Let’s shake it up….your home decor that is. This Fall Season simply step out into your own backyard. That’s right…..into “The Valley” of West Orange. Located at 168 South Valley Road there sits ValleyVintage. Home of 20 dealers of unique and hard to find items that’s like Home Goods on steroids.
Before it was a fun vintage store it was an a/c service store. Elyse Alfandre had seen a For Sale Sign outside of the store in 2016. She eventually jumped at the opportunity to secure this wonderful space to be the new home for all of her acquired vintage items. Elyse and most of the dealers from her Somerville COOP moved in and have been in The Valley ever since. They painted the walls, put up peg boards and the rest is history.
Elyse likes to think of her store as having “essential items at a good buy”.Biggest sellers are vintage clothing, glass, pottery, unique holiday decor, books and vinyl records. The demographic of shoppers fluctuates regularly but, tends to draw from the 20 - 40 year old age group. They shop here for top quality pieces as well as retro items. Alf and Smurf stuffed dolls, Star Trek trays as well as vintage blue glass are some of the unique items you might spot while perusing the stocked aisles. There is another Valley Vintage store that has recently opened in Maplewood. On the hunt for rare retro finds? Be sure to stop in. valleyvintage168.com. Instagram valleyvintage168.
Speaking of Maplewood….let’s shop at Albert Joseph Gallery for a classic touch. When we purchase older furniture to be part of our homes we are breathing life into our homes. Every home has at least one fantastic antique and Albert Joseph Gallery might have exactly what you seek.
“I work directly with interior designers all over. I have a showroom in the New York Design Center (NYDC)located at 200 Lexington Avenue 10th Floor, which is a noted market place for designers.”
As for now Albert Joseph Gallery does not have any West Orange pieces but, he is fascinated with the history of West Orange, with Thomas Edison and all that was happening in the industrial age. West Orange has many of the local homes had incredible craftsmanship and furniture made specifically for them. The original homes remaining in Llewelyn Park are testaments to this fine building style.
Albert Joseph grew up in this area. He and his wife had a chance to buy the building at 1988 Springfield Avenue in Maplewood. They have kept the integrity of the building since its purchase. They even had the old tin ceiling restored.
He was directly importing Asian Antiques then shifted to offer design oriented pieces from Europe and America in the Mid Century Modern style back in 2007.
He liked the idea of antiques and the hunt to find incredible pieces that were mostly handmade and passing them on through time to continue to be “useful, used and loved”.
Albert Joseph says “The one thing that keeps me going is the continued feeling I get every time I see a truly special or well made piece of old furniture that needs to find a home. It just seems like the right thing to do when you know how, if you can, so I try to find them homes with a discerning eye and truly edited palette”.
He has had many customers in West Orange and works with several interior designers who reside in town.
One special story comes to mind to Mr Joseph when I was asking him these questions. A client, that he had worked with for over 20 years was moving from South Orange to West Orange. They had purchased this special piece while in South Orange of a large antique Buddhist Scroll painting with a custom mounting that was complicated to install. The couple asked me to orchestrate the entire move and placement of this unique hard to find piece. After many years, when they were downsizing, they reached out again for my assistance with the move of this marvelous painting.
Mr. Joseph certainly has unique relationships with all his clients. Many of them are over 20 years. He tells me how grateful he is for having all these shared experiences of all these families that have invited him into their homes.
Helping families, individuals and couples find just the right item, for just that spot in your home will breathe new life into your home. Every time you pass by the acquisition, you will recall the terrific people who found these prodigious items just for you.
www.albertjosephgallery.com
"...I try to find them homes with a discerning eye and truly edited palette"