Antique Shop Spotlight: Overland Trail

Hi everyone!  It is with distinct pleasure that I am able to bring you our latest installment of Antique Grid Show's Shop Spotlight.  This time around we have that hidden golden nugget in the rough terrain of the wild west - Overland Trail owned, operated, and stocked by the wonderful Addison Leigh.  When I first happened to cross her store's path, it was at her Caledon location.  Soon, I found her authentic and fun store at her home sim of Deadwood. 

For those who don't know, Deadwood is a fine example of an American western Role-play sim.  In my humble opinion, it is one of the finest and most well put together.  Not saying others aren't good too.  I just happened to enjoy my brief RP foray in this lovely sim. 

We were able to have Addison sit down and contemplate some questions to which she replied.  For your reading pleasure, please do continue to read on.

 

What is your inspiration when building your items?

My inspiration is the Victorian old west Sim I co-own with Karl Shergood, Deadwood City.  I also have a long standing interest in history and the clothing of the era.

What is it that you hope to invoke in your customers when building?
I hope they enjoy the things I make and have fun first of all, but I also hope they help enhance
a sense of time and place. Most of what I make is designed based on historical sources, also
period costuming in plays and movies.

Why do you focus on the particular style?  Why antiques?
I love the clothing of the era and I like history that is written from the prospective of everyday poeple. Deadwood City has always been a sim that dealt with both the big and the every day events.

Ive never been an antique collector in real life, but it's almost like there is a connection and even power when you touch something that has traveled through time. It's a small thing but to me the common experience adds a dimension and the people and events become a little more real. 

What would be your personal favorite piece in your store?  Why?

Hmmmm, I think my favorite is usually what I'm working on at the moment... *goes to look*  I don't think I have a favorite or I would probably say the dress I just did for the hunt based on 1850ish ball gowns. Most of my things were designed with Deadwood City and reflect the 1870s time period. It was nice to do something earlier and different.  I do like the News Girl dress for everyday or the Coventry for a bit fancier.

We are planning on doing a bit of a rebuild in Deadwood this spring, so stay tuned. There should be some different outfits coming out with that

Overland as it is today, the store will likely get an update in the next month or so.

If you could choose a time period in which to live, what would it be and why? 

Probably a time period where things changed a lot. Late 19th century would be interesting, also late 18th and the Revolutionary War period.  Maybe what I'd actually like to do is spring forward to some time in the future and see how the world has progressed. I hope there are trees and people.

What are some ways you strive for excellent customer service?
Customer service is important to me. I'm pretty approachable. I usually solve problems as soon as I hear about them and answer any IMs or notecards.  I also try to make things with lots of options they can really use. I don't do much custom work, I do try to canvas players and create things I know poeple are looking for.

Overland Trail has been a member of Antique Grid Show since it started.  Addison designed and offered one of teh most talked about gifts back in the Autumn Hunt in Novebmer 2012 and in the Spring Hunt in April 2013:

 

 

 



A few peeks inside the Overland Trail store...

Antique Shop Spotlight: Hell House Studios

Welcome to our Antique Shop Spotlight.  For our third installment, we have Hell House Studios by Morgaine Christensen.  I recently just met Morgaine and her work, but it is among the best I ahve seen.  Her work encompasses more than just furniture.  She also designs clothing and does sim design work.  If you are like me, you will be enchantted by her recent Victorian Christmas village!

What is your inspiration when building your items?
My siblings and I were raised by my grandmother. There wasn't much money to be had when I was growing up and we made do with what we had. Much of the furniture was hand-me-downs from family and friends and dated back to the late 1890 or early 1900s. We didn't think of them as "antiques" or "historical pieces"; they were just normal, everyday Items. It wasn't till later in life I figured out what we used daily were collector's pieces.
When I make things, I look back to my childhood and see the pieces we used. Or, some memory of old houses, from the country seat we lived, creep into my mind and brings back fond memories. I think that is where I get my inspiration for many things related to antique items, which are very hard to find in SL. I also have a real life passion for items from the Depression Era in the US instilled by my father.


