Fresh Baked Bread (cottagecore)

Antique Shop

A small bell dings overhead as you open the door to the antique shop at the corner of the square. You had passed it tens, maybe hundreds of times before, but it wasn't until that Saturday that you decided to visit.

The outside is made of classic red bricks, white molding surrounds the door and windows. A colorful awning casts shade across the doorway and the sidewalk outside. Dandelions grow out of the cracks in the concrete, while beautiful marigolds are planted in the flowerpot in the window. 

A sign hangs from above, reading "Antiques and Gifts" carved into a peice of preserved driftwood.

You are greeted with the scent of old books and flowery, ornate candles. The air conditioning wafts over your skin in refreshing waves.

The place is small, but brimming with character. The interior is filled with shelves upon shelves of cute little trinkets and vintage furniture. Stained glass lamps and vintage photos sit atop every surface, and cuckoo clocks line the walls along with their grandfather clock counterparts.

A tired looking man sits at the front desk. He offers you a friendly smile, accompanied by a wave. 

You wander the aisles taking in everything as you do. You come across a shelf full of old yellowing books, familiar titles like 'Moby Dick' and 'Huckleberry Finn' are mixed with 80's classics like 'Goosebumps' and 'Animorphs'. 

Ancient, peeling encyclopedias and dictionaries sit higher, so as to avoid the grasp of little hands. Wedged between the spines of the books are vintage comics and baseball cards.

Baskets of dusty toys sit at the end of bookcases, each toy bearing a colorful price sticker. At the back of the store a long metal coat rack on wheels sits covered in clothing.

Heavy coats made of wool and big leather jackets sit side by side, the scent of mothballs wafting off of them. Colorful sweaters with the 80's bus-seat pattern sit untouched, they look terribly itchy.

Atop a shelf at the very back of he store is a small ceramic snail, painted all sorts of browns and greens, and coated in a shiny glaze. You hold the snail in your hand, and flip it over, to find a price tag reading '$2'. 

You bring it up to the front of the store and place it on the front desk, already pulling the money out of your pocket. The cashier rings up the snail, and you tell him to keep the change, as you're eager to get home. 

He wraps the snail in colorful tissue paper and places it in a little brown bag. You say thank you, and give the little shop one last glance before heading back outside. The cheerful little bell rings again, and you let out a long sigh as the early afternoon sun blankets your skin once again.