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Monday 9am - 6pm Tuesday 9am - 6pm Wednesday 9am - 6pm Thursday 9am - 6pm Friday 9am - 6pm Saturday 9am - 6pm

http://www.southernprideantiques.com/

Southern Pride Antiques, 1750 Startown Road, Hickory, NC (2026)

06/02/2026

Southern Pride Antiques
National Rotisserie Chicken Day – June 02, 2026

National Rotisserie Chicken Day honors a cooking method with deep roots: meat slowly turned over heat, basted by time, flame, and patience. Long before the modern supermarket chicken became a weeknight shortcut, rotating spits, hearth cooking, iron tools, kitchen tables, serving platters, and carving sets were part of the rhythm of home life. It was not fast food. It was family food.

That is the kind of history Southern Pride Antiques loves. The kitchen has always been one of the most honest rooms in a house. It holds the worn cutting boards, the old stoneware, the serving bowls brought out on Sundays, the cast iron passed from one generation to another, and the pieces that remember more meals than any written recipe ever could. Antiques tied to food and hospitality carry a special kind of warmth because they were not just displayed. They were used.

At Southern Pride Antiques in Hickory, we appreciate items with that kind of practical history: pottery, glassware, bottles, advertising pieces, old kitchen tools, furniture, quilts, folk art, and heirlooms that still have a story to tell. When relevant, we are especially interested in regional pieces such as Catawba Valley Pottery, and we are always glad to look at quality antiques people are ready to sell.

National Rotisserie Chicken Day may sound like a grocery-store holiday, but underneath it is a reminder of older kitchens, slower meals, and the tools families kept close. A carving fork, a platter, a crock, a butter mold, or a handmade bowl can say as much about a household as any photograph.

If you have antiques, pottery, vintage kitchen pieces, bottles, or heirlooms tucked away, bring them to Southern Pride Antiques in Hickory.

1750 Startown Rd, Hickory, NC 28602 • (828) 855-1850 • www.southernprideantiques.com

06/01/2026

Southern Pride Antiques — Western Australia Day
From Founding Colonies to Found Treasures

June 1 is Western Australia Day, a public holiday in Western Australia observed on the first Monday of June. It marks the founding of the Swan River Colony on June 1, 1829.

That means today is about exploration, settlement history, old maps, ships, trunks, trade goods, family heirlooms, and the kind of antique mystery that makes Marty McDaniel put on a pith helmet and whisper, “I smell old furniture.”

At Southern Pride Antiques, we believe every antique has a story. Some are quiet stories. Some are family stories. Some are “Grandpa bought this somewhere and nobody knows why but it has been in the hall since 1968” stories.

Those are often the best ones.

For Western Australia Day, imagine Marty as the Gold King Explorer, marching through a shop full of antique trunks, pottery, maps, clocks, bottles, lamps, and furniture with a magnifying glass the size of a dinner plate.

“Behold!” Marty shouts.
“That’s a washstand.”
“Exactly! A domestic artifact of majestic splashery!”

Western Australia’s founding story reminds us that objects travel through time. Old pieces carry the marks of place, use, craftsmanship, trade, and memory. An antique trunk may tell of journeys. A piece of pottery may speak to regional craft. An old bottle may hint at medicine, soda, spirits, or advertising history. A table may have hosted generations of meals, arguments, prayers, card games, and one uncle who always leaned back too far in the chair.

Southern Pride Antiques buys antiques, collectibles, heirlooms, furniture, pottery, bottles, and other interesting old items. If you have Catawba Valley Pottery, antique glass, rustic furniture, advertising pieces, old tools, primitives, or estate finds, bring them in and let us take a look.

Do not let good history sit forgotten in a garage kingdom ruled by spiders.

Let Marty, self-appointed Duke of Dusty Discoveries, help give those pieces a chance to be appreciated again.

Western Australia Day may honor a colony founded far away, but right here in Hickory, Southern Pride Antiques celebrates the same idea: objects have journeys, and sometimes the next stop is our shop.

