7 Things You'd Like to Know

Features – 7 Things You Want to Know!

We’ve just marked 10 years as a company! Such a milestone of great pleasure meeting so many different folks at one of their happiest moments. We are grateful and humbled by you!

Though we have a FAQ page to answer many questions you may have, we are extending this information to include more things you’d like to know.


First, when the event is over, we’ll be sending you a request for a review from Wedding Wire and the Knot. These two prestigious companies house all of our reviews for prospective clients to read. At the end of the year, they award companies that have a certain number of high ranking reviews. When we make this request, we are thrilled to hear how the event went and what aspects you enjoyed regarding our rentals. We consider it an honor when you do this for us.

Second, we also ask for photographs to share on our blog post and social media. We love sharing this happy moment with our followers and they often refer to your photos when they are making decisions about their own event. Most photographers allow us permission to browse the online gallery. We select photos that showcase our wares and also like to have a few of clients. When this request comes, please consider and if there are any photos you’d like us to not share, let us know. We will ask for names of the collaborating vendors including the photographer, so all of us can enjoy a shout-out.

Third, a word about the cleanup. If rinsing is available, we’d love to receive them in this condition. If not, then we want all the plates to be wiped down with little or no food debris. Please consult with your caterer regarding which they can do. One other little request that goes along with this – all the dishes are wrapped in plastic after the sanitation rinse. It is important to leave the bags on the plates so food debris doesn’t get tracked into the vehicle or studio. We tie the bags, you untie, leaving the bag on the sides. Once the rack is full of wiped down plates, pull up the bag and retie.

Fourth, please do not use our napkins to clean up spills, especially red wine. Many stains remain that we cannot remove and then the napkin is relegated to a dish cloth. Sad…

Fifth, to fill an order we first select and then pack items in specialized crates to avoid breakage. Crate by crate, they are placed in the sanitizing, energy/water efficient dishwasher. After drying, they are wrapped in food-grade plastic bags. Items are then either loaded up and delivered, or the client picks up and returns. If picked up, we’ll have everything on a cart, you’ll drive around the back of our building, and park near the back door covered by an awning. We will roll the carts to the door. Clients have commented that this is made easy for them. After noon is our best times for both deliveries and pickups; however, we can work out times if needed.

Sixth, if you choose to pick up and return (which we appreciate so much!), we can extend our rental window as needed, up to 5 days rather than 3. A typical order will be more than what a small car or SUV can hold so a van or large SUV will be needed. If you are unable to secure the larger vehicle and you still want to pickup/return, look into renting one.

Front Window at SVT

Lastly, and our most important, number 7th thing-to-know is that we want you to be happy with every choice. We don’t charge by the crate but by the piece. We welcome all studio visits and love helping you with your vision!


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Couples 2023

Vintage Features – Creative Client Designs 2023

Vintage Tablescape Designs

Southern Vintage Table
Vintage Tablescape Designs
2023

Slide 2 - Vintage Wildflower

Vintage Wildflower Stoneware, Amber & Green Goblets,
Stainless Flatware

MKM Photography
Slide 3 - Blue and White

Vintage Blue and White, Clear Goblets,
Silverplate Flatware

Jenna Corley Photography
Slide 4 - Vintage Mix

Vintage Mix of Plates, Goblets,
Napkins, Flatware

Indie Bird Photography
Slide 5- Green Florals
Vintage Florals with Green, Green Goblets
Silverplate Flatware
Jo Lindsey Photography
Slide 6 Gold, Orange, Pink
Vintage Gold & White Plates, Pink Glass Salad,
Pink Coupes, Orange Goblets, Gold Flatware
Rae Marshall Photography
Slide 7-Pastel Florals

Vintage Floral Dinner & Salad Plates,
Pastel Goblets, Silverplate Flatware

Dakota Hershey Photography
Slide 8 White Stoneware

Vintage White Stoneware, Pink Goblets,
Silverplate Flatware

Laura Memory Photography
Slide 9 Greens

Vintage Green Dinner, Salad, Bowl, Goblet

Client Photo
Slide 10 Vintage Mix with Amber/Green Goblets

Vintage Mix-Blue/White, Gold/White, Green Florals,
Green & Amber Goblets, Stainless Flatware

Kendall Bailey Photography
Slide 11 Vintage Tea Party

Vintage Tea Cups, Clear Goblets, Gold Flatware,
Tea Pots, Serving Dishes, Table Cloth & Napkins

Client Photo
Slide 12 Different Table Designs

Vintage Mix of Plates & Goblets, Stainless Flatware

SVT Photo
Slide 13 Soft Blues, Milk Glass

Vintage Mix of Soft Blues, Milk Glass Salad,
Light Blue Goblets, Silverplate Flatware, Napkins,
Milk Glass Vases, Votives

Client Photo
Slide 14 Vintage Mix with Centerpiece

Vintage Mix of Plates, Goblets, Gold Flatware,
Centerpiece & Bottle Bouquets

Amanda Sutton Photography
Slide 15 Final

We look forward to helping you with your design!

