Vintage & More on the Blvd in Red Bank

Vintage and More on the Blvd, located in Red Bank, Tenn., was opened several years ago by folks who love to collect, create and sell antiques, crafts and home décor. Two sisters, Deborah Baldridge and Peggy Roe, took it over in 2016 and they both love the hunt as well as staging the booths and working with the vendors and customers.

Peggy and Deborah were born and raised in the Chattanooga area, attended grade school at Rivermont, than went to Red Bank Jr. High until they were moved westward. They lived in both Oklahoma and Texas, 40 years for Peggy and 45 years for Deborah. Both made their move back to the Chattanooga/Red Bank area, and now live a short distance from each other. Peggy had been in restaurant and retail management, and Deborah worked with veterinarians and helped to start pet foster and adoption care organizations for dogs, cats and their litters.

Deborah has always loved furniture, especially Mid Century Modern with the straight lines. She hunts, buys, than brings it home and restores or paints pieces. She loves to keep them, but it’s easy to run out of space and selling them meant she could look for more. Deborah also loves decorating and arranging furniture. Since her interest kept her going to estate sales and auctions, and Peggy’s experience in retail and her own interest in hunting for her favorite treasures it was clear that together they could work and grow an antiques, décor and gift shop type business while enjoying spending time together.

When the antiques business became available, they felt it was good timing, and they loved the building in which it was located. The old store building was built over a 100 years ago and was originally the Red Bank Hardware Store. It had just the right amount of space, is the only gift shop in Red Bank at this time, and it is conveniently located at 3874 Dayton Blvd., just a few miles from historic downtown Chattanooga and directly across from Food City. It’s right in the path of lots of tourists and residents traveling from lots of small towns like Sale Creek, Signal Mountain, Soddy Daisy, Hixson, Dunlap and Dayton.

The deal was done, and they became the new owners of Vintage & More on the Blvd.  They’re loving their new adventure, and enjoying getting acquainted with so many people; many who have made it a regular stop.

Peggy’s favorite collectible is cobalt blue glass. Her grandmother gave her a piece when she was a young girl, and she’s been on a hunt for cobalt ever since. She told me she thought she was “OCD” because she has to be organizing all the time. She loves to bring new old stuff in, but can’t wait to stage it and revamps often. When Peggy’s not at the shop, she is a care giver who takes care of patients and often elderly in need of assistance. When she’s not working she loves to read, so her hunt includes used books and reading material.

Deborah said she has a hard time letting go of some of the beautiful selections of furniture she finds. She has several dining pieces and bedroom furniture right now, just waiting for someone to take them home and love. When Deborah isn’t at their shop, she’s taking care of foster pets for the Humane Society. They often bring her the litters that’s mother have been taken from them. She nurses them, many that are only days old, until they are old enough for fostering or adoption. She also takes care of very sick kittens or puppies or adult pets that need IV fluids and special care. This has been Deborah’s love and passion for most of her life. When she’s not working, she loves to knit, often purchasing patterns or creating her own ideas. She knits pieces for gifts and to sell.

Vintage & More has approximately 30 vendors and consignees who each offer very unique and different merchandise in their booths. You can find vintage and fine jewelry, as well as quality custom made selections. There’s primitives, china, crystal, silver pieces, local art and framed prints, vintage smalls, and great décor items from the 50s to the 70s. Many of their items are from the areas in and around Chattanooga. It’s one of those shops you need to check out constantly for those rare and one-of-a-kind items.

I know you’ll enjoy your visit and shopping experience with these two sisters. They look forward to meeting new folks every day and sharing a little history of the area. Tell them what you’re looking for and they’ll do their best to find it. Visit their Facebook page, and tell them you read about them in The Busy Bee Trader.

By Maxine B. Jones, Ocoee, Tennessee