Photo by Paul Jean
Pieces at the Little Pottery Shop are hand-thrown and shaped by hand in a variety of styles.
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Visit Frederick and feather your nest
Destination: Frederick, Maryland
By Elaine Jean
Special to the Times
The British poet Dame Edith Sitwell declared that “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire. It is the time for home.”
A trip to Frederick, Md., can help turn your house into a place Dame Edith would happily hibernate in.
Founded in 1745 by German and English settlers, the historic town has long been recognized as a go-to place for antique furnishings. The Clintons were said to stop and shop here on their way to Camp David, so you never who you might rub elbows with.
First, drive to the Frederick Visitors Center at 151 S. East St. for a bit of local history. The center is housed in a beautifully restored, circa 1899 warehouse that sets the stage for the day. It offers convenient hours, off-street parking, free maps and a brief film about attractions and upcoming events in Frederick.
Next, travel to East Street and the area known as Everedy Square and Shab Row. This cluster of restored 19th-century buildings offers dining, entertainment and plenty of shopping, with free, untimed parking in the back. You can leave your car there and hoof it for the rest of the day.
The Loft at Antique Imports at 125 N. East St. is the starting point of our tour, with its urban chic blend of old and new.
Gorgeous antiques meet Washington Design Center samples, with a generous sprinkling of handmade items. This is a place for the decoratively challenged to gather great ideas, and for the savvy shopper to pick up a special accent piece and nab a bargain on high-end upholstered furniture.
The Little Pottery Shop at 117 N. East St. offers pottery ranging from casual to elegant, so there’s something to compliment any décor. Each piece has been made by hand, and most are functional as well as decorative. This is art you can use and admire.
A large concentration of stores selling antiques and the decorative arts can be found on Patrick Street, an easy walk to the southeast, so consult your map and head downtown.
Detour to Great Stuff by Paul at 10 N. Carroll St., where you’ll often find antiques for the home and garden put to surprising new uses. Past visits have yielded a Dutch clog doing double duty as a planter, and a sugar mold stand repurposed as a candle holder. Paul’s additional 52,000-square-foot building at 257 E. Sixth St. is touted as a world in a warehouse, with unique items from China and Europe.
Back on East Patrick Street, more than a dozen shops turn a few city blocks into one-stop shopping for home decorators.
Emporium Antiques at 112, located at 112 E. Patrick St., is a longtime favorite, housing a maze of shops run by more than 100 vendors selling everything from cut crystal to heavy furniture. Stop by for the quilts, lace, antique toys, vintage jewelry and mink coats destined to dress up your life, as well as the farm tables, deacons’ benches and grandfather clocks that add substance.
For another dose of inspiration, visit the Dream House at 102 E. Patrick St., where furnishings and accessories are artfully arranged in a way that dazzles and empowers. If you don’t have the time or the inclination to pull it all together for yourself, they offer a full range of design services.
It’s the little things that transform a house into a home — kitchen, bar, baby and pet items, as well as frames and seasonal touches — and that’s what’s featured at Home Essentials of Frederick at 38 E. Patrick Street. Don’t miss the wall of Memory Blocks by Sid Dickens, a Vancouver-based artist who adorns individual hand-cast plaster tiles with meaningful themes of historic, romantic and religious significance.
Silk and Burlap at 28 E. Patrick St. creates a world that is that is both cottage-fresh and, at the same time, sophisticated. Rustic tables, vintage glassware and new table linens are presented by two owners who have extensive experience in retail and an eye for detail. Theirs is a lifestyle shop with an ever-changing inventory, so it pays to visit often to see what’s new. Relish Décor also offers design services from this location.
The new kid on the block is Salvaged, just across the street at 29 E. Patrick St. The owner grew up surrounded by the scent of history and varnish, born to two Tennessee antique dealers with a decidedly entrepreneurial streak.
The store offers intriguing pieces that have been acquired at auctions, estate sales and barns. Some have been refinished and restored, and many are accompanied by written stories. Decorative accessories are new and made by hand and/or in the U.S. whenever possible.
Frederick also has several consignment stores, such as Fabulous Finds at 24 E. Patrick St. and Heritage Antiques at 39 E. Patrick St., selling both antiques and gently used furnishings that keep the budget in check.
The town features a growing number of good restaurants, many found on nearby North Market Street. But chances are you’ll be too busy to sit down and eat, and that’s where the local cupcake bakeries come into play.
Back at Everedy Square and Shab Row, you can sample the diminutive desserts of Sweet Angela’s Cupcakery at 244 E. Church St. and Angelcakes at 319 E. Church St.
Each offers perennial favorites, as well as daily specials that combine fun flavors with creative flair. At just $2.50 each, you can afford to decide for yourself who wins Frederick’s cupcake wars.
Elaine Jean is a writer with an incurable case of wanderlust. She and husband/photographer Paul are roaming the planet, starting in the Mid-Atlantic region. Learn more about this and other day trips at www.roamingtheplanet.com.