm a fan of the vintage westernwear, and this is the most I've seen in one place. A real treasure trove of peak lapel gabardine suits, ranch jacs and vintage hats. If you're in the neighborhood, it's a must stop- jam packed with high quality, real vintage from the era we like. It's at 205 S. Main Street, Livingston, MT
So the finds for the day- a Dobbs Golden Coach thirty, a Stetson Gun Club, a late '40s Bouldercord suit and a '50s Miller suit.
- Messages
- 14,795
Another fun trip to follow along on! I sooo want to visit Mountain West Mercantile (and "Bob's Outdoor" of course).
Did your Levis grown some more patches?
Did your Levis grown some more patches?
- Messages
- 10,562
- Location
- Bozeman, MT
Glad you're enjoying it!
Check out the Levi's Overalls ghost sign on the side of Bob's Outdoor!
Mountain West was a lot of fun, and cool to hear that she's a follower of the vintage haberdashers blog and has watched the videos I did over the summer. Hopefully, we're going to be filming a few little segments on our upcoming trip to get into practice for doing more of those since people seem to have enjoyed them.
Yeah, they're a constant work in progress. I wear them, they get more holes, I patch them. Rinse, repeat. My stash of vintage denim finally ran out, so I've moved onto some repro stifel dot indigo.
We're off to Anaconda again tomorrow, then Great Falls on Monday, so keep an eye out for more in the near future.
Check out the Levi's Overalls ghost sign on the side of Bob's Outdoor!
Mountain West was a lot of fun, and cool to hear that she's a follower of the vintage haberdashers blog and has watched the videos I did over the summer. Hopefully, we're going to be filming a few little segments on our upcoming trip to get into practice for doing more of those since people seem to have enjoyed them.
Yeah, they're a constant work in progress. I wear them, they get more holes, I patch them. Rinse, repeat. My stash of vintage denim finally ran out, so I've moved onto some repro stifel dot indigo.
We're off to Anaconda again tomorrow, then Great Falls on Monday, so keep an eye out for more in the near future.
Joao Encarnado
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 7,776
- Location
- Portugal
Nice pictures of the US!
Gannon Hat Company
Vendor
- Messages
- 18
- Location
- USA
Great photos, I have wanted to visit Montana since watching a movie with Sam Shepard called Don't Come Knocking which was set in Butte. I love the vintage Americana scenery etc, the stuff you have found and the stores you visit are exactly what I imagined small towns in Montana would have to offer. I live in Portland so Montana is a fairly long drive but I am starting to think it would be worth it. Thanks for sharing you adventures.
DanielJones
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 4,042
- Location
- On the move again...
Man, you find some great stuff along with some beautiful places. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
Dan
Cheers!
Dan
- Messages
- 10,562
- Location
- Bozeman, MT
Back in Anaconda for the fifth or sixth time since the end of August shooting for a photo project of Alex's. On to Great Falls tomorrow.
Old Cars
Signs and Such
Ghost Signs
Old Cars
Signs and Such
Ghost Signs
Last edited:
DanielJones
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 4,042
- Location
- On the move again...
I want that old brown jeep!
Cheers!
Dan
Cheers!
Dan
- Messages
- 10,562
- Location
- Bozeman, MT
And check out the fiat! Definitely some interesting cars in town here. Also spotted a 57 Volvo and an Opel gt
Joao Encarnado
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 7,776
- Location
- Portugal
Nice. You don't see 70's cars around here anymore.
- Messages
- 10,562
- Location
- Bozeman, MT
Last night we went to the Washoe Theater, designed in 1930 by architect Benjamin Marcus Priteca, who also designed the Pantages in Hollywood, CA, among many others. Opening was delayed until 1936 due to the economic ramifications of the depression. The interior design was by Nat Smythe and the murals are by Colville Smythe. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982 and in remarkable condition, inside and out.
It's still showing first run movies; Alex and I saw "Everest". We showed up a bit early to be able to snap some shots before other people showed up. There were a few ghosts, and the house lights went out while we were shooting, causing the manager to run in to flip them back on, finding the lobby completely empty. Spooky.
It's still showing first run movies; Alex and I saw "Everest". We showed up a bit early to be able to snap some shots before other people showed up. There were a few ghosts, and the house lights went out while we were shooting, causing the manager to run in to flip them back on, finding the lobby completely empty. Spooky.
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DanielJones
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 4,042
- Location
- On the move again...
The one picture of the Lobby hallway has that feeling from The Shining. You're right, spooky. Just in time for Halloween.
Beautiful theater though.
Cheers!
Dan
Beautiful theater though.
Cheers!
Dan
Joao Encarnado
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 7,776
- Location
- Portugal
+1 on the shining thought!
Two Types
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 5,456
- Location
- London, UK
Brilliant. Keep it up.
- Messages
- 10,562
- Location
- Bozeman, MT
Here's the rest- about 500 miles round trip Bozeman to Anaconda to Great Falls to Helena to Bozeman.
Great Falls was a mixed bag. Two of the larger antique shops downtown which were the main draw for this trip are closed monday despite what their hours online say. A shop on the outside of town has closed and is empty and for sale. The St. Vincent DePaul was closed today only due to some unforseen circumstance on their part, and the batch of trip-making hand painted ties at the Salvation Army ($10 for the lot, as things stand) were for their auction and can only be picked up in person in five days time. Made a side trip on the way back through Helena to try to salvage some of the cost of the drive from the thrifts there which up till now have been a reliable goldmine. Left them empty handed. So a fair bit of disappointment. But a decent number of low-profit finds, so hopefully I'll have enough volume to make up for the lack of anything big-ticket this time around. I'll make the money, it just means that I'll be making way way under minimum wage with the time I'll have to put in to pull the finds from this trip out. At least it should be back in the black after a couple weeks of coming up emptyhanded.
