writing – Ordinary Artisans

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.”