offers memories and
special memorabilia
Davidson Mill Village
offers memories and
special memorabilia
By jennifer kohlhepp
Staff Writer
JEFF GRANIT A “shabby chic” end table restored by owner Jim Torsiello is on sale at Davidson Mill Village.
NORTH BRUNSWICK — They built a small village on their shared passion for collecting unusual treasures.
Longtime North Brunswick residents Lonnie and Jim Torsiello purchased their first antique, a drop-leaf gate-leg table, together in a small antique shop on Church Street in New Brunswick in the early 1970s.
Since then, their quest for finding the most unusual decor, furniture and other bric-a-brac has culminated into a small village of shops located at 2430 Route 130.
Davidson Mill Village buys, sells and consigns old and new collectibles, antiques and more in the buildings of an old farmhouse circa 1888.
JEFF GRANIT North Brunswick resident Lonnie Torsiello, owner of Davidson Mill Village on Route 130, holds a boudoir doll from the 1930s, as she sits among other antiques, collectibles and hard-to-find treasures in her shop on Friday.
"We converted the garage and the mill house into shops," Mr. Torsiello said. "This used to be a horse and chicken farm extending from Route 130 to Truman Road to Quarry Lane."
After years of owning and operating Elm Row Gardens, a floral and garden business in North Brunswick since the late 1970s, the Torsiellos decided to share their love for rarities and heirlooms by opening the Village in 1995.
"We slowly started buying more and more antiques," Mrs. Torsiello said. "We’ve always loved antiques and always collected them."
Mrs. Torsiello said their passion for treasure hunting overwhelmed them both, and by 1999 the village had transformed from a garden center into much of what it is today: four buildings filled to the brim with bangles, baubles, memorabilia, paintings, housewares and decorative accessories from times present and past.
"We’re like New Hope or Lambertville, but on a smaller scale," Mrs. Torsiello said.
The Torsiellos agreed that the location, on busy Route 130, has been beneficial to their business.
"Every day we have the pleasure of meeting a new customer," Mrs. Torsiello said. "I just can’t tell you how many times a new customer says they always wanted to stop to see what’s here as soon as they could find the time to visit."
The Torsiellos said they obtain most of what they sell at the Village by making house calls to places where the owners intend on liquidating their property, by attending state auctions, and through consignment.
Fords resident John Solowinski, an antique connoisseur employed at the Village, helps purchase, clean and repair the merchandise.
"I grew up around antiques," Solowinski said. "I love to attend all of the major shows, like the Brim Field Antique Market held annually in Massachusetts, to find the most interesting things," Solowinski said.
One of the owners’ favorite finds is a turn-of-the-century trolley bench used in the Brooklyn Bridge area train stations.
"The piece is very interesting because the back rest flips from side to side, so you can always face the train coming from either direction," Solowinski said.
Every niche of the store tells a story of times gone by, and the small staff of employees enjoy relating the tales of the eclectic collection.
"We pride ourselves on telling customers the true value of their purchases," Solowinski said. "We believe an informed customer is the best customer."
Mrs. Torsiello said, "With the Internet and eBay, it is much easier to find the history of items today."
The Village offers many popular collectibles, including a large collection of entertainment memorabilia containing autographs of actors such as James Stewart, Dudley Moore, Michael J. Fox and Harrison Ford.
Both classic and popular films on VHS line bookcases next to boxes of sheet music from the 1920s and 1930s, as well as vintage accessories such as feathered head pieces and fur frocks from the 1940s and 1950s.
Mr. Torsiello said customers love to purchase their "shabby chic" items, pieces repaired and enhanced with paint and decorative hardware that emphasize a distressed or careworn look.
"I love to repair items that look as if they are not salvageable," Mr. Torsiello said. "I give them another dimension. These items just fly out of here because of our reasonable pricing."
The Village offers something for everyone, as it also houses The Milltown Ice Cream Depot.
The Depot relocated to the village in 2002 when the borough of Milltown condemned the property where it was originally located for historical preservation, owner Joan Trent said.
"Everyone knows the Ice Cream Depot because it’s been around for 31 years," Trent said. "So far North Brunswick has been a wonderful place to relocate. The soccer team loves to come here for ice cream, as well as the Little Leaguers."
Every Friday during the summer, Trent offers a barbecue including sausage and corn on the cob.
The Depot, which is open year-round, boasts 48 different flavors of ice cream, including sugar-free ice cream, yogurt and tofutti, Trent said.
The Trent family also runs their business, D&J Softub Spas and Service Inc., out of the farmhouse.
They sell portable 75-pound hot tubs and the products and services for their upkeep.
The shops at Davidson Mill Village will host a moonlight market and barbecue with outdoor vendors selling antiques, collectibles and bric-a-brac from 5 to 9 p.m. Aug. 22.
The evening will consist of music, a barbecue, ice cream and a chance to sit in a hot tub in the moonlight. All are welcome to the event, which will be held rain or shine.
For more information about the moonlight market, or for hours of operation, please call (732) 940-8600 or visit www.davidsonmillvillage.com.