In Great Falls, we hit six thrift shops, plus the two in Helena and one in Anaconda, and six antique shops in Great Falls, plus another in Anaconda. So fifteen open stores in all, not including all the closed-for-the-day and out of business ones we tried to hit.
Vintage neon
A view into some of the shops. Most of the other shoppers in all the thrift shops were Hutterites from the nearby colonies. Prices weren't bad at the shops for the most part, and as usual, I found a ton of skinny lapel suit jackets from the early-mid 1960s but passed on them because of the complete lack of demand. There was a cache of 50+ ties from the 1940s at one of the antique stores, but they were priced at $10-$30 each, with the prices seeming to have nothing to do with era, pattern or condition. One of the shops that was closed had some vintage hats, ties, and sunglasses visible through the front window, taunting me. Maybe some of them will be there next time.
A highlight was the Sip 'n Dip Lounge. I've written about it before on Diner Hunter. We hit it on a night when the mermaids had off (usually they swim up and down in the pool behind the bar) and on a night when Piano Pat also had off (she's played there since 1963). So we had to take it on its merits as a Montana tiki bar up there on the second floor of the O'Hare Motor Inn. It was Sunday night and we had the place nearly to ourselves, save for a group of young women who left shortly after we came in and one man sitting at the bar. We did as you do at a tiki bar, and we got the fishbowl, complete with orange slices, cherries, umbrellas, swizzle sticks and ten straws.
More old cars.
We just back in and I haven't had time to really sort through things, but here's the tally: a Dobbs Homburg, a Stetson 7X clear beaver, Pilgrim porkpie a 1950s tweed overcoat, an early '60s peak lapel overcoat, Velveteez moc toe ankle boots, a '60s-'70s pendleton jacket pleat-back corduroy jacket, German Cigarette card collection scrapbook, early '60s peak lapel suit, 8 vintage ties, a pair of button boots, child sized jeweled and studded western belt and a Sicura (Breitling) automatic watch. I might be going back to buy a 1974 Ford Econoline later in the week, pictured in one of the above posts, if it feels strong enough to make the drive back over the pass.
I'll be posting shots of all that tomorrow, and will do a whole writeup if I end up going to pick up the Ford.
Great Falls was a mixed bag. Two of the larger antique shops downtown which were the main draw for this trip are closed monday despite what their hours online say. A shop on the outside of town has closed and is empty and for sale. The St. Vincent DePaul was closed today only due to some unforseen circumstance on their part, and the batch of trip-making hand painted ties at the Salvation Army ($10 for the lot, as things stand) were for their auction and can only be picked up in person in five days time. Made a side trip on the way back through Helena to try to salvage some of the cost of the drive from the thrifts there which up till now have been a reliable goldmine. Left them empty handed. So a fair bit of disappointment. But a decent number of low-profit finds, so hopefully I'll have enough volume to make up for the lack of anything big-ticket this time around. I'll make the money, it just means that I'll be making way way under minimum wage with the time I'll have to put in to pull the finds from this trip out. At least it should be back in the black after a couple weeks of coming up emptyhanded.
In Great Falls, we hit six thrift shops, plus the two in Helena and one in Anaconda, and six antique shops in Great Falls, plus another in Anaconda. So fifteen open stores in all, not including all the closed-for-the-day and out of business ones we tried to hit.
Vintage neon
A view into some of the shops. Most of the other shoppers in all the thrift shops were Hutterites from the nearby colonies. Prices weren't bad at the shops for the most part, and as usual, I found a ton of skinny lapel suit jackets from the early-mid 1960s but passed on them because of the complete lack of demand. There was a cache of 50+ ties from the 1940s at one of the antique stores, but they were priced at $10-$30 each, with the prices seeming to have nothing to do with era, pattern or condition. One of the shops that was closed had some vintage hats, ties, and sunglasses visible through the front window, taunting me. Maybe some of them will be there next time.
A highlight was the Sip 'n Dip Lounge. I've written about it before on Diner Hunter. We hit it on a night when the mermaids had off (usually they swim up and down in the pool behind the bar) and on a night when Piano Pat also had off (she's played there since 1963). So we had to take it on its merits as a Montana tiki bar up there on the second floor of the O'Hare Motor Inn. It was Sunday night and we had the place nearly to ourselves, save for a group of young women who left shortly after we came in and one man sitting at the bar. We did as you do at a tiki bar, and we got the fishbowl, complete with orange slices, cherries, umbrellas, swizzle sticks and ten straws.
More old cars.
We just back in and I haven't had time to really sort through things, but here's the tally: a Dobbs Homburg, a Stetson 7X clear beaver, Pilgrim porkpie a 1950s tweed overcoat, an early '60s peak lapel overcoat, Velveteez moc toe ankle boots, a '60s-'70s pendleton jacket pleat-back corduroy jacket, German Cigarette card collection scrapbook, early '60s peak lapel suit, 8 vintage ties, a pair of button boots, child sized jeweled and studded western belt and a Sicura (Breitling) automatic watch. I might be going back to buy a 1974 Ford Econoline later in the week, pictured in one of the above posts, if it feels strong enough to make the drive back over the pass.
I'll be posting shots of all that tomorrow, and will do a whole writeup if I end up going to pick up the Ford.