Southern Pride Antiques
1750 Startown Rd, Hickory, NC 28602
(828) 855-1850
www.southernprideantiques.com

05/29/2026

Southern Pride Antiques
End of the Middle Ages Day — May 29, 2026

End of the Middle Ages Day marks May 29, 1453, when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire, closing one of history’s greatest chapters and reshaping the world that followed. It is one of those dates that sounds like it should be announced by a serious man holding a scroll, preferably while standing near a castle wall and looking troubled. At Southern Pride Antiques, we appreciate that kind of historical drama, because antiques are what remain after the grand speeches are over, the dust settles, and somebody says, “Should we save this?” Thankfully, somebody usually did.

Marty McDaniel, the Gold King, may not have been at Constantinople, although if he had been, he probably would have bought the old coins, the silver, the military relics, the antique pottery, and at least one suspiciously valuable sign from a tavern wall. Marty buys gold, silver, jewelry, coins, antiques, militaria, vintage toys, and advertising, and he always pays cash on the spot. That makes him the kind of modern treasure hunter who can look at an old object and see more than age. He sees story, demand, craftsmanship, and the possibility that Grandma’s “old thing in the corner” might deserve a second look.

End of the Middle Ages Day is a perfect antique holiday because it reminds us that eras end, but objects survive. Furniture, pottery, documents, tools, advertising signs, military pieces, vintage toys, and estate items can all become bridges to another time. Southern Pride Antiques is especially interested in the kinds of pieces that carry regional character and collector appeal. Catawba Valley Pottery, for example, is always worth mentioning because it connects directly to local North Carolina craftsmanship. If you have Catawba Valley Pottery, Southern Pride Antiques buys it, and yes, Marty would probably be happier to see a good piece of pottery than a knight would be to see a working drawbridge.

The comedy of antiques is that many valuable things spend years being underestimated. A collectible may hold open a door. A pottery jug may sit on a shelf unnoticed. A vintage toy may be dismissed because it looks “too played with.” An old advertising sign may be hiding behind garage tools. A piece of militaria may be stored in a box labeled “miscellaneous,” which is the most dangerous word in estate history. Marty has seen enough to know that “miscellaneous” often means “we did not know what this was, so we surrendered.”

Southern Pride Antiques helps people sort through that uncertainty. If you have antiques, militaria, vintage toys, advertising, pottery, old collectibles, or estate finds, bring them in. Marty and the Gold King family can review items locally and make cash-on-the-spot offers on pieces they buy. You do not need to know the whole history before you walk in. That is part of the point. The item may be old, odd, dusty, beautiful, confusing, or all five at once. Around Southern Pride Antiques, that is not a problem. That is Tuesday.

On End of the Middle Ages Day, remember that history is not just in textbooks. It is in the objects people kept, used, loved, traded, inherited, and nearly threw away before someone wiser said, “Maybe ask Marty.” Bring your antiques and collectibles to Southern Pride Antiques and let the Gold King take a look. No castle siege required.

Southern Pride Antiques buys antiques, Catawba Valley Pottery, militaria, vintage toys, advertising, and estate finds, with Marty McDaniel paying cash on the spot for the right pieces.

Southern Pride Antiques — 1750 Startown Rd, Hickory, NC 28601 • (828) 855-1850 • www.southernprideantiques.com

05/28/2026

Southern Pride Antiques
National Flag Day Philippines — May 28, 2026

National Flag Day in the Philippines marks May 28, 1898, when the Philippine flag was first raised after the Battle of Alapan during the country’s independence movement. It is a powerful historical date because flags are never just cloth. They are identity, sacrifice, memory, conflict, pride, and survival stitched into color. The Philippine flag carries especially deep meaning, including the well-known feature that its blue and red fields may be reversed in wartime.

For Southern Pride Antiques, this holiday opens the door to a broader history lesson about flags, militaria, and the objects that preserve national memory. The U.S.-Philippines relationship is complex, and it should be treated honestly. There were periods of conflict, colonial rule, alliance, and shared sacrifice. During World War II, Filipino and American forces fought through brutal campaigns in the Pacific, and the liberation of the Philippines became one of the major chapters of the war. That history left behind real objects: uniforms, medals, campaign ribbons, field gear, photographs, letters, maps, helmets, patches, flags, and veteran estate pieces that collectors still study today.

