Dear Friends and Customers,
Welcome to the first monthly Southern Vapors newsletter!
Thank you for stepping into this small, luminous corner of the world with me.
Some of you know me from my life as an attorney (now retired), some as an author, some as old and new friends or family, some as an author, others as a mental health advocate and still others from my days as a gift and tabletop store owner.
I’m so glad you all are here.
If antique perfume bottles intrigue you, you already understand something essential: beauty with history carries a different weight. These are not mere objects, but small survivors—of dressing tables, romances, and time itself.
What does Southern Vapors stand for?
Authenticity. Beauty. Value. Guardianship.
Together we can celebrate all of those things and the fact that this ridiculous winter is finally coming to an end. I don’t know about you, but spring can’t get here fast enough for me.
The anticipation of lighter mornings, more color, the sense that things might actually start moving again, is what shaped March’s collection, “The Return of Spring.”
But first, a word about the launch of our monthly collections.
ANNOUNCING MONTHLY COLLECTIONS
My goal is to bring to you antique perfume bottles that are outstanding in a multitude of ways: sheer aesthetics, craftsmanship, age, rarity and history for starters.
For a number of these items, you and I will not see their like brought into the world again.
I want to honor how special these bottles are by creating a tighter, more focused viewing experience of a curated, limited collection.
Hence, the March collection is available through March only. When the month closes, each remaining bottle will be returned to the Southern Vapors vault.
March Collection — The Return of Spring
I am always glad to see the back end of winter. I have a hard time staying warm in cold weather and I revel in every rmoment that we draw closer to winter’s end.
You’ll spot a variety of spring attributes in our March collection. Some bottles are translucent, some are bright, others have a reflective sheen, some feature flowers – all are chosen because of a connection to renewal, rebirth, anticipation and joy.
The bottle in the photo below represents a tip of the hat to St. Patrick’s Day. While not intentional, the green pontil mark on the bottom (caused by snapping off the instrument used to hold the bottle while working with other parts of the hot glass) looks very much like a four-leaf clover.
I hope you enjoy the March collection’s focus on freshness, lightness, and a sense of renewal.
You’re warmly invited to view the March collection here:
A Standing Thank-You
As a small gesture of appreciation, customers ordering over $150 are invited to select an additional bottle at no cost from the “Buy A Bottle Get a Bottle” collection.
Beyond Perfume Bottles
Alongside antique perfume bottles, I’ve begun offering a small selection of complementary objects — pieces chosen for craftsmanship, charm, and visual pleasure.
Currently available:
- A richly detailed reproduction Victorian book chain necklace, alone or with Faberge egg style pendant
- A rotating selection of vintage evening bags, focusing initially on French micro beaded examples from the 1950s
These items are not part of monthly viewing collections and may appear, or quietly disappear, over time.
SOUTHERN VAPORS PERSONAL CORNER
The name Southern Vapors had a first life as the title to the book I published in 2012.
A recovery memoir that led to my ongoing role as a mental health advocate.
In this corner of the newsletter, I will share thoughts, experiences, resources and observations on mental health that are informed by my lived experience and recovery journey.
Most importantly, I am available at any time to anyone who needs help. Just reach out to me at info@southernvapors.com.
One of the biggest takeaways from my journey is to always be your own advocate if you . When I was inpatient in 2010 for depression and “catastrophic” anxiety, the director of the facility told me that I would never work again and to apply for social security disability.
I trusted him and followed his instructions, but part of me insisted that this was not how my life was supposed to go. So I filled out the SSD form with one hand while I made calls about legal position openings with the other.
I got a job as a contract lawyer with a big Atlanta firm 5 months later and 9 months after that, a job as counsel with the group from which I retired just 2 months ago.
I was not in good shape when called upon to advocate for myself in this way, but I was not going to let someone else’s vision define my life, and there was nobody else who could change the course of my life but me.
In making that happen, I gained unshakeable confidence in myself, confidence that no one can ever take away or diminish.
There is no feeling like it.
Thank you for being here, and for taking the time to read.
Warmly,
Lynn Garson
Southern Vapors
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