What is it that you hope to invoke in your customers when building?
I am not really sure. I love to create for the sake of creating in SL. I suppose I hope to invoke a sense of history and appreciation of our ancestors. Honestly, in studying history, the trials and tribulations prior generations overcame to get us where we are today is just mind-boggling. It is amazing we are here to appreciate it their contributions to the world.
So, I think, if what I make, can connect each of us to our past and stop occasionally to take a deep breath, slow down, relax, and just be for a few moments then all my efforts are worth it.

Why do you focus on the particular style? Why antiques?
I like antiques. From my RL perusal, they have style and character. Most items are well built and indeed show a high level of craftsmanship that seems to be unknown today. Today, I think what is made is simply for a job. Little feelings or pride seems to shine from most items today. It's like everything made is simply disposable not something to be cherished and passed on to our children or, children's children as was done in the past.

What would be your personal favorite piece in your store? Why?

I really don't have a favorite piece. All my pieces are favorites. I can look at each piece and see where I was and where I am now. Each pieces tells a story of the knowledge and skills I have gained through my time in Second Life.
I have learned to build with prims, sculpts and create mesh. I have acquired knowledge and skills of how to use Photoshop to make my own textures or alter the ones I buy from some truly superb graphic artists to fit a particular project.
I am learning Blender and another mesh software. Creating scripts fails me, but I have gained knowledge and the appreciation of those can can script. I can animate objects so they function for the pleasure of my customers. I am looking creating my own animations in the near future for specific projects since what I want and need are not readily available at this time.
So all my creations are my favorites, even the old bad ones. They remind me of how priceless Second Life is allowing every Resident here to gain skills and knowledge and create such a fantastic world. We are not limited to what some game designer thinks we would like. We have choices here to create our own reality.

If you could choose a time period in which to live, what would it be and why?
While I love the Victorian era for it's complex building elements and genuine character, I would really have to chose to live in Ancient Egypt at the height of the Pharaohs. I think it was a period of time where the world exploded with the gathering of knowledge and the preserving of it pressing outward so understand our world.

What are some ways you strive for excellent customer service?
I try to listen to my customers. really listen to them. I try to understand their issues, and do my damnedest to make sure they are happy with my products. Generally, it is just little things that are causing the problem. Most are not builders and just need a little help understanding something, or even just to vent. Sometimes, they misread the description or had different expectations of a product. Customer contact is very important. You learn from each instance.

If you take the time to listen, you will become a better more thoughtful builder. Or, if is something that I have done wrong on my part or ,Second Life has "helped" me , I will do my best to correct the item, send them a new one, redeliver to anyone else that has bought the item and gift the customer with a token of my appreciation for helping me find the issue.


One of the questions earlier was about what my current favorite piece is, and I said all my pieces are my favorites. But I do have a current build I have done, besides just creating items to sell, I am also an RP sim creator. I love to make wonderful environments.
Because I am fortunate in RL at this time to have a job that allows me to own a sim, albeit an adult sim, I offer merchants space in the shopping village to sell their wares along with my space without the worry of having to rent. Some are new merchants trying their hand at creating, while others are old hands at it. I believe in sharing what I have, while I have it, to benefit others. There may come I time I can't but for now....
My current project has been for myself. I have newly created a permanent shopping area based on Victorian buildings for shop space for a variety of merchants. All the buildings currently in The Village were created by Koshari Mahana of Four Winds -Four Directions fame. I purchased these several years ago and when I went looking for other items recently, I was saddened to learn Koshari is perhaps no longer in SL and Four Winds out of business.
Koshari Mahana is very talented and creative with a wonderful eye for detail. I am not sure, but I believe either she made her own textures or had a resource that made her builds very special and detailed, especially if you are in love with Victorian style. Even if you have no desire to buy anything, please do stop by The Village and see Koshari's builds. They are simply an inspiration to look at.

Antique Shop Spotlight: MB Antiques

In our continued Antique Shop Spotlight series, we have another excellent shop for you.  MB Antiques has been around SL for quite some time now; primarily known within the Royal Courts RP sims.  However, her items can be found gracing not only the homes of royalty in SL, but the homes of every day people.  About a year ago, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Serenya and walking around her shop, or rather store within a mansion!

The antiques that can be found at MB Antiques are varied in design, but also theme.  The craft used melds sculpts and mesh now; along with prims and textures.  You can never go wrong here - there's something for every taste; English, Swedish, French, etc.

