Brian
James has accomplished something many have
tried yet few have succeeded at. He's the author of
three Young Adult novels, yes. But even more impressively,
he managed to talk us into parting with one of our most
cherished display items from the Mystery Spot
Permanent Collection. He and his wife are now
the proud owners of this baby doll inside a
ceramic egg. |
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Jeff’s
in fashion and Colby is an architect.
They came to Phoenicia this weekend as innocent tourists,
little suspecting that they would leave with a car packed
with vintage paint-by-number paintings
and a brand new collection to pursue. We are very proud
to have set them on their path to enlightenment. Jeff
proudly displays an impressive array of religious-themed
PBN’s ($15 – 35), including
The Last Supper, while Colby
took a liking to this Siamese dancing girl ($22.).
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Clifford Irving and his fake Howard
Hughes autobiography? What does that have to
do with The Mystery Spot, you may ask?
Well, at this very moment Lasse Halstrom is
directing Richard Gere in a film called
The Hoax, based on this very incident, and if
you look very closely you may very well see THIS
LAMP in the movie, along with a slew of other
props that the very friendly prop stylist Carol
Silverman bought from us to decorate the film
set. |
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Two of our favorite Phoenicians,
Viva and Tessa, model
two of our favorite T-shirts. We couldn’t believe
our eyes when we first spotted these unbelievable vintage
psychedelic artist-signed buttery-soft T-shirts,
one from 1974 and one from 1975 ($30.). |
Our
good friend Storey is four years old.
She loves to go to the zoo and she really loves to collect
elephants! She’s wearing a shiny gold
elephant necklace ($12.) and a simply adorable
pink and orange 1950’s party dress with
a crinoline lining ($28.) that her parents
got for her |
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These are Storey’s
parents! Liz Mitchell and Daniel
Littleton have a terrific band called IDA.
They’re regulars at Le Spot and are always on the
lookout for musical inspiration wherever it might strike.
Here’s the happy family with their latest haul of
vintage vinyl: Dylan, Leonard
Cohen, Magic in St. Kitt’s (signed!), The
Incredible String Band, and a very collectible
pressing of the Greatest Hits of the Summer of
1969 from Raquette Lake Girl’s Camp ($5
– 12). |
Ambrosia Parsley, thy name is Beauty!
The world’s most fetching rock star (Shivaree)
models a 1950’s ladies’ tweed suit
with fur collar ($65.) and tops it off with
a vintage brown velvet riding hat ($24.).
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We always feel blessed when the Three Graces
flutter off the Boardwalk and into our little shop to
play dress-up. Viva, Tessa and
Sylvia look simply divine in a trio of gorgeous
vintage prom dresses ($45 - 65). and
elegant heels ($15 - 23). |
Oh, shucks, they’re so lovely, we couldn’t
resist another photo!
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Our good friend Claire stopped by with
her best friend Zoe and they had a blast
getting all dolled up. Zoe models a vintage 1950’s
gray, red and white frock ($28.) with
a 1940’s ivory colored wide-brimmed straw
sun hat ($25.). Claire
wears a fantastic 1950’s wild paisley linen
dress and a jaunty yellow straw hat with
fake cherries ($32.) hanging off it,
accessorized with a colorful scarf ($5.).
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Here at The Mystery
Spot we pride ourselves on stepping back and
letting the merchandise sell itself, but in this case
we couldn’t help but be a tad bit pushy. Who better
but a seventeen year-old Brooklyn girl named Allie
Comet should own a vintage T-shirt tracking
the orbit of Halley’s Comet?
We mean, c’mon! And now she does! And she’s
very happy. |
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Remember
Timmy, the CPR Dummy Factory Reject?
Well, you can bet that 1 1/2 year old Jacqueline
will never forget him! It was love at first sight between
these two, and it took a bit of coaxing from Jackie’s
daddy to tear her away from the rubbery boy whispering
sweet nothings into her ear. |
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Here’s another
card-carrying member of the Mystery Spot Internship
Program! Four year old Ava works
out some sales figures in her head (who needs a calculator?)
and managed to sell a pair of vintage cowboy boots
while we ran out for an iced tea. Go Ava! |
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Ava
is also one of our favorite models. She takes direction
like a pro! Here Ava models a sweet yellow and
white lace-trimmed vintage girl’s frock from the
Fifties ($24.) which her mommy bought
for her, and a Fifties beaded purse ($34.).
(She’s not really sulking, she’s just a great
actress!). |
See?
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Cait and Suzie are both
sixteen and both live in New Jersey. They both love
their 1970’s deadstock fashion finds.
Cait models her killer embroidered hippie gauze
western shirt ($23.) and Suzie her Mr.