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Note to Mobile Users – To move forward, slide to the left.

We are always amazed at the creativity of our clients! After working on this slide show for several days, we are excited to share with you some of the designs from 2023. We hope you enjoy their artistic tablescapes!

PS – Thank you, clients and photographers, for allowing us to share your work!


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Hello, New Year

Hello, New Year – 2024!

Header – Indie Bird; Photo above – Laura Memory

To 2023, you have been filled with excitement, joy, and new beginnings. Thank you for bestowing us with many, many wonderful client memories and a successful year. To our clients, we sincerely thank you for choosing our company for your happy occasions and we wish you the very best in this new year.

“This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.” Taylor Swift


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Vintage Valentine's Card

Southern Vintage Table Events – A Valentine’s Date with The Poetry Fox

The Poetry Fox is typing a custom poem on his vintage typewriter for this lucky person!

Yes, a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day is to enjoy a lovely dinner, eat chocolate, or be presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, right? But, how about a personal poem written just for you by the Poetry Fox? That was just one of the activities Alex from Longfellow had planned for their clients and she needed our help staging the table for him. What a super fun assignment!

Vintage Staged Table

Alex came looking for romantic, vintage pieces to display on the long table where The Poetry Fox would compose his poetry. As I was working on another project, Alex browsed the decor room and made her list – suitcases, bottles, a radio, a clock, books and a typewriter. Tucked in a drawer, we showed her some of our vintage valentine’s post cards and the roses stand which she loved! With two vintage red tins, she was set.

Thanks, Alex, for choosing our vintage decor for this super cool offering for your clients. We truly enjoyed meeting you and loved this creative gift for your clients! (Thanks for sending us photos, too!)


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Vintage Whitehall Goblets

Vintage Feature – A Celebration of Numbers: 2021 Update

Seven years to the date, June 13, 2014, Southern Vintage Table celebrated our 1st anniversary! We were quite pleased with our progress during that year and paused to mark our achievements.

Like one of my favorite characters on Sesame Street, Count von Count, I love numbers and it seems like we are always counting at Southern Vintage Table – like, how many vintage blue & white china patterns we have, the number of salad forks in our collection, or the length of a creamy lace overlay.

Sometimes, however, our counting means even more – they mark an achievement – and we have a few of them we’d like to share.  Let’s start the countdown with 10 numbers we are celebrating…

Celebration of Numbers, SVT, June 2014

So, 7 years later, we are pausing one again to see how much some our numbers have changed and what new numbers we’d like to note. From 32,957 to 1, here are the ten numbers we are celebrating today and our favorite number is last!


One – 32,957 Users from 1-1-2020 to 6-13-2021

To us, this number is amazing! In 2013 we had 6,605 views (a little different than users but this is the data we have) on our WordPress blog. Today we have a full scale website that folks from all over the world visit.


Two – 2,772 Pieces of Vintage Flatware 

As before, we didn’t really count each piece but we do have a lot! In 2014 we only collected vintage silver-plated flatware and had enough for 200+ guests. By 2021, we had amassed enough vintage silver-plated and stainless steel pieces to accommodate at least 200+ guests in each variety. Recently, we have added vintage gold-plated to our flatware offerings and now can serve 75 guests. Along with place settings, we have lots of vintage serving pieces – cake servers, tongs, large spoons & forks, pickle forks, and sugar spoons.

This cache of flatware didn’t come so easy – we’ve scoured thrift stores, estate sales, auctions, consignment shops, craigslist, ebay, and more to find these glorious vintage patterns.  Now, that’s certainly an accomplishment to note!

Celebration of Numbers, SVT, June 2014

 Three – 1,996 Pinterest Pins & 667 Intagram Posts

The major force on the social media scene in 2014 was Pinterest. Folks still use Pinterest for ideas, but Instagram has since become the social media queen. In 2014 we had 882 pins on Pinterest; today we have pinned 1,996 images with 32 public boards. A typical monthly viewership is 29,000 but we have hit 78,000.

