The Dry Sink....

I love it when I walk into a shop and it takes my breath away. I know it will be good when I get that feeling!! This past week, one of our vendors, Kristi Patterson, opened up her shop - The Dry Sink - in Cornelius NC on Oak Street. To say the least, her store truly is breath taking!!

The character of the building, the awesome floors, the old mixed with the modern - it was perfection. It doesn't matter where you live.....you've gotta come see her place!I don't really go to many antique malls. Its not like I'm surrounded by them though, right?! But yesterday was the day. I went and got my hair done with my Mama and little sister and then we headed to Cornelius. Above Kristi's shop is Oak Street Mill, which is beyond words! Then we checked out Bebe Gallinis,.....I can't find a word other than awesome to describe it!!!! It was a much needed afternoon of therapy for me!! Isn't it funny....I help manage 88,000 square feet of antiques, but going to look at more antiques is therapy!!!

I just know that fall is on its way.....surely to goodness! Its gotta be!! I'm ready to be able to open up the doors and windows here at The Mill! This is our first fall here at The Depot.....and I am ready for it!!

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend. Remember you are treasured and loved by the best Father there could be! He is crazy about you and wants you to live life fully.

I came across this saying yesterday...a quote from Christopher Robin :)..

"you're braver than you believe, you're stonger than you seem, and smarter than you think!"

I love it!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Blessings from one happy lady to another!

Fall Feaver at The Depot

I'm not sure about you, but I am so tired of summer!! I'm ready for fall like never before! Slowly but surely its cooling down here in the South. I'm ready for plaid, boots,cold weather, colored leaves, pumpkins, deer meat, watching the leaves fall off the trees....need I go on!? The front porch of The Depot is ready with hay, corn stalks and pumpkins thanks to Amy over at Nanbrook Farms!! All we need now is the c o l d! Lord, please send the cold!!

Up at The Depot, our vendors are gearing up for fall. Things are constantly changing here. New items come in the door literally every day. Between renting booths, monitoring the booths....it never stops around here! Janna and I are coming to grasp with that fact! Its a good thing we love what we do :-). The mill was buzzing today.....and I'm loving every minute of it with fall in the air!

I have walked around, admiring so many fabulous booths today and snapped a few pictures to share with you.....so here they are.....

This is "Dwellings by Devore". These two ladies have done a wonderful job with their booth in their Design Center! Vintage and Modern colliding.....I love it!! Check at her blog, http://www.dwellingsbydevore.com/

This guy has a funky "anthropology" look going on. Combined with the chippy blue brick, it looks good!! So my newst fling is BURLAP!! My cabinet curtains are burlap, pillows covered in burlap, and now I'm putting it on old frames!

This is one of our new vendors....her booth is called "Jess ShAbby"....and it is the perfect "Rachel Ashwell" girlie shabbiness!!! Complete with White, lace, and darling handmade lampshades.....she has rocking it out marvelously!! Janna and I are so excited to have any offical shabby dealer!

The "Log Cabin" is beautiful and ready to welcome the fall season. This will forever be one of my favorite booths!

If you haven't came by to see us, you must!! Its getting better and better with every passing week. Slowly but surely we are chipping away at the very long "to do" list that I feel will never end with our precious old mill! Come on and spend the day with us shopping or just enjoying rocking away the day on our front porch. We would love to meet you!

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!!

"Treasure the small things in life. For one day you will look back and see they we're the most important."

Depot Booth Pictures!!

I had not done a thing to my booth for atleast a month....terrible, I know! So....last Friday, I came in to open. I left early, went and did a little junkin, came and opened up The Mill and worked in my booth all morning! It was wonderful!! I haven't felt "inspired" lately......I am so glad I'm feeling normal again!!

I had a mess!! When I re-amp my booth, I take everything out, pile it up and pick pieces out. I don't know why I work this way, but I do :) I sold a piece last Thursday and didn't have a piece ready to go in its place. I decided to take a chest of drawers out of my apartment. Anything I ever buy, I always know in the back of my head that one day it will probably end up in my booth. The life of a dealer, right?!

So, here are pictures of the final result. I am very pleased with it. That is one of the best feelings....to step back, look at your booth and say "its beautiful"!

