Mrs P

February 1, 2008 by Ellen Stimson in Antiques, Country Living, Mrs. Paproth

Mrs. Paproth was a high end junk dealer or a low end antiques dealer depending on your perspective and the size of your wallet. She liked going to antique auctions and she’d found a way to support the hobby. She lived just outside of town in a country setting surrounded by woods and an old dilapidated barn. She was a grandmotherly type who was always glad to hear a car in the driveway and met everyone with a smile and a story. She was invariably cheerful, and she had an unmistakable air of contentment that made you want to be with her. Down a little hillside walkway behind her house were the sheds….those wonderful sheds

There were four of them lined up in a row, each with a specialty all its own. There was one with furniture, mainly chairs. (I always wondered who bought all those chairs as they changed regulalry) Another held ancient costume jewelry and old clothes. There was one that had political buttons and toys in glass fronted cases next to a housewares aisle that included old tablecloths and carnival glass. My favorite shed had boxes. There were shelves full of of beautiful wooden boxes that seemed ready to hold some treasure. I didn’t have much treasure, but the boxes seemed to imply that it was only a matter of time. There were stacks of old advertising tins and this is where my first collection began. There were the cigar tins I remembered my Uncle Winston giving me to put my crayons in. I had to have some of those. Tobacco tins ruled the shelves, but there were also pretty powder boxes, and rarer peanut butter tins with funny advertising and glorious pictures of happy families painted on the side. They spoke to a sweeter gentler way of life. I lined them up on a shelf in my first apartment.

I was 18 years old. I furnished my whole house from those sheds. There was an old quilt made out of ties, that hung in my loft. And since my couches were battered hand me downs, I covered them with quilt tops. And I got the best cookie jar, an old big red metal thing, that I carted from house to house for years. I still have the tins and all of my kids have some of her boxes. They have held love letters, marbles, buttons, baseball cards, and Barbie clothes. Now they hold jewelry, and foreign coins.

Mrs Paproth’s barns smelled of old things. There was a woodsy musty smell, and hidden under a canopy of trees at the edge of the woods, they were always cool even in summer. I brought my kids as they came along over the years. Benjamin would always come away with a jar of marbles, and army guys. Hannah usually added to her doll collection with old Barbies, and bunches of doll clothes. And Eli liked the old metal cars and was captivated by the buttons. He liked to count them and pass them out to visitors he liked. We all wore button necklaces and made button collages.

Next to the driveway where you honked to let her know you were there, ( only she always came out before you’d even finished parking, let alone managed to honk), was the real furniture shed. This was the place with the good Hoosier cabinets, and the beautiful baby carriage. If you needed a table, or a pink Regency chaise, this was the shed. Everything here cost more. Three or four hundred dollars was the starting price. This was where you came if you needed real furniture and had a little money set aside.

But if she didn’t have what you wanted, you could tell her what you were looking for and how much you had to spend. Likely as not she’d call you in a week or two and tell you she had something you might want to see. It was always exactly what you had been imagining. And because you were a good customer she’d take off 10%. If you were a good customer and broke, she might take off a little more. Then too there was always layaway.

Mre Paproth herself was always on hand to talk about the doings in town. Somebody was getting married and somebody else ought to be. Her gossip was never mean, just newsy and fun. When I got divorced she knew about it almost as soon as I did. Steve had moved out and I’d gone there with my little baby looking for something to do that didn’t cost much and would while away a sad afternoon. She said she’d heard we’d gotten separated and told me that I wouldn’t be miserable for long. Time heals everything, she said. She suggested that she might start giving out pop-sickles for wedding presents, but that sometimes a divorce fixed a broken home, rather than made one. I started to cry and she gave me a lace edged handkerchief that was way too pretty to cry on. So instead I cheered up. Benjamin got a new ball, and I got a beautiful little cedar box. There was something cozy about all this old stuff. It said sit down and have a cup of tea.

Here’s what I learned from those barns and her….

The country smells better than the city.

Newer isn’t  always better.

Toys needn’t be shiny or new to be fun.

Old things are unique and help you find a look of your own as opposed to one out of a catalog.

$25 can make a room look completely different. And looking at your old life in this new way, well, that can change your day, your week, practically your whole life.

Old things have stood the test of time. Like me now. I prefer objects with a story. A few scratches or saggy bits add character. And faded colors are prettier than shiny ones. Always actually…(okay except maybe for patent leather shoes)

Making people feel welcome is a gift. And it is one anybody can give.