Our Instagram account has 667 posts and 1,766 followers. These numbers make us dance!


Four – 839 Facebook Likes and 911 Followers

From 280 to 839 Facebook likes, we are grateful for each of you! We love to share with you our new additions as well as our latest events. And, we love to hear from you!


Five – 402 Published Blog Posts

From 71 in 2014 to 403 Sunday posts in 2021, we have expanded our blog post menu to include Southern Vintage Table Events, Vintage Features, Styled Shoots, Vintage Tips, and News.

Check in with us each Sunday to find out more about our latest vintage find, see photos from our most recent event or hear about our vintage adventures. We appreciate each and every visit!

Celebration of Numbers, SVT, June 2014

Six – 200 Vintage Whitehall Glasses in 9 Colors

Our count of vintage Whitehall goblets has grown in two ways – the total count and the number of colors – from 65 to 200 and 6 colors to 9! Many folks grew up with this popular glassware pattern and they evoke many wonderful family memories.


Seven – 7 Shades of Blue Goblets

Wow – 7 shades of blue in our vintage goblet collection! Don’t forget we also have green, yellow, amber, red, purple, pink, peach, white, and clear. How many you ask? Well, we’ll need to get back to you on that!


Eight – Our 8th Year Anniversary!

 Southern Vintage Table has been open for eight years!  Whoo-hoo!

It’s been quite an adventure – collecting, researching, cleaning, repairing, photographing, identifying, writing, posting, washing, archiving, sorting – and we continue to love every part of it. Gosh, how to you thank everyone for their support and kindness?  Simply and sincerely – Thank You.

Celebration of Numbers, SVT, June 2014
Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Happy Anniversary, Southern Vintage Table!

 Nine – 9 Vintage Plate Collections

Our vintage plate collection in 2014 totaled about 250 in assorted styles and patterns. Today we have 9 vintage collections or themes of patterns, all of which can be mixed and matched with each other or kept in the same theme. Some vintage collections have about 300, like our blue & white, and others have 30 or so, as in our mostly brown. How many total dinner plates do we have? We’ll get back to you on that, too!


Ten – Our First Grandbaby Arrives!

Our most wondrous number is one – our first grand baby is born – Isla Elaine Dawson. What a wonderful number this one is!


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Tulips

Happy Valentines to All!

“The love you feel in life is a reflection of the love you feel in yourself. “

Deepak Chopra

Today we wish all a Happy Valentine’s Day! Whether it be celebrated with your sweetheart, friends, family, or just yourself, this day is all about love – that inexplicable gift we both receive and give to others. But, perhaps the truest meaning is that love begins with knowing, celebrating, and loving yourself.


We love and thank our clients who participated in our Share the Love offer. We enjoyed planning, collaborating, advertising, and executing the details for you. We are so pleased that you enjoyed the experience, too!

Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you for making ours unique and special! Shelly, you could not have chosen better for us. I am in love with these plates!

AA

These clients have been instrumental in the planning of a new endeavor – offering intimate vintage “To Go” packages. The first to be launched will be a Tea Party To Go package. We are working on the details so you easily can host a magical and traditional tea party!


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Vintage Valentines Overhead

Southern Vintage Table Event – A Vintage & Romantic Valentines

Valentine’s Date at home!! My boyfriend partnered with SVT to plan a Valentine’s themed date. We have not gone out much due to COVID and this was just so fun, memorable, and classy. It felt like he took me out to a nice restaurant but we were in the dining room! The candles, pink glasses, napkin rings, and sweet postcards all tied together to create a beautiful table….a table we lingered at and talked for about an hour together! I would definitely love to use SVT in the future!

Kaitlyn, Chapel Hill

Because work schedules didn’t work for next weekend, Mark and Kaitlyn scheduled their Valentines’ celebration early. As our first clients, we excitedly put together the items for a safe, easy pickup from the bench at the front of our studio. Mark ordered takeout BBQ and with the colorful vintage tableware, they were set for a romantic, intimate meal at home. We asked if someone could take a few photos for us to share, and here they are!


You still have time for this offer! Order form below.


Vanilla Strawberry --- Chocolate Raspberry --- Champagne --- Carrot
Rental cost is due when invoiced. Returnable security deposit is due two days before pickup via invoice. Interested in rentals for 3 or 5, please let us know for adjusted pricing. shelly@southernvintagetable.com
Pickup and drop-off will be at the front door of Southern Vintage Table, 222E Orange Grove Street, Hillsborough, NC. Packing list and repacking directions will be included. As soon as the items have been unpacked and inventoried, we will notify you regarding the security deposit.

