KAREN WIGHT -- No Place Like Home

What do you get when you combine Best Buys columnist Greer Wylder and

Karen Wight for a shopping trip? Two very worried husbands.

Greer has been writing Best Buys for nine years. In that time, she has

cultivated a fabulous repertoire of behind the scenes shopping locations.

I got lucky this week and tagged along on one of her “missions.”

The destination was the Historic Plaza, aka the “Circle” in Orange.

The object of our quest was outdoor lighting. I had not been up to Orange

for a shopping safari for some time, and I was not disappointed.

My usual destination in the City of Orange is Muff’s Hardware on South

Glassell, just off the Circle. I love rummaging through their inventory

of unusual knobs, decorative wood and resin reliefs, and old library

pulls and handles.

Across the street is Greer’s new “favorite” -- Summerhill Ltd.

Antiques and Design. The light fixtures are fabulous. They have all kinds

of unusual items from hanging iron lanterns to chandeliers dripping with

jewel-toned crystals.

I was fascinated by the assortment of lampshades. Owner Denise Jochec

has a tremendous assortment of unusual shapes covered in silks, both

inside and out. I found some fabulous black silk rectangular hex shades

with gold lining. They would make any chandelier look spectacular.

Denise also makes custom shades, using the fabric of your choice. She

has some great looking grass-cloth shades with a natural woven trim. They

almost made it home with me, but I thought I’d leave something for the

rest of you.

The next stop on the itinerary: A&P; Collectibles to hunt for silver

serving pieces. On the way, I peeked into the American Heritage store

that specializes in ‘50s memorabilia, automotive “stuff” like old gas

pumps and signs, and coin operated games. This store has “guy” written

all over it, and even though some of the charm is lost on me, I think my

men would love this place.

A&P; has a large selection of antique sterling and silver-plated

utensils, serving pieces and trays. Greer found a charming square

monogrammed tray. It was her best buy of the day.

A few stores down at It’s About Time, it was my turn. There was a

great iron table and chairs that were crying to go home with me, but

unfortunately there was a “sold” tag tucked discreetly in the ironwork.

The next treasure was a vintage iron counter stool that was exactly the

right color, height and patina for my kitchen. It was an “only,” so I

struck out for the second time.

Down in the basement I had better luck. There were some great old

metal lawn chairs and side tables (I passed), a couple of old Oriental

rubbings and a faux bamboo table. Bingo.

Up the street at Rustic Romance, there were scads of girly-girl items,

great for a feminine bedroom. I grabbed one of their cards for future

reference (an old deck card with the store info printed on it).

Tony’s Architectural Salvage had two warehouses full of treasures. I’m

not in the market for a big piece, but Tony had wonderful old doors, claw

foot tubs, iron gates, fireplace surrounds and great pedestal and over

counter sinks.

We didn’t sample restaurants in addition to our power shopping, but

Citrus City Grill looked like a good choice. Watson Drug and Soda

Fountain seemed like a kid-friendly destination and there was a Cuban

restaurant on the Circle that was packed, which is always a good sign.

If you’re looking for a field trip, I think that the Orange Historic

Plaza should be on your list of things to do. Grab a seasoned shopper and

look for a personal best buy.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Sundays.