Mulberry Jam

Last weekend I finally got to do something I’ve had in the back of my mind for a couple of years. On Sunday, my husband and I drove out to the tiny crossroad of Lucketts, Virginia to what’s somewhat grandly called the Old Lucketts Antique Store. Lucketts is nothing more than a crossroads on Route 15, about 8 miles north of the center of Leesburg. While the southeastern part of Loudoun County has seen incredibly rapid suburbanization, this northern part of the county is still mostly farms and pastures so far. The store is a 3-story building sitting right on the road that in the past served as the hamlet’s post office and the Lucketts family home.

I’d read that the store had been named “best antique store in Loudoun County”, and after my visit I can certainly see why. Operated as a collective, it has a fantastic variety of objects brought by twenty different dealers. Every square foot of the house and its porches are filled, some to overflowing. Of course there are dressers, chairs and tables. There are also smaller objects like vases and china collections. Some dealers specialize in antique linens and vintage clothing. Other rooms collect architectural elements such as doors, windows and mantel pieces. Although I saw nothing I would classify as a really valuable antique such as you find in the well-heeled stores of Alexandria and the District of Columbia, I was impressed to find there was also very little out-and-out junk. The store’s look is strongly influenced by the Shabby Chic style. Many of the dressers are painted in creamy whites with rubbed finishes, soft furnishings are upholstered in faded floral chintz. The overall effect is soft and feminine. This is not a place where you will find great mid-century pieces, but if your style leans toward informal country or provincial items you’ll be in hog heaven.

Best of all, prices were reasonable by Washington area standards. While Mark and I love vintage furniture and decorative objects, very few of our pieces were purchased in this area because I find the prices too inflated. Tags at the Old Lucketts Store were refreshingly affordable. We came home with a pewter pitcher I’ll use for flower arrangements, $19; a crisp black and white framed photograph of Count Basie at his piano for $35, and two 50’s-era print tablecloths in mint condition for about $25 each.

I was tempted by many other things, lots of them too large to fit in the convertible we were driving that day. On the lawn outside the house is a treasure trove of vintage garden ornaments. The collection is worth the drive to Lucketts even if you never set foot in the house. Graceful cast iron furniture with lacy looks that belie their weight, elaborate trellises and archways, armillary spheres and sundials, stone obelisks and plaster cupids stand in ranks on the green grass. I’m already planning a return trip in early spring to add some vertical structure to my garden.

How to Get There

The Old Lucketts Store is at the intersection of Lucketts Road and Route 15. The quickest way there from DC or northern Virginia is to drive out the Dulles Access road and continue on the Dulles Greenway to the Leesburg bypass, take the 15 Bypass to the north side of town and then continue about five miles north on Route 15. For more information, see their website or call (703) 779-0268.