Northshore Magazine

Northshore April 2016

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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64 | APRIL 2016 nshoremag.com Not So Flatware by Cassandra Mae 978-846-5521 NotSoFlatware.etsy. com CO N TAC T flatware know the value of it and charge accordingly. Harris tends to source pieces from scrap collectors. "They are going to melt them, so I try to get there before they do." She also has a connection who scours auctions for her. "She knows the things I have an eye for." Estate sales are yet another source. When looking for something specific, she might turn to eBay, particularly when a piece sells well and she needs to replicate it using the same pattern. "Sometimes it's a little hard because I get to a point where I can't find [what I need] anywhere. But then, suddenly it pops up." When that happens, she says, "I hope I didn't just suck up the world's inven- tory of antique spoons!" One of the many things Harris loves about antique silverware is that it tells a story. Nearly every spoon is engraved with informa- tion—sometimes the manufacturer or the name of the pattern—that Harris notes and researches. Other times, she is able to identify its ori- gin because she is so familiar with certain patterns. Many sets come with the original owners' names stamped on them. "Locals know Towle—they did spoon rings in the '60s. Usually [people] would get a set for their wedding, and then they would get a small spoon pinkie ring to match their set." Such sets tend to become family heirlooms. Harris recalls a friend's story of how she inherited her grandmother's pieces, and, after years of seeing them sit unused in a drawer, she decided to have Harris turn them into rings for her and her sisters. It was special, given that the siblings are spread out across the country and rarely see one another. "This reminds me of Gram" was the general sentiment shared by the family. In essence, Harris gave the flatware a second life—still mean- ingful, just in a different form. Not So Flatware in a nutshell? "It's been an adventure," muses the thriving entrepreneur. Harris appreciates the story behind each spoon.

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