Toni's Vintage Trips: February 2015

It's been a while since I visited California Gold Country, which is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains where I grew up. I traveled there to see my parents and to visit Victorian Closet in the tiny town of Amador City. As usual, I stayed at the Gunn House in Sonora, which has the most dynamite breakfast, including fresh waffles. On Friday, Fran (my mom) and I went to downtown Sonora and after lunch at our favorite coffee bar, Legends, we went shopping at our two favorite consignment shops, Runway Exchange and Occasion Station both on Washington Street. At Occasion Station, I took some photographs of beautiful vintage and contemporary evening dresses to share with you and watched Fran shop.

Bright and early Saturday morning, we traveled to Amador City about an hour away from Sonora along Highway 49, the old miners' route through California Gold Country. Along the way, we passed historic towns such as Angels Camp where Mark Twain spent one winter and wrote a story about a frog that made him famous for all time. When we got to Amador City, the town was just waking up and shops were opening. We walked on the old wooden sidewalk, past the local museum to Victorian Closet. This shop, owned by Sally Knudson, is a time capsule. In one corner, are wedding gowns from the early 1900's-1940's. On another wall, are handmade quilts. My most favorite items were the victorian doll clothes, including one outfit that would have looked cute on Tom Thumb. Fran bought 2 Storybook dolls that she collects and I took many photographs.

We said good-bye to Amador City and went to the nearby town of Jackson where, unfortunately, many antique stores were closed. I wandered into Tinker O'Brien on Main Street because I saw a few interesting items I wanted to photograph. The store's owner, Michele Jenson, took me in the back and showed me her treasure trove of vintage clothes that I am sharing with you. All in all, it was a good trip. I got to have time to bond with Fran and do what we do best - take a vintage clothing trip. Enjoy! Toni