Lisa wehler || silver moon antiques

Silver Moon Antiques, residing on Media’s State Street, is the kind of place that catches your eye as you walk by. Returning customers are drawn inside by the aesthetic – a sense that you are encountering different places in time. Velvet furnishings, hand printed patterns, hand-made jewelry where modern and antique elements meet – capturing a specific customer, someone a strong sense of imagination. Wehler’s background includes a childhood spent moving approximately twenty-five times, a fine art degree, a textile design business in New York City, and more experiences that led her to the world of antiques and artisan made products. Wehler’s father developed satellite communication networks for AT&T, requiring the family to move to different countries. “I lived in France, Iran, Germany,” says Wehler. “Iran was the Paris of the Middle of East.” As an adolescent, she wanted to be anthropologist, but felt disinterested in the lack of enchantment in the field. “The only thing I felt unlimited with is art,” she says. Wehler studied textile design at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, started her own company, and eventually began refurbishing and re-selling antiques – this would become Silver Moon Antiques.

Mystery, creativity, and personal growth are constant sources of inspiration and inform Wehler’s daily life. For her, fairytales discuss humankind “falling in consciousness” and neglecting a spiritual aspect of life, something Wehler feels very connected to. The practice of encountering artwork and reflecting on how it impacts us is an opportunity “to learn about what the soul is trying to tell us.”

“When everything else disappears and you are just focused on what you are creating, I think that’s really when you are connected to your soul,” says Wehler. Over the years, her creative practice has evolved from textiles and furniture to jewelry. She has also spent many years engaged in personal and spiritual growth. It has been a journey to finding freedom and living a life that feels meaningful to her. “We have to let go of the shame of what you are or aren’t,” she says. She has learned how to recognize and break unconscious, repeating patterns in her life, and to accept her unique qualities. She views life as a work-in-progress and believes that what society often labels a ‘mistake’ are just a part of the story. “Everything in life, good or bad, was set up for me,” she says. “We can grow from experiences instead of being crushed by them.”

Wehler’s essence comes through as you browse Silver Moon Antiques. Stones and antique pieces hold stories, and unique apparel and housewares invite customers to express their own vision. The stationary section (with fountain pens, textured paper, colored and scented inks) holds the building blocks of a self-exploration practice. These materials provide an experience to slow down, witness, and identify deeper aspects of self. Wehler’s intentionality is what makes Silver Moon iconic. For her one-of-a-kind jewelry, she says, “I put a little of my concentration and my energy into it. It’s going to be unique.”

Visit Silver Moon Antiques:

5 East State Street

Media, PA 19063

Open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-6pm, Sundays 12pm-4pm

Facebook: SilverMoonStudioAntiques

Instagram: @silver_moon_studio_antiques

A. Recherche

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A. Rechere is Ashara Shapiro’s latest venture. Launching October 25-27, the jewelry and accessories are storied items that have gone through a transformation. Antique items that have lost their function in modern daily life are turned into pieces both elegant and edgy.  Shapiro is known as one half of the Bucks County, Pennsylvania creative duo ReClaimed.  The California native learned the art of woodworking from her father, leading her to eventually create functional, eclectic art in the form of furniture.  Six months ago, in the studio stocked with finds from antique malls and abandoned barns, Shapiro saw the potential for these items to become fashion.  “Throughout that process [with ReClaimed] I was collecting bits and pieces that I loved” says Shapiro, old machine tags, brass rulers and scales, among them.  “I just started making things for myself with those bits and pieces and then people were really interested in what I was doing.” A. Recherche began with a leather cuff adorned with the carefully curated piece of an antique brass metal ruler. When people began requesting custom orders, Shapiro knew that she was on to something.

 

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Each piece from A. Recherche is true to its namesake (“rechercheis French for ‘exotic, rare, or obscure.’)  To the designer, leather and metals have a personality of their own.  She calls the rawness and natural quality of leather paired with polished metal a “perfect marriage.”  When asked about her favorite found material, Shapiro can’t settle on one. Exploring each material, and discovering what it will allow itself to be, is an enjoyable interaction.  For example, different metals are more or less malleable and the grain of a piece of wood determines what design will take shape. She enjoys this process, bringing her own vision and meeting it with the design potential of the material.

 

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Empowerment is the theme of A. Recherche.  “Warrior meets modern woman meets function, fashion,” says Shapiro. The stamped words and phrases speak to women’s strength and experiences, “something that they can identify with in their life.”  Certain pieces are created for the purpose of forming community and offer part of the proceeds to charity organizations.  She currently works with A Love for Life, an organization that raises funds for Pancreatic cancer research.  “The best mission is to not only create things that women feel strong wearing,” she says, “but also supporting each other in our past and our future.”  Eventually, Shapiro plans to create designs that speak to other widespread issues.  She envisions women forming connections by wearing her jewelry, recognizing each other’s bracelets stamped with the phrases ‘Me Too’ and ‘Survivor.’

 

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Shapiro, an avid writer, former off-Broadway actress, and teacher, has expressed herself creatively throughout her life.  A common thread throughout each experience, from taking to the stage as a child to her current design work, is empowerment and connection. Of our busy, information driven world Shapiro feels that shared experience is forgotten.  “We are taking in so much information that has very little to do with us on a personal, deep level.”  Personal power and expression are at the core of her creative pursuits. She sees them as a way to create connecting threads that people can draw to their own stories.

 

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The launch will take place inside of “The Barn,” an eclectic space sounds like a perfect setting for the A. Recherche shopping experience. Philadelphia-based clothing line Plume and Thread will be joining the party at each date.

For the future, Shapiro plans to continue making custom orders and release a new collection every few months.  Each launch will be limited edition and unique.  Join the A. Recherche mailing list for a VIP first look at each collection.  Be the first to find your new favorite piece:

Thursday October 25, 6-8pm

Friday October 26, 6-8pm

Saturday October 27, 10-4pm

 

4658 Old York Road

Buckingham, PA

 

A. Recherche

Plume and Thread

 

images: A. Recherche instagram