Crying and being miserable is a choice. You can be unhappy if you want to be. Or not. Bad things will happen. So will good ones. You get to decide which ones you are going to dwell on…(I learned this on the day that she had to keep running back into the house where her husband of about fifty years was dying. She was sniffling over it, but she said, we have had a good life. In the face of a very hard thing she was dwelling on the sweeter ones)

I moved to Vermont where life seems older. The mountains lend a sense of permanence to the landscape and the houses are as old as the country itself. There is a sense up here of choice. People live here on purpose. It is no accident that you move here or stay here. Making a living up here is hard, so it is a choice to live where the beauty is more important than the money. This is a place where the new movies are few, and the stores all close by 7. You have to like yourself and the people you live with because the winters are long, and there aren’t even street lights. But there are stars. And the NYT doesn’t get to Vermont until about 8 in the morning, so you have time to walk up to the waterfall and have coffee with a heron. There aren’t many restaurants so you don’t need as many credit cards. Socks and gloves are cheap and these you buy in bulk. You can’t wear most of the shoes you once coveted so you get mud boots, and your dog can go with you inside the bank.

I learned how to choose what pleased me on two or three hundred afternoons at Mrs Paproth’s Barn. Moreover she showed me how to live on purpose, maybe frugally but with beauty and grace. I don’t even have to miss her because all I need to do is pick up one of these old boxes and her stories come right back to me across the years and over the miles. Old stuff and old mountains make me happy. And so I choose…..just like Mrs Paproth…I choose.

    Comments

  • Don Mills Diva


    What an absolutely beautiful post about a wonderful woman. She was indeed wise and I love the way you have taken her lessons to heart. So well -written – thanks!

  • Badness Jones


    Thank you. Your writing takes me away to a better place. And you’ve reminded me why I love our old house – it’s idiosyncrasies sometimes drive me mad, but it has charm, and grace, and a soul…a welcoming, loving soul that I have never felt upon entering a new house.

  • marybeth


    I have been wondering where the title came from…Thanks

  • katiedid


    Is she still alive? Is her shop still open? So many questions

  • Illinois X


    her kids will love this and i will see that they get a copy…don’t know yet whether she is still with us or not…

  • Anonymous


    I knew a place and a woman very much like your Mrs paproth. Mine was a booth in an antique’s mall and the woman who ran it was called Teensy. I was a kid with my mom and I learned a lot on those trips. I have been remembering her now all day. Thank you

  • Amy


    What a beautiful post. It makes me wish I had a Mrs P in my life.

  • Peace is every step


    Beautiful story. I’ve never felt the same immediate connection and sense of comfort when walking in a newer house than when welcomed into an old thing. There is a sense you get from old toys & old stuff, the time and attention placed in their creation is not what you see in factory made stuff today.

    Thanks for visiting my site & allowing me to discover yours!

  • Kellan


    This was simply beautiful. I am such a big believer in “life is full of choices” – you said it so beautifully!! I was right there in your story – I could smell and see it all – it was glorious!! I loved this, “You have to like yourself and the people you live with because the winters are long, and there aren’t even street lights. But there are stars.” – you write so wonderfully!!

    Thank you for sharing this wonderful story and for visiting my site today – it has been a pleasure visiting you – I hope to see you again soon. Take care – Kellan

  • painted maypole


    this was so lovely, and OH, I just want to go shopping at Mrs. Paproth’s Barn!

    Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

  • the dragonfly


    Beautiful. I love places like that, and I love to find treasures…

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! 🙂

  • Angela


    I’ve made you an award..it’s at the end of my most recent post. I hope you like it!

  • library lady


    I just knew your audience would want to read this! I feel very lucky to have been able to go there and experience Mrs. Paproth. I wouldn’t have missed her for the world.

  • Bessie


    Is she still living? We need to make a field trip….

  • Aimee


    I am betting she and all her customers will vote for Hillary. Since when was seasoning and experience ever a negative???!!!

    Go Hillary!

  • Sherri Loomis


    Mrs. Paproth in Edwardsville, IL right? She was my mentor of sanity and junk, what a lovely woman.

    She gave me quiet loaded no-nonsense advice about some very personal family matters.

    Love that you were inspired to use her name for your business! I was trolling for her name and found your blog. Are you from Eville or did you go to school there?

  • speelchick


    LOL not business but blog!

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