Militaria antiques are important because they make history physical. A medal in a drawer may connect to a campaign. A photograph may show a soldier whose name deserves to be remembered. A flag may represent a family’s service, a unit’s identity, or a national struggle. A footlocker, canteen, jacket, trench art piece, or wartime document can carry the human side of events that history books often summarize too quickly.

Southern Pride Antiques values those stories. We understand that antiques are not just old things. They are evidence. They are conversation starters. They are pieces of family memory and world history that survived long enough to ask another generation to pay attention. National Flag Day Philippines is a reminder that the symbols people carry, defend, and pass down matter.

If your family has military items, old flags, wartime photographs, medals, documents, or estate pieces connected to service, travel, or history, do not throw them away before someone knowledgeable has looked at them. Some pieces have collector interest. Others have historical importance. Many have both. Bring your militaria antiques, patriotic textiles, and historical estate items to Southern Pride Antiques in Hickory and let the story be seen before it disappears.

Southern Pride Antiques — 1750 Startown Rd, Hickory, NC 28602 • (828) 855-1850 • www.southernprideantiques.com

05/27/2026

Southern Pride Antiques
Old Time Player Piano Day: When Music Played Itself and Antiques Told the Story

May 27, 2026

Old Time Player Piano Day celebrates one of the most fascinating chapters in music history: the self-playing piano. Long before streaming music, Bluetooth speakers, or phones that somehow know exactly what song you were thinking about, player pianos brought music into homes through mechanical ingenuity and perforated paper rolls.

That is the kind of history Southern Pride Antiques loves. A player piano is more than furniture. It is craftsmanship, engineering, entertainment, and domestic history all rolled into one impressive piece. These machines remind us that antiques are not just old objects — they are evidence of how people lived, gathered, celebrated, and entertained themselves.

Southern Pride Antiques in Hickory buys and sells antiques, collectibles, estate finds, vintage decor, pottery, glass bottles, furniture, and historic pieces with character. We are especially interested in quality local and regional antiques, including Catawba Valley Pottery when available.

Local Almanac Note

In the Catawba Valley, older homes, barns, estates, and family collections often hold more history than people realize. Musical instruments, pottery, advertising pieces, bottles, furniture, and handmade goods can all tell a local story.

Before you discard an old item or assume it has no value, let Southern Pride Antiques take a look. The past may be playing a tune you have not heard yet.

Southern Pride Antiques
1750 Startown Rd, Hickory, NC 28602 • (828) 855-1850 • www.southernprideantiques.com

05/25/2026

Southern Pride Antiques
Memorial Day Antiques and Decoration Day Heirlooms — May 25, 2026

Memorial Day began in the years after the Civil War as families and communities decorated soldiers’ graves with flowers, flags, and tokens of remembrance. That older name, Decoration Day, still carries a powerful image. It reminds us that remembrance is something people do with their hands. They place flowers. They fold flags. They clean stones. They open old trunks. They preserve photographs. They tell the next generation who served, who sacrificed, and why the story still matters.

Southern Pride Antiques sees history through the objects families keep. A military trunk in an attic. A framed portrait of a young man in uniform. A folded flag. A handwritten letter from overseas. A footlocker marked with initials. A uniform carefully stored away. A watch, medal, field Bible, service photo, or handmade piece of furniture that lived through decades of family life. These objects can be quiet, but they are never empty.

Memorial Day antiques are not just collectibles. They are witnesses. They remind us that history did not happen only in faraway capitals or famous battlefields. It happened in towns like Hickory. It happened in Catawba County homes where families waited for letters, prayed for safe returns, mourned losses, and built new lives after war. Every old trunk, every worn photograph, and every handmade piece carries the possibility of a story worth preserving.

That is why antique preservation matters. When a family keeps an old military photograph, it preserves a face. When it keeps a service trunk, it preserves a journey. When it keeps a handwritten letter, it preserves a voice. Even ordinary household antiques can become part of a veteran’s story. A chair made in retirement. A tool chest used after coming home. A table where generations gathered. A restored car in the garage. A quilt folded at the end of a bed. These things tell us how people lived after service, not only how they served.

