Southern Vintage Table
Hillsborough, North Carolina
919-428-4502 • southernvintagetable.com
An emotionally turbulent time turned into triumph when Shelly Heath chose to capitalize on her affinity for collecting vintage tableware and making mosaics. After retiring from being a teacher for 33 years in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and enduring the devastating loss of her beloved twin brother, Shelly made the life-changing decision, with help from her sister, to create a new chapter for herself and start her very own tableware business in 2013, aptly named Southern Vintage Table.
Shelly’s strong desire for finding vintage things “that are odd” integrated with her deep love of classic china patterns, like Blue Willow, established the groundwork of what her company would offer. With a focus on tableware and other miscellaneous items mixed into her collection (candleholders, vintage suitcases, etc.), Southern Vintage Table provides everything to set the perfect tablescape for an event with a bit of Southern charm. Clients have the ability to choose from diverse tableware collections ranging from Vintage Elegant Floral and Mid-Century Modern to Wildflower Stoneware and beyond. With an enormous assortment of sophisticated and casual china patterns dating from the 1910s to the ’80s, every possible vintage theme and decade-specific look are attainable.
“My motto is to have a few patterns of a lot,” Shelly explains. “I’m not inclined to buy 20 plates, but rather five or six. If you want everything to look the same, I’m not the company you’re looking for.”
Varied place settings are the signature mark of any event styled by Southern Vintage Table. Each setting is purposefully different from the adjacent setting and tells a different story to each guest. The patterned plates on the tables are selected to be complementary to one another with visually compatible colors and elements to create a cohesive yet interesting appearance. Shelly is often told that the picturesque china patterns that guests encounter evoke fond memories of the past and provide a form of nostalgia that is unexpected at special events.
“If someone is interested in sustainable, eco-friendly events, the tableware and items I provide are recycled, repurposed, and refound,” Shelly notes. “They are vintage items that are ready to be enjoyed and appreciated by all.”