I am so thankful for my life. I am so happy! Last summer, I heard "do what you love...and love what you do." I do love what I do...and I am blessed to do what I love. Yes, some days are stressful.....but thats the life of Managment! But at the end of the day, I can say "yes, I do enjoy my job so much"!! I am glad that I am getting back my passion, though. I am finding myself wanting to paint again!! Over the next week I will be getting some new signs painted.

I hope you are doing what you love. I pray that you will find your every desire and need met in the One Who knows you best. I am still learning a lot of things,.....but one thing I have learned about Him is this: He does care about what I want. He does love me. He does want me to enjoy every second of the day....and it is His pleasure to give me the desires of my heart. PLEASE BELIEVE THAT HE IS THE SAME WITH YOU!! He has no favorites, yet YOU are the center of His delight!! You are everything to Him. You make Him smile. You capture Him. You are the reason He is. And in Him, we have our being. Jesus....His love...the Father....this is reality. Its not something "good" to hear. Its not just something to imagine or what we'll experience when we go to heaven. This is a tangible reality that you can live in 24/7....and that is the cry of His heart for you and this generation --- that we will come to know Him for Who He really is....the One Who intentionally loves us with every fiber of His being.

My hearts prayer is that you come to know Him for Who He really is. Talk to Him. Look into His eyes. Cry on His shoulder. Colapse in His arms. All the stress, pain, fear and worry will melt away when He holds you.....I promise :)

Enjoy the rest of your week...knowing you are loved!

Blessings.....Rachel

Promised Pictures...

Here are the pictures I promised you!!

First picture on the left are the row houses of Philadelphia.....they are everywhere on the Art Museum side!

The picture on the right is Philly at night....it is beautiful!!
















This is The Reading Terminal Station....it used to be a train terminal, but now it is used for merchants to see their goods. The Amish come on Wednesdays and sell their baked goods --- and let me just say, they have the BEST Philly Cheesecake and Pretzels!!!!! If you're ever in Philadelphia, the Reading Terminal is a must!



This is the FIRST church of America!! The lead glass in the windows is still perfect. They still have Sunday services here to this day.


Ok.....moving on to the Amish Country......




















The auction was fun...even though all I bought was a set of canisters :)














That's all for now......more post to come soon. Try to stay cool.....its suppose to hit 100 here in NC this weekend......Lord help us!!!!! Even though I do work in a "mill".....I'm so glad we have AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!


May you rest in the peace of knowing that in Him, you have everything.

Turning 21...PA....the Beach and my Orchid!

Wow.....its crazy how the summer was here and now its almost gone. I'm kind of sad about it. Last year this time I was on the "18 inch Journey"...one of the most treasured times of my life. I love going back and reading in my journal about what all has happened since then.

So yes.....I turned 21! I don't feel any different....I just like the fact that I can say "yes, I am 21" :). My parents gave me a orchid for my birthday...one that I got to go to Campbells Greenhouse in Charlotte and pick out the very one I wanted. I am treating it like its my baby!! I have wanted a orchid for the past couple of years. I don't know why, because I have no desire to have a green thumb! But I love this beautiful flower. I want to take care of it so I can wear one of the blooms in my hair on my wedding day.....one fine day. Pictures coming soon.

The last week of June, I went with my parents and younger brother and sister to PA....first Philadelphia, then the beloved Lancaster Country. The trip was everything I hoped and more! We stayed in a old farmhouse right in the heart of the Amish community.......and let me say, this home was my dream home! One day if I come across a old farmhouse that can be renovated, I will have the time of my life (I think:)!! You give me some ol'e wide plank floors and chippy paint with a barn in the yard, and you've made me a happy woman!! There was only one down side to the trip.....there was a Amish Auction going on, and guess who didn't have a truck ---- ME!!!! Renting a UHaul would have been ridiculously expensive. So I painfully watched some of the most fabulous chippy pieces ever go up for auction!!!! I do have pictures, which I will post in the next couple of days. On the other hand, it was nice not having the pressure and exhausting drive to buy. Sometimes just browsing is nice. Philadelphia was awesome. I love love love that city!! We rode the subway, which was scary and exhilarating all at the same time. As long as I kept "the taking of Pelham 123" off my mind, I was good!

