Bibelot

Today’s word is bibelot which is a noun that means a small decorative object without practical utility; a trinket.

Series: The Antique Shop

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The little gold bell tinkled a cheery note of welcome as Ellen pushed the heavy weathered wood door open and stepped inside the recently opened shop. The exterior sign above the door said Murray’s Antiques, but that remained to be seen, she mused, as she smelled a relaxing sandalwood scented incense. So many hopeful entrepreneurs opened these types of stores nowadays without the slightest knowledge of what was valuable, she thought. Most did not know the difference between a rare treasure and a worthless copy, and besides, many of the shops were filled with consignments that in all likelihood represented the dreams of hopeful owners who regularly watched televised episodes of Antique Road Show with an eye to get rich, when, in reality, most of the items for sale were overpriced collections of everyday junk, albeit old, or even, perhaps, interesting bibelots and artifacts from a bygone era, but generally worthless pieces to a knowledgeable collector.

The salesgirl who greeted her was a perky young woman, barely out of high school, who most likely had no appreciable interest in the prior period furniture, glassware, jewelry, artwork and toys that filled the shelves and nooks within the small shop’s space, but she was friendly enough and could be expected to handle the cash register responsibly, which was really the only requirement for someone who was hired to stand by and watch as potential customers browsed and reminisced about this piece and that. Regardless of the merchandise the store offered for sale, Ellen was excited nonetheless to have this new shop to visit at the outskirts of an otherwise boring town.

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