The Magic in Calico Antiques Mall

Hattiesburg, MS--

May 8, 2020

"Let's say I had four children, whose my favorite child? I love them all. I love them all," Dorothy Brown, Owner of the Calico Antiques Mall says she can't pick a favorite item out of her massive collection and that "collecting is absolutely a disease."

My first trip to the Calico Antiques Mall in downtown Hattiesburg was on a whim. I had some time to spend on my lunch hour, and I wandered into the mall half-thinking it was empty. To my surprise, I opened the big, creaking front door to a warm welcome.

I immediately knew I was going to spend hours inside of this store. Everywhere around me was something new to look at, from flashy horse belts, paintings, ladies' feathery hats and chandeliers, every part of the inside was covered in antiques. Taking in all of the color and history hanging on every wall, from the ceiling, and in piles, I knew this was the perfect place to spend an afternoon.

"I'm Dorothy Brown, we have a five level building filled with nice things... everything has been handpicked and everything has a story. Michael, why don't you show these girls around?"

I introduced myself to Dorothy and Michael and we set off through the mall, winding between dressers and carefully trying not to knock over anything special.

Book Store Manager, Mr. Michael Jordan, showed us the book room first, proud of the collection.

"Unique, antique, and rare books; that's what I do," says Mr. Michael.

Michael grew up near Pine View Park and says he used to stay out of trouble by reading. There was a mobile library that would come through his neighborhood as a child, and every week he would swap out two new books. He said he found a brand new world inside of those books when he was a child, and that books have kept that special place in his heart.

"The books, I'm just big into books."

Around August, Michael came into Calico Mall and Antiques for some advice on some of his own antiques. Mr. Michael has also has an interesting collection of rare stamps. When he met Ms. Dorothy, he couldn't help but notice the scattered books around the mall, and like magic, Mr. Michael and Ms. Brown became

coworkers. Michael started to help shelve books, organizing them into a catalog and kept coming back every day since then, fascinated with the antique life.

As Michael talked about his fascination of each of the books and objects he showed us around the store, I think I became infected, just as fascinated myself.

Downstairs was full of vinyl records, furniture and clothing. The upstairs just kept going up, and without Michael to guide us, I might have gotten lost on my first loop through the place. The first level was full of knick knacks like cookie jars, pocket knives, hand-carved staffs, and things behind glass cases that I could stare at all day.

We kept going through the store and with each new item Michael pointed out to us, the adventure began to feel more like a tour through a museum than an antique shop.

Michael showed us a dresser that seemed interesting. He told us to open the drawers, and hidden inside were eggshells of all shapes and sizes, collected from some lover of nature that left them behind for us to find. He also showed us a statue of Joan of Arc, and laughingly suggested that I tip her over onto the floor! I was shocked, and nervous that I would break something, but Michael insisted. I gave the statue a nudge, but nothing. I pushed even harder, and still no budge. This statue was so heavy I couldn't knock it over no matter how hard I tried. I wonder how Ms. Dorothy even brought her inside to begin with!

We kept uncovering hidden secrets of the past, ogling at pottery and paintings that I wish I were creative enough to make. We went up stairs and down stairs and sideways it seemed to get to each room of the mall. Each room has it's own unique section, and my most favorite was upstairs. The upstairs ballroom is littered with paintings. Tall ones, skinny ones, large ones, small ones, all scattered over the walls and on furniture, laying in stacks. The windows upstairs let in a soft light over all of the paintings, making them seem rare and untouched as they just shined there in the silence of that room. I could go back to that room just to sit and be at peace.

We finally made our way through the store, and thanked Mr. Michael for being so kind to show us around. His charisma and knowledge of all the antiques shows through in his tours. I couldn't have imagined the trip being as exciting without his notes. The history behind the items at Calico makes all the difference in appreciating their value.

The most magical part of Calico is Ms. Dorothy herself.

Ms. Dorothy has had several antique shops all around the south. She had stores in New Orleans, Bay St. Louis, and Mississippi City. Her store in Bay St. Louis was even larger than the Calico Mall, and she stayed there for fifteen years. After Hurricane Katrina, Dorothy moved all of her belongings up to Hattiesburg. Some things were damaged, but she managed to save most of the antiques. There are still three train crates outside of the mall full of belongings brought up after the storm.

Ms. Dorothy's interest in history and art kindled at an early age. Her father taught classics and kept a large library that she and her brother were often captured in.

She went to an all girl's high school, where she met another inspiration, her art teacher, who opened Dorothy's eyes to all the beautiful things in the world.

She says her collection has come from all over the world. Some of belongings are her own family heirlooms including her mother's china set and her brother's stamp collection. Collectors bring in things from all over the states, and Dorothy's travels have acquired an interesting set of rarities as well.

Dorothy has extensive background in art, history, and culture and does appraisals for antiques at her store. Dorothy is a world traveller and scholar, having seen countries and artifacts I've only dreamed of.

Dorothy travelled to Rome with her father, who taught classics at the American Academy. From there she motorcycled with friends up to Paris, and spent time at the Sorbonne University. After traveling around Europe, she finished her degree back at Vassar in the United States. She got her first job with TWA in New York.

She was proposed to in the New York snow.

"He said marry me and come south, and that sounded pretty neat to me. I loved him."

After honeymooning in India, Dorothy and her husband settled in Memphis, but moved around frequently. Her travels continued, and she gave tours for 25 years. She visited China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Whales, France, Russia, and the rest of Europe, too. I asked her where she hadn't been, and it seems that the only places are Antartica and Australia. She remembers her trips fondly, and loved to hear about mine as well.

Dorothy and her husband visited their first antique sale in Florida, and started collecting antiques together ever since.

Today, the Calico Mall is the only official antique store recognized by The Maine Antique Digest in Mississippi. As Dorothy calls it, "the bible of the good antique dealers" showcases a collection of the top dealers and auction houses in the country.

Although Dorothy claims she can't choose her favorite antique because she loves them all, she did have some interesting items to show me.

"When I touched it, it was like a spark of electricity"

An old Roman marriage medallion Dorothy had found along her travels is said to have a magic touch. Dorthy said her research into the medallion proves it holds the weight of betrothal. She let me touch the medallion to see if I felt any magic in it, but I was more amazed by the excitement in Dorothy's words.

"So look around, if you have any questions let us know."

The Calico Antiques Mall

A Feature for HubCity TV

Produced, Filmed and Edited by Hannah Houston

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