Road Trip - Monroe, GA

A gal pal of mine is acquiring a booth at the Cotton Depot in Monroe, GA so I had to make a road trip down that way to check the venue out. So my honey and I headed out to Monroe this past Saturday afternoon. It was a gentle drive of about 55 minutes from Lawrenceville and it was fun meandering over state roads. Monroe is typical of agricultural communities who have kept the charm of their now revitalized community and have converted many of its commercial agricultural industry buildings into other commercial endeavors. My favorite is the paintball indoor arena that was once a cotton processing facility. What a great place for a family or "big boys" outing ( http://www.monroepaintballworks.com/ ) and an excellent reuse of an abandoned property.

Across the way from Monroe Paintball Works is "The Cotton Depot" and what a lovely, antique shop it is. Located in the historic section of Monroe and just a block off the main drag, the converted cotton baling building now houses antiques, vintage items, seasonal decor and so much more. (they are also getting ready to double in size as they move into the other sections of this historic building.)

My honey standing in front of the Cotton Depot. Loving this building and I can't wait to see what treasures are inside. We are both greeted by two delightful women, Margaret and Peggy and within minutes we were all laughing and sharing stories like old friends. If these ladies are representative of what can be found inside, then I knew we hit antique shop pay dirt.

As far as the eye can see, two aisles of booths filled with treasure.

Old bales of cotton can be found throughout the building. I love this kind of thing and my honey, a Boston native, said this was the first actual cotton bale he had ever seen up close and personal. It is amazing to see how tightly they packed the cotton into the bale and it is huge.

Lovely dining room suite.

This leopard car coat is the bomb! I almost went home with it but it didn't fit, sigh.

Red is such a happy color for the kitchen. A couple bottles of Coca Cola on the table and you have a great day going.

Love the amusing look of this deer and his hat! What fun you can have decorating all season long with this taxidermy piece.

From the same booth that Waldo the deer was in, this dealer had really nifty things.



So many things to select from.


Lovely shabby french pieces and at a take away price.

Fell in love with these diner stools. If I still had my old farm kitchen from Illinois, I would have put these in it.

White, white, and more white. Always a popular decorating choice.

Sweet little embroidery in original frame from the 1970s.

Interesting found objects.

Crazy about this old ice box. This one is a biggie and in wonderful condition. Would make a fun bar for entertaining.

Who could resist these adorable 60's pups. Great price too!

The brick wall is a lovely backdrop throughout the building and it really enhances the furniture the dealers have to offer.

Wonderful kitchen cupboard with original paint.

Had to have a photo of these hand painted seat cushions of mermaids. After all, I am a Sea Witch! These are designed and painted by a local woman in her 80's. God bless her.

I did not walk away from The Cotton Depot empty handed. Found a shell covered box that I had to take home but also acquired a marvelous school bell from the late 1800s. Delightful ring and original patina...I am loving this little bell from one room schoolhouse days past.

We said goodbye to our new friends, Margaret and Peggy and are plannning a return trip to this lovely antique shop over the Christmas holidays. I can already smell the hot apple cider and see the trays of holiday cookies as I walk these aisles again. This beautiful building is going to look amazing dressed in its finest holiday trappings.

We decided to conclude this delightful road trip at our local Mellow Mushroom eatery with a tall, cold one for my honey and a pizza pie. Fresh mushrooms, pepperoni and sweet sausage and life is wonderful.

We can never finish a Mellow Mush pie so we brought home remaining slices for later and of course, "pizza bones" for the dog. What are pizza bones you say? Well, those are the left over crusts that get uneaten. Kota adores them and he knows when we walk through the house with a pizza pie box in our hands, then their are pizza bones to be had. I do hope you can visit the Cotton Depot one day. It is a lovely place to shop for vintage and antique items.