Page 14 - Relocation & Visitors Guide

BOULDER CITY RELOCATION & VISITOR GUIDE | ANTIQUES • ARTS • ATTRACTIONS
The oldest antique store in Boulder City - “Back In Thyme”
Article and photo courtesy of Glena Dunn
Antique Destination
A variety of antique and vintage shops concentrated in the historic downtown district have established Boulder City as a destination for a full day of treasure hunting. Recently, House Beautiful Magazine named Boulder City in their “50 Best Small Towns for Antiques” chosen from across the country.
Only 15 years ago, there were just a couple of facing stores on the original highway through downtown, now known as Nevada Way. Then, what has become southern Nevada’s largest antiques show, Antiques in the Park was set in motion. This annual event, held the rst weekend in May, drew dealers who took notice of how people who were attracted by the town’s interesting history and were interested in antiques as well. Some looked around and opened shop, prompting more to follow. Now vintage storefronts dot the side streets of Wyoming and Arizona as well, creating a circuit of strolling and shopping with plenty of opportunity for refreshment along the way.
The largest of the stores include multiple vendors, with a variety of inventory, o ering “something for everyone”, while smaller stores tends to specialize, in style or categories. Those who are decorating with the popular “farm style” that has been trending for some time will nd several shops (and booths within malls) catering to their interest. There are DIY project furniture pieces spilling out onto the sidewalks, as well as top- quality paint, stains, waxes and brushes. Several shops are styled with inspiration in mind and their curated inventory is displayed in the manner you would in your home.
Traditional “collectors” will nd shops or booths that they may browse for the objects and categories they collect. There are shops specializing in historic items, relics even, related to the area. These include items depicting the early years of the Hoover Dam, and congruently, Boulder City itself. Among these are the
earliest souvenirs, labeled ‘Boulder Dam’ (as the dam was named from 1933 until 1947), including souvenir plates, chunks of the copper cable that carried the electricity to Los Angeles and linen postcards (later photo- chromes will say Hoover Dam). There are shelves of the vibrant swirled Desert Sands Pottery made in Boulder City until 1962, books about the town’s history, old bottles collected from the desert and lake bed as the water has receded and even a few of the now rare trade tokens used at the “Boulder City Company Stores” during the construction phase of the dam from 1931-1935. Dam workers were allowed advances on their pay from the “Six Companies” (builders of the dam), but only in this script, which was only redeemable at the
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