Being Bad in Sumner

It's been a long time since I visited downtown Sumner, due in part because of the economy and also because I kind of burned out on the stores.  It's only a few blocks long and there aren't that many places.  It doesn't take long to do both sides of the street, hitting every shop.  I haven't been down there in well over 2 years.

I figured since I took the time to visit the Old Cannery, and since it wasn't raining, I'd browse through the stores.  First I took a quick walk over the Stuck River Bridge.  The lights look very pretty at night and I'll try to get pictures before the end of the season.

"This third Stuck River Bridge was built here in 1927.  The first bridge was built in 1863 just down stream at a cost of $495.  It was rebuilt in 1884.  In 1904 the White River was diverted in Auburn into Stuck Creek to make it a permanent tributary of the Puyallup River.  The original lights on this bridge were removed during World War II.  The lights were replaced in 1991 to celebrate Sumner's Centennial.  City of Sumner 1891-1991."

I parked behind Main Street, at the back of some of the stores.  This one was called, appropriately, Picket Fence.

I do love bric-a-brac gardens.  I've always wanted to do one myself.

Out front on Main Street.

I never noticed this mailbox before.

Sumner Centennial mural, showing quite a bit of wear over the past 20 years since the Centennial was celebrated.

I think this is the Sumner Historical Society.  They have a really pretty lit tree as well, which is the City's official tree, but it didn't photograph well at all in the daylight.  

Another mural depicting 1800's life on Elhi Hill, which is above Sumner, where I live in Bonney Lake.

When I was on my way to the Old Cannery, I was blasting one of my tapes.  The song that was playing was my favourite Ultravox tune, "Sleepwalk".  I had it turned up to 11 and I was singing at the top of my lungs.  In the middle of the song, I saw this sign and in the middle of the song I screamed, "NO WAY!!!!"  I was to be a very bad girl....I swear I went in just to look.  But like any other junkie, being around all those sparkling, saturated colours, the endorphins kicked in and I found myself heaping strands onto my wrists.  Before I knew it, I was in too deep.  lol

KC's Caboose burned down a couple of years ago.  It was very sad to see it go as it had been a part of Sumner time out of mind.  It was perched at the end of the block, a few feet from the railroad tracks.  It even had a fairly large-size (about 4' long) replica of an Amtrak car on an overhang below the roof.  

This used to be a small German restaurant and bakery the last time I was downtown, and now it appears KC's has taken over the space.

I walked up one side of the street and down the other.  At least 3 trains came through town while I was there too!!!  And no trip to Sumner would be complete without a trip to the Whistle Stop Antique Mall.  I love to look at all the old Christmas decorations that are for sale.  Those old glass balls with the painted and glittered stripes are my fave and I have to force myself not to buy them.  So I go and look at them instead.  I ended up finding some amazing deals while I was there.  And no trip to Whistle Stop is complete without a few greeting barks from Kat, the owner's wirehair Doxie.  

Finally, on my way back to the car, I had to shoot Nicholson's Drugs, because I just dig the retro sign.  I went in a couple of times and it's as retro inside as it is outside.  It's like stepping back in time to a 1970's era drug store.

I liked the look of this old white gate.

This arch is a smaller version of the one I saw in Confederation Park in Victoria.  I love it.  I was able to get inside this one and see up close how they brace the trees to train them to grow this way.

Here are my purchases, except for the small wooden shadow box shelf that screams out to be painted and ephemera'ed.  So I snagged me an end-of-day glass tumbler, a green insulator (this shade is more green than the normal teal ones), 2 books of vintage linen Victoria postcards, gorgeous flowered paper, a mint condition Peter Max Design Paper Airplane book (copyright 1971), and a pile-o-beads.

Every paper airplane is intact in the book.  I bought it for $12.00, and when I got home, I checked out eBay, where bids were upwards of $80.  I got a freakin DEAL on this.  As soon as I saw the price, I knew that the seller had absolutely no idea what he had.  I'm so glad that my eyes are trained to spot psychedelic art because this book was on a bottom shelf, half buried and at the back of a very dark case.  All I could see was the bottom of the face, and I thought it was John Lennon at first, till I peered in and finally saw the "Peter Max".  The pretty papers come from The Paper Muse.  I got a few things in there as well, as she has a great selection of vintage and steam punk altered art items.  

This glass is actually worthy of it's own blog post.  And I dig the green insulator.  I'm still looking for the elusive and rare amber.

This photo doesn't do these beads justice.  I've never seen anything like them, nor did the owner of Blue Iris.  She said they've been flying off the board.  They are so unique.  Never seen them at Shipwreck or in the colossal Fire Mtn Gems catalog either.  I think she said they are Czech.  

