Searching for some unique holiday and hostess gifts this season? Then you needn't look much further: The Hour offers that and much more!
Victoria Vergason, a mother of four (including 7-year-old triplets!), is the driving force behind The Hour. After years of collecting vintage cocktail glasses and barware from antique stores and estate sales all along the east coast, she's opened a shop that allows the public to enjoy her treasure trove.
Located at 1015 King Street, in Old Town, Victoria named her store after the popular mid-century book "The Hour" by Bernard DeVoto—a tribute to the cultural importance of the cocktail hour.
Victoria says that her glassware collection is truly one of a kind and in excellent condition. Previous owners prized the items so highly that they stored them in cabinets of curiosity—to be seen and not used. And since most prior homes were pre-dishwasher era residences, the quality of the glassware is untarnished and pristine. About 70 percent of the store's offering are vintage, the earliest items crafted during America's depression era, the most recent designed for 1970s high-end, selective buyers.
There are beautiful cocktail glasses and sets in every imaginable color and style, as well as old-fashioned flasks and shakers, absinthe spoons, jiggers, decanter sets, and coasters. The store also offers other vintage items that are perfect gifts, such as antique broaches, clutches, cufflings, purse holders, and clamper bracelets—very popular in the 1950s. There is even a section dedicated to wedding gifts.
On Dec. 7th (6:30-8:30 p.m.) Victoria is offering a private shopping event and martini tasting/demonstration. The hostess will be Katie Nelson, assistant to Derek Brown, owner and bartender of The Passenger. Katie will be demonstrating how to make The Passenger's famous classic martini, hailed as the best martini in America by GQ Magazine. The tasting costs only $1o, and all proceeds will go to the local charity, St. Coletta, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children and adults with cognitive disabilities. The Hour also sells beautiful handmade coasters and trays made by the St. Coletta community, and donates $5 to the organization for each purchase made.
Be sure to check out the store website. Victoria has done an excellent job providing wonderful pictures of the store collections, as well as organizing the merchandise into easy to search links based on price. She accepts over the phone orders.