Southern Pride Antiques especially values local history. Catawba Valley pieces, regional furniture, pottery, old advertising, military items, family documents, and heirlooms all help tell the story of this area. Some families know the full background of what they own. Others only know that something came from a grandfather’s house or was found in an old estate. Either way, it deserves careful attention.

On Memorial Day, it is important to say clearly that not every heirloom should be sold. Some pieces belong in the family forever. But when families do choose to sell antiques, downsize estates, or learn more about what they have, they should work with people who understand that old objects often carry emotion as well as value. Southern Pride Antiques buys antiques, including local Catawba Valley pieces, and approaches them with respect for both history and family memory.

Today is not about turning remembrance into business. It is about recognizing that the objects left behind can help keep memory alive. A decorated grave honors sacrifice in one way. An heirloom preserved at home honors it in another. Both matter.

This Memorial Day, Southern Pride Antiques honors the fallen, the families who remember them, and the veterans whose lives shaped the homes, workshops, farms, businesses, and communities of Hickory and beyond. May we preserve their stories with care, speak their names with gratitude, and remember that history is often closer than we think.

Southern Pride Antiques — 1750 Startown Rd, Hickory, NC 28602 • (828) 855-1850 • www.southernprideantiques.com

05/23/2026

Southern Pride Antiques
Memorial Day Weekend Tribute — May 23, 2026

Memorial Day is Monday, and this weekend we begin by remembering service members whose courage became part of the American record because ordinary people did extraordinary things in terrible moments. One of those Americans was Doris “Dorie” Miller, a Navy mess attendant aboard USS West Virginia during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Miller was collecting laundry when the attack began. His assigned battle station had already been damaged. Instead of freezing or fleeing, he moved toward the crisis. He helped carry wounded sailors, including his mortally wounded captain, and then took control of an anti-aircraft machine gun despite having no formal gunnery training.

Miller fired at attacking Japanese aircraft until he was ordered to abandon ship. His actions made him one of the most recognized heroes of Pearl Harbor and the first Black sailor to receive the Navy Cross. Two years later, he was killed when USS Liscome Bay was sunk in the Pacific.

Miller’s story is especially powerful because it reveals courage under both enemy fire and the limits of the era in which he served. In 1941, Black sailors were often restricted to service roles rather than combat duties. But when the attack came, Miller did not ask whether history had given him a fair place. He acted. He helped the wounded. He fought back. He saved lives.

Memorial Day asks us to remember the fallen honestly and fully. That means remembering the famous and the overlooked, the officers and the enlisted, those whose heroism was immediately celebrated and those whose courage challenged the prejudices of their time.

As Memorial Day approaches on Monday, this weekend tribute honors Doris Miller and all service members who rose to meet history when history arrived without warning. May their stories be preserved with care and told with respect.

Southern Pride Antiques — 1750 Startown Rd, Hickory, NC 28601 • (828) 855-1850 • www.southernprideantiques.com

05/22/2026

Southern Pride Antiques
Sherlock Holmes Day: The Case of the Hidden Heirloom

Sherlock Holmes Day honors the May 22 birthday of Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the world’s most famous fictional detective. Holmes became legendary for noticing what others missed: the scuff on a shoe, the ash on a sleeve, the odd detail in a room, the clue hiding in plain sight. At Southern Pride Antiques in Hickory, NC, that same spirit feels right at home, because antiques often begin with a mystery.

Every old house, attic, barn, cabinet, and estate box has its own version of a detective story. A piece of pottery may look ordinary until someone recognizes the form, glaze, or maker. A bottle may seem like just old glass until its age, embossing, color, or shape reveals a deeper history. A trunk, tool, lamp, photograph, advertising sign, piece of furniture, or family heirloom may carry clues about where it came from and why it mattered. Sometimes the most interesting antiques are not the loudest ones. They are the quiet pieces waiting for the right eye.

Sherlock Holmes would have appreciated the antique business. It rewards patience, observation, and the willingness to ask one more question. Why is this mark here? Why is the clay this color? Why does this bottle have that seam? Why was this object saved for decades? Southern Pride Antiques enjoys those questions because they turn old items into stories. The thrill is not just in owning antiques; it is in discovering what they say about the people, places, trades, and traditions that shaped them.