This past week, I went to the Beach with a group of my closest and dearest friends. It was perfect. The weather, the house, the beach, everything. My hair lightened and I did get burnt, I learned you cannot try to hop off a golf cart when its moving, how to not wash dishes for a week, and how much I love goat milk soap (thanks Meg :)!!!!

But now I'm back. Janna at The Depot didn't think it was funny when I said I needed one more week!! Haha. I am back and ready to get back to work! I do enjoy my job so much :)

Needless to say, there hasn't been much junkin' going on. I am getting back in the grove, though. I will go shopping and change everything up. Lately I have been running into the problem of KEEPING everything I buy. The other morning I was rearranging my room at 7am and taking stuff out of my apartment to put in my booth! I go through spells like that, where I just want SIMPLICITY! That's hard to keep when you're a dealer AND work full time at a Antique Mall!! I love it, though!!

I'm sorry for the long update.....I hope it wasn't too boring. It is 11:56pm, and I am listening to Mark Mathis. I love his music.....two other guys I love to listen to, just in case you we're wondering :).....Jacob Early and Josh Baldwin!!

I promise, I promise, pictures will be up by the weekend. I'm gonna get some shut eye so I can wake up early and spend some time with my King before I head off to the Mill. I am so glad its not a "mill" anymore!!! If you haven't got to swing in The Depot, you've gotta come and see us! New stuff comes in literally everyday. With 400+ booths, you cannot see it in at once. Stop by and tell Janna and me "HI!"

With blessings and peace to you in the Father's love for you....good night everyone.

Favorite Quote from my trip........"He who laughs last thinks slowest!!!" HaHaHa

A different kind of post....

I am writing a “different” kind of post. No, I am not writing about any shabby antiques or The Depot. It may be a slightly long post. But I'm asking you to bear with me....and I hope this ministers to your heart and gives you a new perspective of this man Jesus.
Tonight I am snuggled in a recliner, watching a dvd called “In the Footsteps of Jesus”. It is amazing what movies and songs can do to our hearts. It can stir up things in us, for the good or bad. This one thing has been going over and over in my mind...and it is changing my heart.
Picture this: Jesus is walking on a hot day down a dusty road in Jerusalem. Here comes a leper – a leper, guys. A man who is shunned from the public, deemed filthy to everyone around him, cursed by man. In his desperation,....he cries out to Jesus. Yes, he knew he could be turned away and feel the bitter rejection he has felt all of his life once again....but, what did he have to loose?!
Let me say this – I think we take this story too lightly. This man was a leper. I looked up leprosy in the dictionary, trying to understand the full meaning of it. This is a disease of the skin and the nerves...causing the skin to literally rot and the nerves to be shot with pain. Back then lepers could not be in public because the disease was so deadly and disgusting. When people spotted a leper, the covered their mouths and ran far away.

Back to the story. So here is this leper, screaming “Lord, if You are willing to help a man like me, please help me!! I know You can make me clean! Are You willing?” he cries. Jesus stops dead in His tracks......His heart oozing with compassion for this poor, pitiful man. He begins to walk toward him. The people with Jesus are terrified, but watch intently to see what in the world Jesus was doing moving toward him. Jesus gets down on His knees on the dusty ground, getting face to face with this filthy man whose skin smells rancid. He loving touches the man, looks deep into his eyes and says “I am willing! Be clean!” Just like that.....the man is healed. He came to Jesus, exposed, vulnerable, desperate, without reservation. He came ---- shame and despair, humiliation and scorn and was in return granted full healing and love forevermore!. He came to Jesus, God in human form, and fell before Him, pleading for His help. And his hearts desire was granted to him--- just like that!

This is the reality that is burning on my heart tonight: Jesus is the same today as He was way back then. He held this man in his filth and cleansed it all away......all the pain – gone.....all the hopelessness – no more....all the rejection – vanished......all the ugliness – now made beautiful. Just like that. Why?! Because the man came to Jesus just as he was. He didn't “clean up” first. He couldn't!
That is how He is with you. He doesn't want you to get yourself together and then come to Him. NO! He wants you to RUN TO HIM with tears running down your face, covered in dirt and say “God, I need YOU!”

