What makes UFS Unique?

This blog, our very first, hopefully will make a good impression on you. As you know, first impressions are an art form unto themselves, with the ability to capture and change our expressions and emotions. Just as an Artisan must regularly hone his or her skills, so must we as hobbyist, collectors and merchants. A buyer must regularly find new, relevant, creative outlets that easily allows us to search for and purchase what we seek. A seller must also be looking to attract new and loyal customers which is what we can offer you as a community member. UFSshop.com is just that; we're a Buyer and Seller's Cooperative. We provide a safe, user friendly and functional e-commerce marketplace, enabling us to collaborate both online and in person. We bring together local buyers and introduce them to local sellers who are experienced, knowledgeable and trustworthy. In addition to making it easy for you to buy and sell your showpieces, our goal is to create & sustain a mutually beneficial experience. 

We probably all agree how much fun it is to collect and showcase our nostalgic treasures enabling us to show off our true personalities and creative imaginations. These exciting and sometimes inspirational interludes allow us to actively pursue our hobby of collecting, buying and selling those one of a kind (or limited in quantity) unique styles and artistic designs. Unique Findings Showplace was created just for you. Our mutual wish lists and seller postings include the following: Works of Art, Photography, Artisan Crafted Designs and Distinctive Jewelry, Retro Apparel and Fashion, as well as Vintage Findings and Antiques. Feel free to visit our General Store for unique novelties and gifts, hand made crafts and home baked goods, organic food and drinks, "Green" products as well as health and well-being inspirations. We promote peace and calm for mind, body & soul. 

We love flea and farmer markets, yard sales, craft fairs and festivals, auctions, estate sales, local shops, galleries and boutiques. Basically, we love unique, creative and useful items. We hope you'll be as excited to shop with us, as we are to serve you. We truly want to get to know you and hopefully vice versa. We truly enjoy interacting with our buyers, sellers, mechants and members.   

My name is Sean P. Downes and I'm one of those "vintage addicts" who is of the belief that durable, distinctive and desirable, quality products are now in the minority. "Virtual Mega-Mall Mania" is taking over the way we live and shop. Conversely, our quaint & cozy, small town shopping experiences need to be supported, promoted and preserved; that's our goal. In addition to supporting so many of our favorite local vendors and small businesses, we're also helping to reduce our carbon footprint by eliminating excessive waste. Think of what the supply chain looks like to manufacture, warehouse and deliver the world's most popular new commodities. In many ways, we are a disposable and wasteful society. At UFS, we're doing our part to up-cycle and re-cycle all of our wonderful treasures and crafty creations. It's also a fun family activity that encourages quality time together.  

The fun part about "collecting or antiquing" as it used to be called allows us to get out, take a ride, enjoy some fresh air and make new friends. In this overwhelmingly digital age, we need to spend less screen time and focus more on elevating personalized, human connections. While doing so, we reap the benefit of visiting new showplaces, galleries, merchants and cafe's that support local communities. UFSshop.com is also a small, family owned small business that was created with a passion for trying to help others realize and accomplish their dreams as well. Let's make that extra effort to support our local businesses.   

In our next blog, we'll share with you some of our favorite "Honey Holes" and special places to visit starting in R.I., MA. and CT., in that order. We're going to take you over "5 Bridges, 3 States and a Causeway". The title was derived by taking you with us on an interactive Rhode Trip focusing on "A day in the life of Main St. USA". On this ongoing adventure, we'll insert the names, maps and links to countless shops, merchants, galleries and café owners who would love to introduce themselves to you and show you around; you'll feel right at home. In return, you can easily follow this guided route to thier locations and share you're own stories and unique findings with them as well. If for some reason, we get to meet up along the way, that would be a bonus.