This is especially true with Southern pottery and regional collectibles. Catawba Valley Pottery, for example, carries local significance through clay, form, firing, and tradition. When relevant pieces surface, they deserve more than a quick glance. Southern Pride Antiques buys Catawba Valley Pottery and other antiques, and the shop understands how regional history can add meaning to an object that might otherwise be overlooked.

Sherlock Holmes Day is a good excuse to investigate your own home. Look in the cabinet nobody opens. Check the box in the closet. Revisit the estate items you meant to sort through last year. The case of the hidden heirloom may not involve foggy London streets or a violin at Baker Street, but it might involve a dusty shelf, an old bottle, a pottery jug, or a family piece with a story still waiting to be solved.

Bring your antiques, bottles, pottery, collectibles, and heirlooms to Southern Pride Antiques in Hickory and let the investigation begin.

1750 Startown Rd, Hickory, NC 28602 • (828) 855-1850 • www.southernprideantiques.com

05/20/2026

Southern Pride Antiques — Eliza Doolittle Day
May 20, 2026

Eliza Doolittle Day is one of those charmingly theatrical observances that sounds as if it walked into the room wearing gloves, carrying flowers, and correcting everyone’s vowels. It comes from My Fair Lady, the beloved musical based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, where Eliza Doolittle rises from a Cockney flower seller into a figure of polish, wit, and self-command. In the song “Just You Wait,” Eliza imagines a grand future in which the king proclaims May 20 as “Liza Doolittle Day.” At Southern Pride Antiques, that is more than enough reason for Marty McDaniel, the Gold King, to put on a top hat, mispronounce “loverly” with great confidence, and declare every old teacup in the building socially elevated.

This holiday is a perfect fit for Southern Pride Antiques because Eliza Doolittle Day is about transformation, class, language, performance, and the beauty of objects that carry another era with them. My Fair Lady evokes Edwardian London, flower markets, drawing rooms, hats, gloves, phonographs, calling cards, polished silver, lace, books, and furniture with manners. Antiques live in that same imaginative space. They remind us that style is not only about what is new. It is about what has lasted.

The story of Eliza Doolittle also reminds us that value can be overlooked because of presentation. Eliza begins the story underestimated, judged by accent, clothing, and social status. Over time, the audience sees intelligence, willpower, humor, and dignity that were always there. Antiques often face the same kind of misunderstanding. An old cabinet may look dusty until someone notices the joinery. A piece of pottery may look plain until its regional history becomes clear. A worn book may seem ordinary until it connects to a beloved author, a family tradition, or a period in design history.

Southern Pride Antiques exists for people who understand, or are ready to discover, that old things have stories. A vintage tea set is not just cups and saucers. It is conversation, hospitality, ceremony, and the sound of spoons against china. An old mirror is not just glass. It has reflected rooms, clothing, faces, and fashions that changed while the mirror stayed. An antique chair is not simply a place to sit. It is craftsmanship, material, proportion, and memory. Marty may be the Gold King, but at Southern Pride Antiques he becomes the slightly zany royal curator, pointing at a Victorian-looking lamp and saying, “That lamp has seen things, and I respect its silence.”

Eliza Doolittle Day also gives Southern Pride Antiques a chance to celebrate the fun side of refinement. Antiques do not have to be stiff or intimidating. They can be whimsical, useful, decorative, sentimental, and surprising. A home with antique pieces has character because it mixes time periods and stories. A rustic table can hold modern coffee. A vintage vase can hold fresh flowers. A century-old trunk can store blankets. A framed print can turn a plain wall into a conversation. The beauty is not in pretending we live in the past; it is in letting the past bring texture into the present.

For collectors, decorators, and history lovers, May 20 is a lovely excuse to look at older pieces with fresh eyes. What looks humble may be significant. What looks worn may be authentic. What looks unfashionable today may become tomorrow’s favorite statement piece. Eliza Doolittle’s story is built on the idea that transformation begins when someone pays attention. Southern Pride Antiques believes the same about antiques, heirlooms, and vintage finds.