This man Jesus is not a man Who was here years and years ago and now just sits up in heaven. He is real and tangible to anyone who will reach out and grab the hem of His rob. He is staring at you, longing for your eyes to lock with His. I'm telling you, once you look into those eyes of love, you will never be the same! His eyes look though all the hurt all the anger all the rejection all the disappointments. He can see through your mask. Dirt and grime.....He thinks you are perfect. In one second everything will change. That is how Jesus is. I pray that you will come to know the real Him today. I want to know His heart fully. I want to see the different sides of His face. I want you to, as well. I am praying that the reality of Who He is for YOU TODAY will penetrate every fiber
of your being today, whoever you are, wherever you are.

I'm sorry if I've rattled on too much! I hope this wasn't too scattered. I pray it causes you to see that you are loved and wanted by Jesus.......God Almighty. He wants you. He loves you.....just the way you are, right now.....mess and all :) Now that's something to smile about!

New Depot Pictures!

Oh my goodness...I cannot believe it has been a WHOLE MONTH since I have done a blog post! I know, its bad. I promise, I will try harder :).

Its funny how I feel like I am at The Mill all the time. It never fails: people bring things up to the front all the time that I love (and normally at a great price), but I had never seen the item! It is very frustrating! I want to say "I'm sorry...you can't buy this...its already been sold"! I am kidding. But seriously...I do want to say it sometimes. When Janna and I walk around, we hardly ever look for things to buy. We are looking to make sure all of the booths are up to par. The other night, it was really quiet. So I decided that night was the night I was going to walk the whole Mill and look at all the stuff for me!! It was fun! I didn't buy anything though. Since I have been working...I have only spent $85! I have purchased a fabulous dresser that is now in my apartment...and a set of 5 Laughlin bowls. I have decided I have 3 weaknesses with antiques: 1. tarnished mirrors. 2. tarnished silver. 3. odd pieces of chine and ironstone! When I have my own home, I want to have odd sets of china. I'm starting on my collection now :)

I have taken a few pictures of The Mill for you to see. I hope you enjoy them....

This is Whitaker Fabrics in our Design Center. I LOVE how she has it laid out. I am not a fabric girl. I don't like to sew. Everything in my apartment is pinned. Stitch whitchery is my friend. But her fabric is FABULOUS! I makes me want to sew something! The fabrics starts at $8.99 a yard.

This is 3-D Landscaping...also in the Design Center. These guys worked long, long hours getting this job done. And their work paid off....it looks amazing! It adds so much to that room. Just a reminder: in the Design Center, we are renting space for $2.50 a square foot (non-retail space), and $1.25 a sqaure foot for retail space. We want it filled with contractors, IDS and others will items for the home and garden. We are limiting it to one trade for vendor. If you have any questions on renting space, call us at 704-787-9351. You can check us out at http://www.thedepotgibsonmill.com/ and on Facebook - The Depot at Gibson Mill.

I LOVE the front porch of The Mill. Even though the train flies by, I still love it. (I have really, really come to hate trains. You know the people that say you will come to the point that you don't hear it --- that's not true. Just saying :) One thing I love to do is sit on a porch when it is raining. It is a very soothing thing to me.

One of our vendors sales his Japenese Maple Trees out on the ramp in one of the old mill carts. I think its a nice touch.

Nothing new has been done in my booth. I might go and do a little junkin before I come in tomorrow. We shall see.

Until next time ( I will try to not let it be another month! ), I hope you had a wonderful day today. Remember HOW MUCH Jesus loves and adores you. He thinks you are the best thing He created. I don't even know you....but I know that HE knows the real you....and He thinks you are pretty awesome :) You make Him smile. You make His heart leap for JOY! Please believe that. Father God...help us all grasp that truth. Once we do....we shall never be the same. The thoughts and remarks from people won't faze us. The critical remarks won't get us all out of whack. The stressful days won't be as difficult to get through. Once we begin to go through our day WITH Him, not just representing Him...our days will be peaceful (Leslie Ludy - Authentic Beauty).
May we all come this place, in Jesus Name.

Have a great night!

Blessings from Rachel at The Depot.

The Depot GRAND OPENING!

