Meandering Michigan Series: Lake Odessa

I remember playing Lake Odessa in sports in High School, driving through it when we took the back road to Grand Rapids, and hearing stories of people fishing at the Jordan Lake in Lake Odessa. I'm sure prior to 2015, I hadn't actually been near Lake Odessa in over 20 years. My mother and I were heading to a baby shower between Ionia and Lake Odessa. We were quite early, and decided to drive through Lake Odessa. I was surprised at the stores downtown. It was late, so everything was closed, but we made plans to come back.

We ended up having a girls day with my Great Aunt, and my cousins in Lake Odessa in November of last year (2015). The two antique stores, Lake Odessa Antique Mall and Regal Rooster at Bonanza Antiques, were having a huge sale. I've never been that interested in antique stores, but I had such a great time. I was very surprised at how large the stores were and how much fun it was too look around. 

Wandering through an antique store can be like walking down memory lane when you see items that remind you of your childhood, or younger years. You never know what you might find. Some of my favorite things to look at are jewelry, postcards, and clothing. 

These are pictures of two necklaces that I bought at the Lake Odessa Antique Mall. I've zoomed in a little so you can see more of the details. One is a gold chain with red beads with blue flowers. The second necklace is sliver with little black beads. I don't have any details on when or where they were made, but I only paid a few dollars for each and love them both!

Just down the street from the Antique Stores, you can also shop for new and consigned clothing, home décor, jewelry and handmade chocolates. We visited So Simply, Consignments By Sherry, Endless Expressions, AllyMade Jewelry, and I made a quick stop at Delectable Delights.

So Simply offers home décor, furniture, jewelry, gourmet food, lotions and soaps, and women's clothing. The jewelry is hand-made by American designers including Anne Koplik, Treska and Shari Dixon. There website usually has coupons, recipes, and information about store events.

The consignment shop, Consignments By Sherry, while having a nice selection of gently used clothing, shoes, and jewelry, had many other items for sale. I like the trend right now in stores of mixing clothing, jewelry, furniture, home décor, and other items. Each of the stores in Lake Odessa, including the consignment shop, follows this trend. 

Endless Expressions Boutique was another favorite. While listed as an interior designer, the store is filled with clothing, jewelry, purses, and other unique items. I recently visited the stores Facebook page and it looks like they have added quite an inventory since I was there. In addition to women's clothes and jewelry, there is a selection of clothing for children and babies as well as other items for babies.

AllyMade Jewelry has handmade jewelry, a wide variety of beads, and locally made gifts. There are pictures, paintings, stained glass, cards, bags, handmade wooden boxes and other wooden items, bath and body products, books, candles, and gourmet snacks.  There is a craft room in the back where jewelry and craft making events are held.

Of course, after all the shopping, if you are hungry, you can stop by Delectable Delights for handmade chocolates and other treats. The chocolate shop had just opened, so they had many samples out to try before you purchased. I also ate the items before I could remember to take pictures ... they were great! If you are looking for lunch or dinner, I recommend Penny's Pizza.

More to come from the mind of ...