BY KATE REYNOLDS
Wandering through Nancy Roth Antiques makes you want to bake apple pies… or bread…or put up blackberry preserves. Nancy specializes in Americana, sometimes referred to as country or primitive — simple, functional pieces, the art of the ordinary.
Nothing here is pretentious. On the contrary, most of the items you will find in Roth’s welcoming Tryon shop are worn, distressed and delightfully imperfect. They are honest furnishings — the stuff of real life. “These are things that were used every day,” says Nancy. “If a wife needed a cupboard, the husband would make it from whatever was at hand. It’s practical furniture, and each piece has a warmth.”
Any selection will bring a bit of that warmth into even the most modern home. From larger pieces such as pie safes, corner cupboards and massive farm tables to down-home, pre-GE necessities like a zinc dry sink or an exquisitely overstated 1920s Art Deco toaster, Nancy’s wares celebrate domesticity and resourcefulness.
Ranging from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s, her finds are generally products of north and southeastern households, with styles that vary from downright rustic to charmingly decorative. Her collectibles — the toys, linens and other apparatus of daily life — are particularly engaging, offering a nostalgic glimpse into a time not so far off; a place we can still touch with our hearts.
The heart is the compass Nancy uses in buying for her shop. “I love everything in here,” she says. “Sometimes it’s a little hard to see things go.”
Nancy Roth Antiques is located on scenic Highway 176 at 838 North Trade Street in Tryon. 828-859-6768. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10-5 and Sunday 1-4.