Once again...its been far too long since I've done a post. Life is pretty full right now. But, life it good!
THE DEPOT at Gibson Mill will be having its GRAND OPENING this weekend! April 3rd will be the big day, with Bluegrass music on the front porch, gift cards, food and fun! Cabbarrus Creamery & S&D Coffee will finally be in!!! We will be opening our last phase - The Home & Garden Design Center. This will house Outdoor Landscaping, Hardwood Flooring, Decoritive Countertops, along with 49 more dealer booths! We are officially HUGE! You can come and see that we really are the biggest antique mall in the Southeast!!! People ask me "is their another floor". I want to say "are you crazy?! Heck no!" With right under 100,000 square feet, I think we're good. I get my walking in everyday.....lets just put it that way. A dear, smart lady told me that our slogan should be "Wear your tennis shoes!". She is a smart lady indeed :)
I know this might seem a little strange, planning grand opening on Easter Weekend. But Metrolina is having their big Extravaganza this weekend too. They close at 5...we're open til 9! If your planning on heading out to Metrolina...great! But come see us afterwards.

Today, we went up to the Mill so I could work on my little booth. I changed it up a bit. This weekend, there will be fresh flowers.....I'm thinking some sunflowers...maybe some daisies...we'll see. Fresh flowers is a joy of mine. I think it adds such a warm touch to any space.
___________________________________________
Everyday at work, I am learning new things. Its funny how the Lord uses ordinary things to speak to me.

If you've never had minutes, hours, or days just spending time getting to know YOUR Father...its never too late. No matter how far off base you may be - He is waiting. Have you ever read the story about the prodigal son? That story is the ultimate illustration of how your Father is waiting on you. The prodigal son had screwed up really, really bad. But his father didn't care.
You see, we are that son. We have failed. We had messed up. We have sinned. We have done everything to turn Him away. But yet He all the while is sitting on the front porch, looking with anticipation for the day He sees us walking down the driveway to Him. Oh and when He sees us --- He will JUMP off the porch and RUN to us! Dirt and all, He embraced us. His tears of joy wash all the trash off. This isn't just a sunday school story, ya'll!!! This IS OUR FATHER!!! God, help us all get this!

Jesus: how do you see Him? Do you think He will turn you away? Jesus is the wonderful man Who protected a prostitute from being stoned to death. He didn't judge her. He forgave her and set her free. Jesus is the compassionate man Who held a man with leprosy and healed him. Jesus is the only One Who will love us even when we turn away from Him. That is my Jesus. That is the man Who has captured my heart for a long long time. He is my everything. He longs to be your Jesus too. Reach out to Him. I promise you....He will scoop you up with a big ole smile on His face!!! I pray that this will be branded on your heart this Easter Season.

Until next time......enjoy being loved!
Blessings to you and yours. ~Rachel

Don't wait on the shore for your ship to come...swim out after it!

THE DEPOT PICTURES!

Like I promised, here are a BUNCH of pictures of THE DEPOT at Gibson Mill (better late than never!). I hope you enjoy them. Listen, if you haven't been out to see us, you gotta come!! Seriously, the building itself is enough to drool over...but then when you add all the awesome finds in it....its just good. You can definitely make a day out of it. When we open our next phase (30,000 square feet for a design center and 20,000 more for dealers), you really will need a day to walk it! When its all said and done, we will have right under 100,000 square feet of unique items for your home. The architecture. The ambiance. The history. The blessed trains that go by every 7 minutes. The creaking hardwood floors. The warm welcome. The definition of a antique mall.....we've got it all. We're working on getting some old pictures of the workers in the mill. I love talking about the mill. Last week, a man came in who was 91 years old. He worked in that mill for 50+ years. He actually installed the mail shoot that is still there to this day. I enjoyed talking to him so much! Have I mentioned to ya'll how much I LOVE working there?! I look forward to going to work everyday. Yes, I do get burned out sometimes...but nothing a good long talk with the Lord, a washing from the Word and a good nights sleep won't fix :) I am still not completely satisfied with my booth yet.....but I'm getting there. Ok, I've said enough. I'm going to shut up now and let you enjoy looking at pictures!


















I love the old war memorabilia.





















Look at the windows! Most of them are original...just like back in the day. My favorite part of the building....the chippy painted brick walls. Fabulous, to summarize.