The craftswoman and antique connoisseur of MB Antiques was gracious enough to spend some time to answer our slightly probing questions.

What is your inspiration when building your items?

My inspiration comes from the desire to create objects of the past; authentic pieces from the museum. Each one of them has a story to tell and buying it and placing it in your home becomes part of that story.

 

 

What is it that you hope to invoke in your customers when building?

The passion and attention to detail is the most important to me. I want that in the the piece that the customer chooses because that's what they were looking for and expect to find.  They decide to buy an item because of an intrinsic value. The preciousness of the bill leads them to decide to make the investment in any particular item; especially any item that they feel holds value for them and their home.

 

Why do you focus on the particular style? Why antiques?

Antiques are my passion. I am a connoisseur and I really love being able to extend this love of mine in SL.

 

What would be your personal favorite piece in your store? Why?

I do not have a favorite piece; I love them all!  I love and adore all of the realizable furniture, so all of the objects that are realized become my favorites!

If you could choose a time period in which to live, what would it be and why?

I would live, without any doubt, in the 18th century; precisely in the Rococo era.  I'd love to live even in the Neoclassical period.  It was a period where excess and luxury and the cult of aesthetic architecture and decoration were at their peak.

 

What are some ways you strive for excellent customer service?

I enjoy taking care of customers and thir needs by responding to their requests and questions for assistance.
Many times I am available to help in the choice of furniture and most of their rightful place in the their homes.

 

Here's a look at MB Antiques and what they have to offer at their ahop:

 

 

 

Serenya really has a wonderful ability to create exquisite apces using her fine furnishings, detail to attention, and use of lighting.  I am sure you can find anything to suit your taste and home in this enlightening shop!

Antique Shop Spotlight: Hanta

You know, we have so many talented and quality designers within the antique and historical period niche.  You've really begun to see this doing our hunt.  As you seek the gifts, hopefully you are also taking the time to really look around each shop and savor their delicacies, furnishings, houses, clothing, and so forth.

In order to assist in your exploration of our shops, we're going to start doing some Antique Shop Spotlights.  In each blog post that spotlights a different shop, we'll share images of the store and get to know the shopkeepers better. 

For our first shop spotlight, we have the wonderful ladies of Hanta - Tat and Tarci Lilac.  These two ladies are relatively new to the in-world marketplace.  They first started their business as a Marketplace-only venture.  I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Tat and Tarci when I owned and operated Antique Square.  Unfortunately, they came to rent a shop as we were closing that venture, but since then I have had the privilege of witnessing their continued growth.

The ladies were gracious enough to answer some questions about their shop to give some more insight into their shop, passion, and dedication.

What is your inspiration when building your items?

Our inspiration is the beauty itself. We try to make the best we can. Our textures are all made by ourselves (by Tharci), they are unique, and we don't stop till we like the result and the result must be beautiful.   We are always chasing the beauty.

What is it that you hope to invoke in your customers when building?

We hope they will look to their homes with our furniture and like what they see, that they don't feel like changing a thing. We just make things that we would use, ourselves, and would be happy having it in our houses so we hope our customers feel the same way.

Why do you focus on the particular style?  Why antiques?

I always liked history and one day, while exploring, I found an antique city named London; everything was so beautiful, so peaceful, no lack of respect, everybody behaved so well. Well, I fell in love with everything in that city and I dragged tharci with me. Took a while till we started to build furniture, but we started following the style we used to see everyday.

 

What would be your personal favorite piece in your store?  Why?

Our favorite piece is aaaaalways the one we just made, the newest one, cause we always try to improve, to add something new, cuter, prettier. Right now, our favorite piece is the new fireplace. It has warm animations; single ones and couple ones. Really beautiful and cozy.

 

If you could choose a time period in which to live, what would it be and why?

Omg... if I could choose, for real, I would go back then, in 1600/1700 cause I love the history of the colonial period of my country.

 

What are some ways you strive for excellent customer service?

I am always ready to answer any question about our furniture. I try to make our prices really affordable, and our inworld store has even better prices.  (The ladies are also talking about making a blog!)

Make sure you stop by Hanta during the Antique Grid Show: Auutmn Hunt for their lovely gift!

 

 

 Here's a look at Hanta and what they have to offer!