R.S. Butler’s Trading Company & Wingo’s Wecords

Owner Information:

R.S. Butler’s Trading Co. is owned by husband & wife team, Colleen & Don Pingree. We have been in the business for over 30 years (even longer than we’ve been married). We live on the property; we’ve raised our two kids & five Newfoundlands here; and we love what we do.  Our trusty sidekicks, Shannon + Katlyn, hold down the fort two days a week while we hit the road picking up inventory. We are hardcore pickers always on the hunt for the unusual and the interesting.

History:

We opened our shop in the spring of 1991 with Carla & John Penfield (Colleen’s mom & stepdad). We started as a Saturday “barn sale” in the original barn (about 800 square feet on two floors). Since that time, we’ve expanded to become one of the largest antiques shops on New Hampshire’s Antique Alley. The main shop is now more than 3200 square feet and our 2-story barn offers an additional 2000 square feet of inventory. We also have a large outdoor space filled with antique garden décor.

In 2014, Colleen & Don bought Carla & John’s share of the business and have taken it in a new direction. In addition to traditional antiques (early furniture, historical items, ephemera), Butler’s inventory has grown to include mid-century furniture & accessories, records & music memorabilia, vintage & antique clothing, and architectural & garden antiques.

Shop Description:

The main shop is in the original barn that is attached to our house. Built in 1838, the restoration of the property has been a 30 year labor of love. Over the years, we’ve put two additions on the original attached barn and we’ve built two freestanding barns—one for storage and one for shopping.

We have always been a sole proprietorship.  We own all of our inventory and we are the shopkeepers. So we can provide our customers with history of the pieces in our shop, we can negotiate pricing based on cost, and we can provide local delivery on larger items (and we can coordinate out-of-area delivery & shipping for visiting customers).

Specialties:

The main shop is filled with furniture (mid-century chairs & tables, antique armoires & harvest tables, cupboards, chests) but “smalls” dominate the space. The main shop is where you’ll find antique tools, books; antique & vintage clothing; hunting, fishing, military & bar items; pottery & glass; country & kitchen collectibles, textiles & sewing items; and our famous record room (filled with vintage vinyl & music memorabilia).

Our outside garden area is where we display our cast iron urns, cement planters, trellises, wagon wheels, iron fencing, gates, statuary, patio furniture, and other interesting items for outdoor spaces.

The barn holds larger inventory including architectural salvage (windows, doors, mantles, shutters), lighting (chandeliers, industrial, floor lamps, desk lamps), large & small furniture (chairs, tables, trunks, shelving, book cases, desks, cupboards, armoires, sideboards, dressers, beds), and large decorative pieces (signs, large taxidermy, farm equipment).