I remember playing
Lake Odessa in sports in High School, driving through it when we took the back
road to Grand Rapids, and hearing stories of people fishing at the Jordan Lake in Lake Odessa. I'm
sure prior to 2015, I hadn't actually been near Lake Odessa in over 20 years. My
mother and I
were heading to a baby
shower between Ionia and Lake Odessa. We were quite early, and decided to drive
through Lake Odessa. I was surprised at the stores downtown. It was late, so
everything was closed, but we made plans to come back.
We ended up having a
girls day with my Great Aunt, and my cousins in Lake Odessa in November of last year (2015). The two
antique stores, Lake Odessa Antique Mall and Regal Rooster at Bonanza Antiques,
were having a huge sale. I've never been that interested in antique stores, but
I had such a great time. I was very surprised at how large the stores were and
how much fun it was too look around.
Wandering through an antique store can be like walking down memory lane when you see
items that remind you of your childhood, or younger years. You never know what you might find. Some of my favorite things to look at are jewelry, postcards, and clothing.
These are pictures of two necklaces that I bought at the Lake Odessa Antique Mall. I've zoomed in a little so you can see more of the details. One is a gold chain with red beads with blue flowers. The second necklace is sliver with little black beads. I don't have any details on when or where they were made, but I only paid a few dollars for each and love them both!
So Simply offers home décor, furniture, jewelry,
gourmet food, lotions and soaps, and women's clothing. The jewelry is hand-made
by American designers
including
Anne Koplik, Treska and Shari Dixon. There website usually has coupons,
recipes, and information about store events.
The consignment
shop,
Consignments By Sherry, while having a nice selection of gently used
clothing, shoes, and jewelry, had many other items for sale. I like the trend
right now in stores of mixing clothing, jewelry, furniture, home décor, and
other items. Each of the stores in Lake Odessa, including the consignment shop,
follows this trend.
Endless Expressions Boutique was another favorite. While listed as an interior designer, the store
is filled with clothing, jewelry, purses, and other unique items. I recently
visited the stores Facebook page and it looks like they have added quite an inventory
since I was there. In addition to women's clothes and jewelry, there is a
selection of clothing for children and babies as well as other items for
babies.
AllyMade Jewelry has handmade jewelry, a wide variety of beads, and locally made gifts. There
are pictures, paintings, stained glass, cards, bags, handmade wooden boxes and
other wooden items, bath and body products, books, candles, and gourmet snacks. There is a craft room in the back where
jewelry and craft making events are held.
Of course, after all
the shopping, if you are hungry, you can stop by
Delectable Delights for
handmade chocolates and other treats. The chocolate shop had just opened, so they had many samples out to try before you purchased. I also ate the items before I could remember to take pictures ... they were great! If you are looking for lunch or dinner, I recommend
Penny's Pizza.
More to come from
the mind of ...
