ya For my next “Makers” post I’m excited to showcase Lara, the creative, curator behind Bank and Bleeker , an online shop featuring quirky, beautiful, vintage items. I have been following Lara for a few years now and love Lara’s eye for things. She scours antique shops and sales to find little bits of history that fit inside a modern home.
Bank and Bleeker sells everything from hand woven baskets to antique brass candle holders. If you’re a lover of all things vintage you will love her shop. I’m obsessed with her Instagram (seriously give her a follow) and love the clean, minimal way she presents her unique finds.
Thanks to Lara and her amazing eye for beauty I am now the proud owner of this gorgeous oil painting below. My jaw dropped when I first saw her posting about it and I knew I had to have it. It now sits proudly in my living room.
So by now I’m sure you want to know more about Lara and her shop, so below is a little more about Lara in her own words.
Tell us about yourself!
I’m Lara. I’ve lived in IL for about 3 years now. I feel like a newbie still. I’m a native Californian and Midwest winters are killing me. I’m a mom to 3 girls. I love learning about different cultures especially through their food. I studied Fashion Merchandising in NYC. My husband is a chef. We met when we were both living in NYC and our love forJesus and food brought us together.
Why did you start your shop?
We were in need of a few furniture pieces and I didn’t want to spend a ton. I love midcentury items and I would see advertisements for estate sales around town. I wondered what they were and started to go. My family had recently moved from CA to IL. I found amazing deals on furniture and the style was similar to what I was eyeing at West Elm but without the large sticker price. I often thought that if any of the things I saw at estate sales were in CA it would be snapped up quick. I’d been looking into working full time but the job market wasn’t great and having child care would negate any paycheck I brought home. So I decided to try out buying estate sale finds and selling them on etsy. It took me a month and a half to sell my first item but since then I’ve been able to do better than those first 6 mos. What I love the most is it gives me the flexibility to be home with my kids and be able to exercise my creativity.
What tips/tricks do you have to share for those who have a love of vintage shopping?
If you are thrifting do 2-3 trips around the store. Look at the bottom and top. Its easy to miss something. Also, if you find some stellar items when you go thrift. Go back the next day. Its likely that similar items from the same home have not made it out to the floor yet. I can usually tell when some items are from the same home stylistically.
What sorts of items catch your eye?
I look for baskets, rattan, carved wood, brass, and art. When I first started my shop I sold lots of art. These days its getting more competitive to find nice pieces. Also, I love putting together basket sets. I’m always looking for a basket with lovely texture to it.
What is your personal home decor style/aesthetic?
I think of my aesthetic as eclectic. My home pulls from places I’ve lived. Being a native Californian waves, ocean and desert inspire me. My time in NYC brings in the luxe and glam. I love brass and shine. My time in the Midwest I’ve been more influenced by brutalism , Art Deco, and art nouveau. Its usually the pretty mixed with edgy.
What is your favorite vintage find?
My favorite vintage piece is from the Brooklyn Flea. I used to live in Queens and getting to Brooklyn by subway took an hour. Mostly waiting for the G Train. I found this cool brass piece and kept circling the flea to see if there was anything else that I wanted. I came back to this brass piece with seagulls attached to a starburst. Eventually, I finally got the nerve to ask the guy how much and haggled a bit. I then took it home. It was a heavy piece too. I took it on the subway and I thought i would faint on the walk home from the subway. Its my favorite because of the work that went into getting it and its been with us for 10 years now that there is sentimental attachment to it now. Its made by Curtis Jere. I had no idea what it was but started seeing it pop up in movies and when I started slinging vintage it would pop up in vintage shops and interior designers i follow.
