“Whaddaya think of this?”
The guy I had met minutes prior was pointing to a small table made from discarded lumber from the Mesozoic era.
“It’s a really old antique piece. I mean REALLY old. A dinosaur could have used this wood as a toothpick,” he continued.
“I don’t know,” I say scratching my chin. “My wife has never been too fond of prehistoric dental tools. She’s more of a ‘as seen on TikTok’ kinda gal. Got any of that?”
“I got candles that when the wax melts, you use it like lotion. It’s good for dry skin, bee stings, athletes foot… and it repels mosquitoes.”
“Alabama mosquitoes?”
“The big ones.”
“I’ll take a six-pack.”
It was my first time in this whimsical emporium and to be honest, I was overwhelmed by everything that I wanted to take home. I came in looking for a piece of antique furniture for our wedding anniversary offering. Thirty seconds in, I had completely lost all ability to attempt rational thinking.
This had only happened twice before. The first time was grocery shopping while hungry and the second time was when I found a fishing store going out of business. I didn’t know why I needed two hundred pounds of plastic worms and enough monofilament line to circle the globe… but at that moment, it seemed like a logical purchase.
I started to tingle in places I had forgotten about. I could tell I was about to add a third time to my non-rational shopping history. But it wasn’t my fault this time! This place has everything… and I want it all!
Just up Alabama State Road 69, a couple of miles north of McFarland Boulevard in Northport, you’ll find this little gem. The Rustic Rehab is what the name outside tells me they call it. But two feet inside, I call it “oh my Jesus, take my money.”
Once you enter this magical enchantment, you’ll see so many unique and fun things that you’ll send for a U-Haul.
Homemade candles that smell like cornbread, apple pie and even honeysuckle… the good kind, like grows on the side of a gravel road. I wanted one of each scent, except one. Opening up the one labeled “gardenias” took me back to 1977, standing on grandma’s porch… right before I got the switch whooping. “I don’t think I’ll buy this one,” I thought to myself, gently placing the lid back on while walking in a circle.
They have old signs that look new… new signs that look old… all sorts of antiques, wooden bread bowls, decor that looks like it belongs in a magazine!
They even have stuff to eat! Like bags of dry soup… homemade cheese straws so good you’ll lick the prints off your fingers… and they even have caramel sold in little tubs that taste like it fell straight from Heaven.
But what I am drawn to is the antique pieces. I pick up several smaller items…. I lay my hand on furniture pieces. My mind wonders like I’ve just come out from under the gas at the dentist office.
Each piece has a story waiting to be told. I can only imagine the history of each piece. I think about all the hands that has touched it. I think of how each piece was once brought home new, some a hundred years ago.
The old table… I bet many report cards were discussed around that during the evening dinner. This table survived during a time when families actually sat at tables…. all together… and didn’t even have to check their phones before dessert.
The old bowls and plates… how many generational recipes have they held? I bet they have held dumplings so good that Cracker Barrel would remove theirs from the menu from embarrassment.
A beautiful credenza sits covered in farmhouse decor. I bet this once held heirloom china or keepsake what-knots. I can imagine ceramic figurines lined across the top, each a gift and holding its own story as well.
They have beaded necklaces… turquoise bracelets and earrings that I originally thought were spinnerbaits.
“Are these good for smallmouths in shallow water?” I asked.
This place has it all. It’s a one-stop-shop for gifts of all occasions.
This Saturday, April 23rd from 10am-5pm, they will be having an open house event. They’ll have sale items, giveaways and even a large smoker going outside with enough goodness on it to make you slobber like a teething baby.
If you’ve never been, just be prepared to stay a while….
They have everything.
Russel Estes is am Amazon best selling offer of two books (so far). Here are a couple links to his books!