And if Marty wanders through wearing a crown and practicing his most dramatic theater voice, that is just part of the fun. The Gold King family of companies has room for personality, and Southern Pride Antiques has room for objects with personality. Some pieces are refined. Some are rustic. Some are quirky. Some look like they could tell on you if they had a mouth. All of them deserve a thoughtful look.

This Eliza Doolittle Day, celebrate transformation, history, and the “loverly” charm of objects that survived long enough to become interesting.

Visit Southern Pride Antiques in Hickory to explore antiques, heirlooms, vintage decor, and old pieces with stories worth keeping.
Southern Pride Antiques — 1750 Startown Rd, Hickory, NC 28602 • (828) 855-1850 • www.southernprideantiques.com

05/18/2026

Southern Pride Antiques — Catawba Valley Pottery Face Jugs
May 18, 2026

Catawba Valley pottery has the kind of personality you cannot fake. It is earthy, regional, handmade, practical, artistic, and occasionally equipped with a face that looks like it has heard every family secret since 1887 and disapproves of most of them. That is the special charm of a Catawba Valley pottery face jug. It is not just a vessel. It is a conversation starter, a folk-art statement, and sometimes the only object in the room brave enough to stare Marty down.

The Catawba Valley pottery tradition belongs to western North Carolina’s long history of clay, fire, function, and family craft. Potters in the region became known for alkaline-glazed stoneware, utilitarian forms, and traditional firing methods such as groundhog kilns. These were not fragile little shelf ornaments made to look pretty beside a scented candle. These were working pieces: jars, jugs, crocks, churns, pitchers, and storage vessels made for everyday life before plastic containers invaded every cabinet in America.

Face jugs occupy a special place in that tradition because they bring humor, mystery, and identity into the pottery itself. A face jug may be whimsical, grotesque, stern, toothy, lopsided, or strangely dignified. Some look like old mountain spirits. Some look like a neighbor who has opinions about your lawn. Some look like Marty before coffee, which is not an insult, just a strong visual comparison. Their faces may be molded, pinched, applied, carved, or built up with clay, and their expressions make each one feel alive in a way mass-produced décor never can.

Collectors love face jugs because they connect regional craft with individual artistry. No two handmade face jugs are truly identical. The clay body, glaze color, firing marks, facial features, teeth, eyes, maker, age, and condition all matter. A face jug from a recognized Catawba Valley potter can be especially desirable, and even more recent pieces can carry strong decorative and collectible appeal when they are well made and tied to the local tradition.

Catawba Valley pottery also matters because it tells a local story. This is not imported imitation nostalgia. This is part of North Carolina’s own material culture. It reflects the land, the clay, the kilns, the families, and the makers who kept the craft alive. A good piece of Southern pottery has weight beyond its physical form. It carries memory. It carries regional pride. It also carries the possibility of making a guest say, “Why is that jug looking at me?” which is always a fine moment in home decorating.

Southern Pride Antiques is especially interested in antiques and regional pieces with character, and Catawba Valley pottery face jugs have character by the bucketful. If you have an old face jug, alkaline-glazed jar, stoneware crock, churn, pitcher, folk pottery piece, or other Southern antique, it may be worth having it looked at. Families often inherit pottery without knowing the maker, age, or market interest. Sometimes a piece has been on a shelf so long that everyone stops seeing it. The face jug still sees them, of course, but that is between the jug and the household.

Marty may be the Gold King, but even he knows that not every treasure is shiny. Some treasures are made of clay, fired in tradition, and wearing an expression that says, “I know what you paid for that couch.” Southern Pride Antiques appreciates the old, the odd, the regional, and the real, especially pieces tied to Catawba Valley and Southern history.

If you have Catawba Valley pottery, face jugs, folk art, estate antiques, old stoneware, or regional collectibles, Southern Pride Antiques would be glad to take a look. Bring in the pieces that make people ask questions, because sometimes the strangest-looking jug in the house has the best story with , , and .

Southern Pride Antiques — 1750 Startown Rd, Hickory, NC 28602 • (828) 855-1850 • www.southernprideantiques.com

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