That's all the pictures for today. If you are interested in renting space, like I have said before, it is $1 a square foot with 10% commission. That's it. No lease. We are renting spaces in our next phase, which is scheduled to open for vendors to move in March 1st. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or give us a call - 704.787.9351.

We got hit hard with snow last night here in the South....but believe it or not, its almost all gone!
I hope you enjoy this. Pictures do not do it justice!

May you have a blessed, peaceful Valentines weekend....and may you be refreshed in being loved by the ultimate Lover of your heart. Even if you don't feel like it. Even if you have never heard it --- please believe me when I tell you this : you are LOVED and ADORED by Jesus today. And He will always love you with every beat of His heart and with every fiber of His being...just the way you are, right now. You don't need to "clean up" for Him. He likes you running to Him covered in dirt! He enjoys cleaning you up...picking you up in His arms and loving on you...just like a good Daddy does. Trust me, you can't get a better Valentine than Him!

Until next time.....good night everyone.

"I've never quit loving you, and I NEVER will." Love, Jesus. (Jeremiah 31:3 the message.)

New Year...New Venue!

Ok, get comfy....this is gonna be a long one!
It has been a long long time since I have done a new blog post...too long! A lot of new things are going on in my life.

For starters, I have been praying a lot about what I needed to do with this "season" of my life. I had been looking around and applying for jobs, but nothing came available. Back in December, I had heard about a new antique mall opening in Concord. So me and my Dad went and checked it out. I'm skipping ahead through a lot of details, but long story short I now and working at The Depot at Gibson Mill, a 43,000 square foot antique and design center, full time....and I am loving every minute of it. Tomorrow is our "soft" opening day. This blessed icy winter weather here in the south has tried to set us back a bit, but we will be opening tomorrow full swing! Our hours are going to be Monday - Saturday 9-9, Sunday 11-6. We are located at 325 McGill Ave, right off Hwy 29 in Concord.






If you know me, you know I LOVE old buildings and architecture! This old mill has it all. Originally, it was Cannon Mills, the old textile cotton mill. Inside the mill, we have kept the atmosphere of chippy brick walls, the creaking hardwood floors...the least I can say of the building is it is awesome. I live on the Pageland side of Monroe NC, so driving to work every morning is a little hike, taking me right under a hour one way. But I am enjoying it so much! This past week, I have been exhausted. But its a good tired. There is still much to be done at The Mill, but everything is coming together nicely.

I want to encourage you all with this update. You see, I was OPEN to working anywhere. No, I didn't want to really work at any retail store, but I was willing to do so. All I wanted was what my Lord wanted. I knew He had a specific place HE wanted me to be...I just didn't know where. The only way I knew to find His plan was to seek it out. Now if you would have asked me what the ultimate job would be to me....working in a old building, helping people would be it for me. Dealing, shopping and researching antiques and old buildings is a deep love in me. So for me to actually get to do that for a living...I am ecstatic!!! This is what I'm trying to say: if we will just delight ourselves in HIM...He really WILL give us the very desires of our heart. Its that simple. He is sitting on the edge of His seat, wanting to give us good gifts that we have wanted for so long. All we have to do it stop grabbing for what WE think is best for us, step back, sit down and rest. I pray that you come to the realization of knowing that you really do have a LOVING, GOOD Father Who adores you yesterday, today and all the days of your life. He wants nothing more than the absolute best for you! Yes, its scary letting go. But once we can get past the FEAR and questions...the ride is exhilarating. Ad Brian Andrea's said: "If you hold onto the handles its easier to maintain the illusion of control -- but its more fun if you let go and let the wind carry you!"

My buddy Janna, who is no my co-worker, snapped some pictures of my booth for me last night. It is still a work in the making....but its coming together.

If any of you are interested in renting spaces in our Mill, we are renting for a $1 a square foot. In March we will be opening up 40,000 more square feet for more booths, storage space and a modern design center.

The Mill is full of great pieces now. I will add new pictures in the next couple of days.

I promise I will try not to let another month go by without a new post! I hope everyone enjoys the last bit of a much needed weekend!

Blessings....Rachel

"And Jesus asked, 'what do you want me to do for you'?" Mark 10:51