Pleasant Living Magazine

Annie Rooney was a nickname given to many little girls born in the last century between 1934 and 1950. It originates from the cartoon character, Little Annie Rooney, created by cartoonist Brandon Walsh, a similar character to Little Orphan Annie. She even had a similar little dog sidekick named Zero. Actress Mary Pickford brought her to life on the big screen in a 1925 silent comedy-drama movie rendition. The Scottish saying, “She is having an Annie Rooney” implies someone is having a temper tantrum. And we can also thank Annie Rooney for giving us the expression “Gloriosky.” The origin of the character was a 19^th-century song by Michael Nolan. His song later became a favorite piano roll and calliope tune, heard at circuses and carousels:

Read the lyrics to “Little Annie Rooney”

Annie Rooney’s Antiques

Recycling Life

Have you ever visited an antiques store and saw something that triggered a memory or piqued your interest because it was so unusual? Perhaps you shopped for a specific item that was just like the one your grandmother had; or you had a specific storage or decorative need that only something old would fill. It may have seemed to be nostalgic shopping, but had you ever considered that purchasing antiques and collectibles is actually a way to recycle? Yes, making use of durable goods from yesteryear is indeed a form of recycling. Simply put, the more we give new life to existing goods the less we waste. Recycling antiques reduces landfill waste and preserves a style of craftsmanship that is rarely replicated today. Antiques are made better, last longer, have more character, and usually cost less than reproductions or cheap knock-offs. One other advantage is that many antiques and collectibles may increase in value from year to year.

Annie Wortham of Annie Rooney’s Antiques in Hudgins, is no stranger to antique recycling. Her mother was an antique dealer for more than twenty-five years in Richmond, owning both E.B. Taylor Co. and Hampton House. “I grew up washing china and crystal in the basement of her old shop,” Annie says. “My mother used to buy much of her inventory from England.” When Annie opened her own antique business, she used the same overseas contacts. Now she travels to England and Hungary several times a year and fills a forty-foot container with all her finds. She has friends in both countries. In England they meet Annie at the airport and drive her around to auctions, shows, and shops. In Hungary, she goes to villages where gypsies, or travelers as they are now called, or “Romas” live. Annie makes her purchases right out of their homes and sheds. Part of the fun of the antique business for her is the people she meets and the food and cultural experiences she enjoys during her travels.

Annie has moved her shop location six times in eight years and her clientele has loyally followed her. “We hope we never have to move again,” she says. “We love the new location in Hudgins, in the old country store on the corner.” The building has a great garden area and a wonderful porch that serve as a perfect backdrop for Annie’s watering cans, gnomes, pottery and other garden items, and her endless supply of farm tables. Inside, there are countless nooks and crannies for Annie to display her eclectic menagerie of one-of-a-kinds and what-is-its, as well as unique furniture pieces. As Annie proudly proclaims, “Antiques don’t come in multiples.”

Helping Annie in the shop is Sharon Coulter who has worked at Annie Rooney’s for eight years and often runs the shop when Annie goes on buying trips. Zippy, Annie’s Jack Russell Terrier, comes to work sometimes and even her husband pitches in, often just to pick up Zippy halfway through the day. “She gets bored very quickly,” Annie chuckles.

Part of the fun you will find when you “recycle” at Annie Rooney’s is the challenge of guessing exactly what a certain item is and what its intended use was. Annie delights in watching customers agonize over the riddle. A tall wooden box with a slanted top captured my attention on a recent visit. “A trash bin or vegetable bin?” I query. No, actually it turns out to be a bakery baguette box, designed to hold long thin fragrant loaves, on end. A door on the bottom opens for convenient crumb removal. It would make a good trash container, though! Annie then enthusiastically points to a set of diminutive silver spoons. “What do you think these are,” she challenges me. I assume they are spoons for individual salt cellars or serving pieces for sugar or other spices. While I am not too far off, Annie gets the chance to school me on the art of mixing drinks. The tiny spoons actually are called muddlers—a bartender’s tool, traditionally used like a pestle to mash fruits, herbs, and/or spices in the bottom of a glass to release their flavor. What was once used for making mint juleps is now the perfect tool for making more modern mojitos.

These are just two examples of the fun you will have discovering and learning new things about old things. Annie Rooney’s has promised that they will provide a photo of one of their unique items from time to time for inclusion in PL. Take a chance at guessing what it is. A correct answer just might reward you with a great discount at Annie Rooney’s.

For those of you who don’t know where Hudgins is, just follow Buckley Hall Road to Mathews. At the corner where travelers turn to go to Gwynn’s Island, sits Annie Rooney’s Antiques. Walk on in and enjoy a delightful treasure hunt. In addition to all the vintage must-haves, you can enjoy the artwork by Vivian Vail, a wonderful folk artist who is still producing work into her eighties. Her whimsical paintings, prints, signs, and jewelry pins add a great seasonal look to the shop. Happy hunting…and recycling! pl

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