I'm actually glad I went down there and I'm glad I treated myself.  I used some of my Christmas bonus money so it didn't have to come out of the bank account.  I will be off work starting on Dec. 22 and I'm looking forward to having a crafty holiday, in addition to going to see "Voyage of the Dawn Treader".  I may not have decorated, but making things is what makes me happy, so if I'm gonna salvage this season, it might as well be by doing the things I love to do.  I was also able to use my bonus to get my Victoria photos processed, and I picked them up on Monday, so that means I get to create a new photo album as well!!  Next week should be fairly quiet, and then I'll be off again on Friday the 31st.  

I hope everyone has a safe, peaceful and quiet holiday, Yule, solstice and/or Christmas.  

Sumner's Old Cannery: Coolest Furniture Store on the Planet

I finally got a break in the weather enough for me to spend some time in Sumner, on Saturday morning and early afternoon.  It's been a real long time since I went down there.  The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse occupies a small spit of land between the railroad tracks and highway 167 on one side, and the Stuck River on the other.

It's the coolest furniture store on the planet.  I find myself wanting to replace our furniture, just so I can shop there.  

This time of year, they go all out.  I am hoping to return there some night this week to take pictures of the lights.

They offer carriage rides to the far parking lots...

...because the store occupies 10 acres.

A little motorized train for the kiddies.

The front doors and the inside supports and counters are made with the most magnificent gigantic wooden logs.

This is the main entrance.  There is a whole other room, the same size (but more industrial looking) on the other side of the left hand wall from this room.

The store was pretty crowded when I was there, so I was unable to get a good photo of the Fudge Shoppe.  It's tucked away on the left aisle and created with the huge old logs.  Their counter is stuffed with jars of all kinds of candy.  And they make their fudge on site.  I have chocolate and nut allergies, so I can't take the chance on it, but it's extremely popular, as evidenced by the fact that it was packed with people the entire time I was there!

Can you guess what this is?  It's the entrance to the Ladies Room!!!  I've been inside and it looks like a beautiful old Victoria-era bathroom. 

Lots and lots of trains whizz by overhead, their different whistles happily singing out.  There are Christmas trains like this one.  Freight.  Modern silver-car trains too.  The Old Cannery is very train-themed.  

Above the beautiful brick archways between the rooms are vintage room displays.

The store straddles the border between Sumner and Puyallup (pronunciation reminder:  pew-ALL-up).  Crossing into the back of the store, you enter Puyallup.

I went into the other side of the store and found it crowded with a long line of parents and children.  I didn't realize that Santa was there.  So this room was full of all the recliners for sale, and loads of exhausted looking family members draped in them as their over excited children shrilly chattered in line, waiting to see Da Big Man.  

This hangs from the ceiling, in homage to our aviation history.

Reindeer.

I wanted to try and shoot this w/o my flash, but it was so crowded.  Parents brought their children in their holiday finery to shoot pictures of them in this scene, so I only had to time to get off one shot.  This area was actually very dark and with the holiday lights and cottony snow, it was quite magical.

If I'd known they were doing canned food drive I would've brought something to donate.

This creepy looking chap is flying above the rug department.

Lots of animated animal heads on the walls as well.  They move their heads, blink their eyes, and recite a bit of quick trivia about the store (I think....maybe it was about the valley's history....).

I do love these giant tree trunks and brick arches.  I swear I could live in this shop.  It's fun to just go and walk around, and damn hard to keep from buying something, even if just a lamp or a vintage picture!

It's hard to tell, but all those icicles were lit up in white and pale blue.

Nautical themed furniture and accessories department

All of the train bridges on the suspended tracks had lights covering them.

This is the front of a very large, wooden train engine that little kids can climb into.  There's also a really neat wooden train whistle that kids operate by pulling on a rope.  This boiler is internally lit as if aglow with a real coal fire.

Player piano

The posters behind Betty include my beloved Jimmy Dean, and those nostalgia posters that always show Elvis, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart in a diner or drive in.

I shot these pics with and without flash.  The flash really washed out the posters and reflected off the pinball machine so I went with the pics w/o flash.

Brian wants this sign but we don't have anywhere to hang it (and it's a big spendy).

A happy little caboose crossing another bridge.

The Old Cannery really was a cannery.

These guys are actually near the entrance, and they, too, are motion activated.  They talk and move.  I find these things kind of creepy actually, ever since being a little unnerved by the animated Pilgrims at the museum in Plymouth, MA when I was a kid.