Entry 49, Kimberly for winning two concert tickets. I will email you today with info about the concert you chose. Please reply by Friday or I will reselect a winner.

Plus, come back on Thursday for my next Fun in the Sun giveaway for Luau on the Lake!

Once in Ohio (etsy.com/shop/OnceinOhio) features great Ohio vintage shopping online

Between adjusting to the new job, getting ready to host tomorrow’s PlayhouseSquare scavenger hunt (still time to get tickets!), and tidying up the house after the Great Furniture Move of 2013, I haven’t felt this pressed for time since chairing Jump Back Ball – yikes!

When there’s not enough time to get lost in a good comic book or unwind with a glass of wine, I turn to something more immediate for a break.

Which is how I always find myself browsing Etsy and other online craft and vintage shops.

And what’s better than a vintage shop? Shopping for Cleveland vintage goods from the comfort of my couch!

Heart of Cleveland postcard. All photos courtesy of Once in Ohio and linked to their Etsy page.

After starting his online vintage shop NickaDizzy, a former coworker of mine Dale Luckwitz found he was discovering a lot of great old treasures from Ohio’s past. Beautiful postcards depicting the Cleveland of old (check the link to see what Cleveland Clinic used to look like), a vintage ‘Outdoor Ohio’ travel guide, and even a pre-RTA Cleveland Transit Society safe driving pin.

So Dale started up an etsy shop and blog – Once in Ohio – dedicated to all things Ohio vintage.

Right now his store features over 100 items with prices ranging from $2.95 to $80. But the vast majority of items are under $20 – extremely good deals on some of these items.

Greetings from Monkey Island! This postcard makes me smile every time.

My Top 10 favorites:

• B.F. Goodrich’s Wonder of Rubber Comic Book – $17
• “We’re at Monkey Island” Cleveland Zoo Postcard – $6
• Stylized Vintage Drawing of the Sheraton-Cleveland (now Downtown CLE’s Renaissance hotel) – $6
• Golden Jubilee Celebration Book from Cleveland’s St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish (68 pages in Polish and English) – $8
• Vintage Linen 1940s Postcard of the Cleveland Museum of Art – $3.95
• “This is Cleveland” 1946 Calendar Book with Photos – $18
• Ohio Railway Spikes from Cleveland Interurban Railroad – $8
• “The Heart of Cleveland” Pre-Terminal Tower Postcard – $7.95
• Lakewood Little Theatre Playbill from 1939 – $6

and

• Big Chuck and Lil’ John Ultimate Fan Package – $80

That last one is pretty fantastic for the Big Chuck and Lil’ John fan in your life because it comes with 7 records of songs played at the beginning, end, and in between breaks of the show, a signed photo, vintage sweater, and book of Polish proverbs.

Big Chuck and Lil John Ultimate Fan Pack

In addition to his store, Dale just started a blog that digs a little deeper into the history (and mystery) behind some of his vintage finds.

Take a look at his post about an antique beer bottle from the Huebner-Toledo Breweries Company for an interesting lesson on Prohibition.  And if you have your own story of Ohio’s past, share it on the Once in Ohio facebook page.