...meet hoboken's karen marsh & her mackeyblue store of treasures...

we all have stuff we love to collect and treasures we adore from the past (for me it's vintage belts or ashtrays)... but hobokenite karen marsh has a distinct gift for finding the lovely among flea markets and antique sales. her store, mackeyblue, is a perfectly designed and visually pleasing shrine to her flea market finds. karen opened her store (on 12th between washington and bloomfield streets in hoboken) in december 2006 while working full time as an internet java developer. the origin of mackeyblue is a combination of a scottish surname (mackey, and her great grandmother's maiden name) and the color blue to which karen is drawn.

the store is open on Saturdays, 10:00 am - 7:00 pm; Sundays, 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm; Wednesdays, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm & Fridays, 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

on my recent shopping trips, i discovered an old powder blue book of golf rules and etiquette (for my dad), a cute little, mustard colored mini-crock pot, and a handmade millinery brooch by sew nancy, an amazing local crafter (see left photo). the store is a visual delight-- there is so much to see yet the store does not feel cluttered or disorganized. karen's displays (such as the vintage cameras, jewelry, clocks & more) look natural and not forced as they transport you in pure nostalgia (i felt a pleasing wave of the past when looking at old baseball cards, pez dispensers, star wars glasses and other kitsch). i just love the way color is incorporated in her displays (karen designs by instinct, she's not trained in it, to my surprise) -- shades of one color grouped together or calming, peaceful colors that seem to elevate one's mood.




recently i asked karen a few questions about her passion for collecting:
SG: you're in the internet world for your career... so how did mackeyblue happen?


KM: Well it's sort of a long and windy road that got me there. I grew up always going to garage sales/estate sales and flea markets with my Mom and sister Julie. One day I was talking to a friend on the phone and she said she was refinishing a trunk she bought at an auction. I said auction? Where/when? Am I allowed to go? So that started the auction addiction. I pretty much started attending weekly. I only bought small things and started furnishing my house and then I'd buy gifts. Then friends started asking me to find them things. I love hunting and finding something that is a perfect fit for someone else (and a good deal to boot). As I would find things I would race home to look them up on the internet to try to find out what they were; did I find some hidden treasure; is it worth alot of money?!? This lead me to start selling on ebay as I found that some items were actually worth a little bit and I could actually make money. After awhile I accumulated quite a bit of left over items (often you buy box lots where you only want one thing, but you have to bid on the entire box of items or I would buy something that wasn't exactly right). I couldn't throw these items out. Throwing things away is not my nature. So I started having Gate Sales in Hoboken. People loved them. So I started a mailing list and holding them at least once a month.

SG: what is your best find?

KM: An old dental cabinet. It was gorgeous and had been painted over in that old green/blue paint. I sold it my first month at MackeyBlue, to Larry, a regular customer. Another great find was a portfolio of fashion sketches from the 30s - 50s. I love fashion (at one point I thought I would try fashion instead of IT and took a class at FIT in the city). But fashion is more fun to wear than create for me. Anyway, I found this portfolio and I had to pay quite a bit for it and I really didn't know what I was doing. But by taking a chance and going with my gut, I found that old fashion sketches and watercolors are very desirable, not to mention I really like them a lot. That's the crux of it right there, going with my gut. I see something and I can feel that it's a good thing. Most of the time I'm right. Also I listen to friends and customers and they share their creative ideas with me and I get exposed to lots of other ideas or new ways to view items which helps me in my shopping.

SG: tell me about your customers.

KM: Lots of regulars. I have customers who stop in every week to see what's new. We add new items every week and sometimes items only last a few hours on the shelf before they're snapped up. You need to come in often to see everything and even then it's probably impossible to see it all. Two of our large window pieces have lasted under a week: a retro china cabinet went in 5 days and just this week an empire oak side board lasted only 48 hours. That's the great thing about MackeyBlue... the ever changing inventory. You never know what you might find! I have lots of new customers too. Lots of people are just stumbling upon MackeyBlue for the first time and they often tell me how happy they are that they found my shop and how glad that this store is in Hoboken as all the little shops like mine unfortunately came and went.

SG: your favorite item to shop for?

KM: I am drawn to green things and blue things. Sometimes I have to ask myself if this item were orange or red instead of green would you still buy it. It's the aesthetic of the item, the shape, the color, the look, the detail about it that draws my eye. I also keep in mind the customers. I remember what they are searching for and I try to pick those items up. Often times what one person likes, lots of people like. For example, a friend of mine collects old cameras. So I started buying lots of them and holding them aside for her when she'd come visit. She'd go through them all and buy some and then I would sell the remainder at a Gate Sale. But then I started collecting them too. The old camera faces have such great appeal. Lots of them are very art deco/art nouveau. And I like the black and silver color combination.

SG: thanks for sharing your story and passion for finding treasures. you bring a new, creative spirit to hoboken!

What might you find today?

Karen Marsh, MackeyBlue

1200 Washington Street, Store #E

On 12th btwn Washington and Bloomfield, Hoboken, NJ 07030 (201) 469 - 6947