Marla told me years ago,…”If you choose to collect ‘stuff’, you are in charge of cleaning it!” I love my stuff so it is a small price to pay. If you visited our home I am sure you would be thinking, “Dick must make an appointment with Marie Kondo IMMEDIATELY!” Who should I blame? I’ll have to point my finger at my grandmother. We went on picnics almost once a week when I was a small boy in Northern California and she was always picking up rocks, shells, and even plants to take home. I have been on the hunt for little treasures my whole life. Call them what you will; tiny curiosities, little baubles, bibelot, bagatelle, tchotchkes, esoteric objet d’art, or heaven forbid,…knickknacks. Each of them tells a story and brings back a memory of adventures near and far. I admit my acquisition mode has definitely tapered. For some reason “editing” is not in my lexicon!

I’m doing a little dusting.

Our grandsons have always been interested. Logan, in the foreground, is now 6’2″!

The Girls have been fascinated as well.

I’ll share some of my travels in the hunt for beautiful little treasures. We found ourselves on business in Paris in January for many years and the Marche aux Puces de Saint-Ouen was often on our itinerary. The Marche can be confusing and a little daunting the first time but a little advance planning can help. I was always on the prowl for vintage posters, art nouveau, art glass from Galle, Daum Nancy, and pate de verre from the master, Argy Rousseau, most of which were way beyond my budget. I was really in heaven as some of the booths contained magnificent items.

I am always drawn to weekend brocante fairs in Paris.

Marla and I loved driving to the Alsace region of France after attending the Heimtextil textile fair in Frankfurt, about 2 1/2 hours away. The weather in Strasbourg was often freezing in Janurary! I spotted brocante dealers next to our hotel and was intrigued. Marla said if you are stupid enough to go out in this cold, enjoy it by yourself. I actually found some nice 19th century prints as Marla watched me from the window of our hotel room. One year we timed it perfectly for an amazing high-end antique market in a Strasbourg exhibition hall. Our favorite restaurant experience in Strasbourg was at Au Crocodile. We were greeted by 5 people as we entered the beautiful dining room. The cuisine was “le fantastique.”

We are now in a much warmer part of the world in northern Thailand. I’m eyeballing an old Naga from an ancient temple while in Chiang Mai. I had them put on metal bases as a sculptural item. We were buying antiques, furniture, and accessories to sell in our Denver showroom of our old business…but sometimes I saw something I just had to have for us! You can tell this was from an early trip by my mustache!

“Having a look” in San Francisco.

We always time our Chiang Mai visits so we can attend the “Sunday Walking Street” on Rachadamnoen Road. The adjacent “Wat Phan On” temple has a number of sellers featuring interesting items. I found a Burmese bronze Hintha bird.

A little back and forth on the price sealed the deal.

Marla is checking out all the fascinating items in this little shop in one of Marrakech’s souks.

I can still hear Marla saying to me, “Don’t even think about it!” Many of these were rare Burmese antiques and should be in museums!

An associate of ours from Singapore opened two galleries in Chiang Mai years ago. I fell in love with this Burmese manuscript chest, or Sadaik. It is in our daughter’s home today. This gallery was on the upper floors of Night Bazaar. Sadly, most of these galleries are gone.

We found a tiny shop in the Hangdong area of Chiang Mai Thailand selling a fascinating array of antiques. The owner knew I loved Burmese silver betel boxes and always brought some out for me to see when I was in town. He is showing Marla a very old Naga from a temple.

When he brought this fabulous old mirrored temple panel out Marla and I both knew we had to have it!

I am in petrified wood nirvana at ifurniture in Kuta, Bali.

I found this jade Bi disc at a market in Suzhou, China. The disc is said to represent heaven.

After making two trips to the spectacular Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Marla made if very clear I was not allowed to ever return. The show is one of the largest in the world with dealers from everywhere on the planet. I confess to picking up a few specimens. Just because.

A chilly November at the Panjiayuan Antique Market in Beijing. We are checking out some beautiful stone carvings. The vast majority of what you see here is new but the quality is very good. Be very careful of pickpockets who frequent the market.

I’m at Bangkok’s gargantuan Chatuchak Weekend Market, a shoppers’ paradise of over 11,000 vendors, 15,000 stalls in a labyrinth of 27 sections. For first timers it can be daunting, hot and humid, and an assault to your senses. What are your desires? You can find everything from Siamese fighting fish, antiques, oodles of clothing, stainless steel flatware, and everything in between! Grab a market map and take it slowly as you really cannot see everything! You can tell from the image above I am starting to zero in on something of interest. Let the bargaining begin!

I really should have been a professional beachcomber.

A close up of some of my …curiosities.

A Berber inkwell I found in Essaouira, Morocco.

My search for Murano glass both modern and vintage probably indicates a need for therapy. I’ve found interesting pieces in Venice, Murano, Raleigh NC, High Point NC, Villefranche Sur Mer, and even Dallas.

A few crystalline treasures on a teak burl table from Bali.

I hope you enjoyed this adventure of collecting beautiful little treasures.

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.