Aref of California yellow and white
polka dot tennis dress ($44.). |
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Spot-ettes Tessa and Sylvia
whirl around the Boardwalk! Tessa flaunts a fantastic
Fifties gray, white and aqua striped skirt ($24.)
and Sylvia looks simply divine in a Natalie Wood-inspired
vintage cotton floral yellow halter top sundress
($65.). |
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Jen Clements came all the way from Orlando
to visit the Mystery Spot! Okay, she
also fit in a visit with her brother, garden photographer
Jeff Clements while she was here, but
we like to think she came to see us! The Clements siblings
seem to have a thing for round orblike products.
Dig the groovy 1970’s desk sculpure
($15.) and even groovier 1960’s
hanging bejeweled ceiling fixture ($150)
that they took home. (P.S. Thanks to Jeff Carver
for sending them our way!) |
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Six
year old Soho pixie Ayden loves singing
and dancing, and she really loves this awesome plaid
vintage girl’s dress that
her mom bought her for her Fall wardrobe ($24.).
She also really loves this embroidered fez
($45.), but her mom put the kibosh on that
purchase. (Sensible mom!) |
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Dexter
is three and he looks fantastic in his brand-new hand-screened
Mystery Spot baseball jersey ($10.),
doesn’t he? He’s a big fan of superheroes
and chocolate, and we’re big fans of Dexter! |
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Asia
just turned eleven, and she wants you to know that it’s
rare indeed to see her in such a frilly dress! She can
usually be spotted in much more rugged attire on the
soccer field, the basketball court, and on horseback
– her regular haunts. But Asia graciously humored
us here at The Mystery Spot and agreed
to be photographed in this NOS vintage 1940’s
sheer Cinderella Frock ($55.),
and frankly, we think she looks incredible! |
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Let’s say you live in Brooklyn and you’re
about to turn twenty-nine -- what’s an appropriate
way to celebrate your birthday? A party? Bar-hopping in
the Big City? Well, if you’re Jeff Hansen
the photographer, and you’re lucky enough to have
a good buddy like Darrick Borowski the
architect, you may find yourself in a car being driven
up to Phoenicia for a weekend of trout fishing on the
Esopus Creek. But first you make sure to pick up a last-minute
broken-in just-so vintage leather belt
($24.) from The Mystery Spot,
so your pants won’t fall down in the creek as you’re
reeling in the Big One. |
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Jerseyites
John and Andrea came
down “sore as hell” from hiking nearby
Panther Mountain (five miles up, five miles
back) and wandered into Le Spot, little
suspecting they’d wander out with a Coltrane
LP ($6.) and a signed oil
on board southwestern landscape entitled
The Endless Desert. According to the label
on the back, it was painted by fifteen year-old Anthony
Pugliese from White Plains, NY, “at
home.” ($45.). |
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Why, Miss Ellie,
I do declare! We’ve known Eleanor
since she was knee-high to a grasshopper. Now she’s
fifteen, knows all of Sondheim inside out, and can sing
like an angel. Here she plays the role of the ingénue
in a 1950’s rhinestone-covered cream-colored
cardigan ($45.), Anne Fogarty
chevron striped Fifties sundress ($44.),
and an unusual vintage vertical purse ($32.).
Watch out, Broadway! |
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Tara
Jane O’Neil is a triple threat
- musician, artist, and recently-minted Thirty Something.
She loved this vintage T-shirt so much,
she traded one of her wonderful CDs for it. (We definitely
got the better end of that deal!). She often
plays music with….. |
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Liz Mitchell
and Storey. Mother and daughter show
off their favorite new dresses, purchased at The
Mystery Spot. Liz looks ravishing in a vintage
Seventies orange floor-length photo-print acetate butterfly
gown with topaz rhinestone pin ($40)
and Storey is cute as a button in a Fifties cotton
plaid print frock ($18.). Liz is in
the band Ida with….. |
Karla
Schickele, who jumps for joy over her just-purchased
vintage embroidered tunic ( $18.),
Fifties silk striped button-down top
( $22.), and antique embossed amber
Stetson bottle ( $5.). New York City
government speechwriter by day, rocker by night, Karla
is one of the founders of the ultra-cool Willie
Mae Rock Camp for Girls. |
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Autumn is here, which
can mean only one thing. (No, not carloads of leaf-peepers
looking at the colorful foliage). Teenage girls wearing
colorful and cozy vintage Fifties and Sixties
ski sweaters plucked off the racks of The
Mystery Spot. Tessa models a
fuzzy lace-up blue and white geometric wooly sweater
($38.) and hand-crocheted baby
blue mohair spiderweb scarf ($12.),
and Viva a vintage zip-up yellow
knit snowflake sweater ($34.). They
hold a one of our colorful (and strong!) Frida
Kahlo Mexican mesh grocery tote bags ($20.),
which we hand-picked in Mexico on a recent buying trip. |
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Tessa is ready for another school year
in her brand new vintage hooded long white belted
cardigan ($24.) and 60’s
buckle pocket leather hobo bag ($45.).
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wait,
there's more!
>>
Our Motto: "Clutter My World"
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