
DATE: Sunday, April 13, 1997                TAG: 9704100187

SECTION: CAROLINA COAST          PAGE: 08   EDITION: FINAL 
COLUMN: INSISE EXCURSIONS 

SOURCE: BY JEWEL BOND, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  132 lines

ANTIQUES FOR SALE AT OUTER BANKS SHOPS ARE FAR FROM THE ORDINARY

GINNY FLOWERS of Cloud Nine in Pirate's Quay removed one of the strings of beads from the wall and placed it on the glass showcase.

``These beads are over 500 years old,'' she explained. ``I have authentic papers on them. That's why they are so expensive.''

``Twenty-six hundred dollars?'' asked a lady who had just wandered into Flower's eclectic Nags Head shop. ``For beads? What kind of glass beads can cost that much?''

Flowers, who makes jewelry in her barrier island boutique, has a small collection of Chiefton beads from Africa and old Italian beads. She also has plastic play beads and little wooden ones. Prices range from a few cents per strand to thousands of dollars.

``These beads were once used as currency,'' explained Flowers. ``And they were also part of a lady's dowry when she married.''

My friend, who loves antiques, and I were just tooling around, checking out Outer Banks shops that advertised anything old. Dozens of emporiums, consignment shops and artsy establishments hold troves of treasures between Corolla and Ocracoke. Sifting through these artifacts is an entertaining way to spend a day indoors on the barrier islands.

Flowers' old beads made our trip to Cloud Nine a real treat. As we left the shop, this unusual artist had turned her attention to a piece of beach glass a customer wanted made into jewelry. ``We can do a necklace,'' she said, holding up a silver chain for the shopper to see. ``You can help create your own piece, if you like.''

A couple of doors down from Cloud Nine, at the Quacker Connection, owned by Doug and Dottie Hevener, wooden shore birds and duck decoys line the walls.

Doug Hevener was at his workspace in the back of the shop busily crafting a duck to replace one he had sold. He sells the new decoys for about $60 to $65 apiece.

The antique decoys on display, made between 1884 and 1894, are shelved separately. And a novice such as I would not know the difference. A particularly old bird, mid-to-late 1800s, a Green Wing Teal, carried a price tag of $625.

``It's in the eyes,'' Hevener said. ``The new birds or reproductions have better eyes. Some of the old ones never had glass eyes.''

Heverner said he could probably reproduce a likeness to the antique decoys but he doesn't want to. He's quite content with his own creations.

``Don't spend all the shopping time over there,'' Dottie Hevener called out to us. ``This is a his and hers shop. Come see what I have to offer.''

There were only a few antique tables and an intriguing old yarn winder in Dottie Hevener's domain. But the other items were lovely creations: fancy baskets made of ribbon, hand-painted furniture and crafted do-dads galore. The store was jammed with great things to decorate a traditional or modern home.

In Nooks and Crannies of Nags Head, owned by Allen Cook and Chris Pace, we found a lot of odd, little seasonal pieces: wooden pumpkin baskets, cloth bunnies and Santas painted on driftwood - all 20 percent off - but not many antiques.

``There are more things on the way,'' Cook said. ``You'll have to come back a little later.''

My friend and I agreed, especially since I wanted to take advantage of the sale on the seasonal items. But I wondered where he would put all the new stuff. The shop was full.

``You know,'' my shopping buddy said, recalling an earlier conversation, ``when an antique dealer looks you in the eye and says an item is very, very old, it means it's going to cost some big bucks.''

``I don't look at antiques with money in my eyes,'' I said. ``They shouldn't be looked at as an investment or how much money you put into them. If you love them, they enrich your life.''

Agreeing that we weren't in the market for any enrichment this day, we headed for our next point of interest - the Bermuda Triangle.

Bermuda Triangle, owned by Jim Fincher, is actually a mini-mall of antique dealers.

From small shelves to 20- by 20-foot cubicles, private dealers stock their wares: odd pieces of china and silverware, glassware, old books, estate jewelry and relics our great-grandparents used to modernize their homes.

Edith Deltgen, Fincher's partner, said the owners have a saying about the Bermuda Triangle: ``See what appears and disappears.'' Sometimes, she said with a chuckle, even people disappear.

I sought out my friend - and made a mental note to call a lady about the Ken and Barbie clothes from the 50s and 60s. They sold for $12 an outfit. I knew her granddaughter would be thrilled.

An antique chest caught my attention while my companion was into glassware.

``Look at this,'' she called out. ``A chip and dip bowl. I didn't know they had chip and dip bowls at the turn of the century.''

With curiosity, I turned it upright. ``It's a cake plate,'' I informed my less cultured companion.

We paid for our meager purchases - I spent a whopping $4 on a pearl-handled cake server, circa 1986 - and headed to Duck.

The Solitary Swan Antiques in Duck is in a second floor shop at Scarborough Faire. It's another store packed with old and locally crafted decoys as well as antique furniture and early period accessories. There were so many collectibles, the antique pieces were practically hidden. They were being used as display space.

``Can you believe you can get this much stuff in such a small space?'' asked Karen Smith, the owner.

I agreed. But this store, like all the others, is tidy. I wondered who dusted all these things.

With a menagerie of items still lurking in hidden places, my friend and I were not ready to give up our hunt for nothing in particular. There were so many shops left to browse. So over a cup of capuccino, we made a date to cover them all. After all, there's new merchandise coming in daily. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW WILSON

Doug Hevener of the Quacker Connection has new and antique decoys on

display. He holds a Mason Green Wing Teal, dated mid-to-late 1800s,

that carries a price tag of $625. Hevener's hand-crafted new decoys

sell for $60 to $65 apiece.

Graphic

WHERE TO BROWSE

The Currituck Antique Mall, Hwy. 158 in Grandy, 453-6653

Oldies But Goodies, Hwy. 158, Currituck County, 491-0287

The Mermaid's Purse Antiques, Hwy. 158, Currituck County,

453-0575

Lammers Glass, Gifts, & Antiques, Hwy. 158 in Powells Point,

491-2303