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Valentines Table

News: Cultivate the Memories of Valentines Day 2021

Elements provided for your Valentines table

While in the midst of our daily life, we most likely aren’t thinking about the memories we are locking away. Sometimes, however, we can foresee a moment, like a holiday, for which we want to always remember. This year, Valentines 2021 may be unlike any yet celebrated; a day we will want to preserve.

If this day has meaning for you, cultivate your soon-to-be memories with something unique, out-of-the ordinary, special. Remember to use your senses and save keepsakes.

Southern Vintage Table, along with Fireside Farm and Happily Desserted, want to provide that something special for you. Serving your home-cooked meal or takeout dinner and dining on our vintage wares will cultivate memories. The taste and smell of the gourmet cupcakes as well as the long-lasting beauty of the dried florals in a handcrafted bottle-vase will delight you for years to come.

Keepsakes from Valentines 2021

If you are interested in cultivating your 2021 Valentines memories, go here to complete your order and thanks for supporting us.


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Share The Love Title

News – Announcing our “Share the Love” Valentine’s Packages

Valentine’s Day is three weeks from today! How will you celebrate with your sweetie, family, or friends this year? Do you need something that will brighten this day of love and create an everlasting memory?

We can help you put together an experience that will inspire sweet memories of love, beauty, and togetherness.

Our “Share the Love” Valentine’s package has everything you need to set a romantic tablescape. We will provide carefully selected vintage place settings for two (or more) , vintage table decor with a handcrafted bottle-vase filled with beautiful, everlasting dried florals, coordinating napkin rings, and 4 gourmet cupcakes. Prepare your special meal or order takeout from your favorite restaurant and the memories begin.


Intrigued? Here are four reasons why “Share the Love” is perfect for you!


Reason 1 – Everything included is eco-responsible.
The dishware is vintage, the dried flowers are organically and locally grown, and the gourmet cupcakes come from a local baker.

Reason 2 – Three different vintage themes from which to choose!
Elegantly Classic has sweet, fancy plates; Boldly Botanical features place settings with big, vibrant florals; and Naturally Neutral incorporates earthy tans, beiges and brown. All coordinated pieces complement each package.

Reason 3 – Three local, eco-minded women-owned businesses have collaborated to bring you this collection.

Lisa of Fireside Farm grows organic flowers here in Orange County. Happily Desserted‘s owner, Shrimi, bakes speciality cakes and and uses locally and seasonally available ingredients. Shelly, owner of Southern Vintage Table, curates vintage tableware for rent. The three of us partner with the Green Wedding Guild, an organization whose goal is to help clients choose sustainable options.

Reason 4 – You also will be sharing the love with us!
Our businesses have been affected by the pandemic. If you add takeout from a local restaurant, you’ll be helping four businesses! Your participation supports us during this time until we can safely gather once again. We all will be most appreciative!


Encouragements, questions, or comments? Please let us know!
shelly@southernvintagetable.com

Ready to take the next step? Simple! Go here!


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Lace with Vintage Pins

News – A New Year Cheer from Southern Lady!

A bit of cheer was sent to us to start our new year!! The delightful news was the publication of an article that appears in the January/February 2021 issue of Southern Lady for which we were consulted. The article is beautifully presented in this lovely publication and we are so pleased to be mentioned.

The Legacy of Lace
Touting both a rich history and perennial popularity, heirloom lace is unwavering in its versatile appeal.
Written by Elizabeth Bonneer Czapski
Styled by Melissa Sturdivant Smith
Photographed by Stephanie Welbourne Steele.

Here’s an excerpt from the article which mentions us:

At Southern Vintage Table, an antique tableware rental company in Hillsborough, North Carolina, owner Shelly Heath shares a fascination with lace that she’s acquired for her events. But, she also believes that much of its draw, especially in our region, lies in nostalgic merit. “I think folks appreciate vintage lace because of the delicate and intricate designs as much as its personal history,” Shelly explains.

“If it has been handed down from previous generations, it carries a sentimental value that is priceless. Lace is also versatile – as a table covering, a hankerchief, or an embellishment on {clothing}.”

Southern Lady Magazine, Jan/Feb 2021, pages 45-50.

Of course, we are truly honored to have been asked about our deep appreciation for vintage lace. Our collection at Southern Vintage Table includes lace doilies, tablecloths, handkerchiefs, napkins, and even a boho-inspired lace curtain-backdrop. Let us know if you’d like to add a bit of lace to your next event!

PS – This is our second mention in Southern Lady! 🙂


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