Collectors Find Haven at Milford Library

Those walking through the Milford Public Library yesterday may have been curious about a woman setting up small antique items for display. Those weren't just any old item: They were antique salt & pepper shakers.

What began as a fun diversion at tag sales has turned into a great passion for Milford resident Bonnie Clark, whose been collecting since 2004.

When asked about her favorite salt & pepper shaker, Clark responded, "That's like asking, 'What's your favorite child?'"

Clark is a member of the Yankee chapter of the Novelty Salt & Pepper Shaker Collector's Club. The group has annual conventions in cities like Las Vegas and Green Bay. This year's convention will be in Buffalo.

Clark has pieces displaying "Milford, Connecticut." One set she estimates as being from the 1940s, a time when "New Yorkers would come to vacation in Connecticut," Clark said.

Why the Milford Public Library?

When asked how she came up with the idea to display her collection of shakers at the Milford Library, Clark said that she had noticed Todd Harris' collection of Matchbox cars on display last year. 

She asked Milford Library Office Assistant Jodi Sharretto, who is in charge of Program Room Bookings, about the possibility of displaying her shakers at the library. Sharretto enthusiastically obliged.

Other Displays at the Library

Jodi Sharretto spoke about the idea of other collector's displaying their prized possessions at the library. She talked about local historian Tim Chaucer, who does a handful of displays each year: Indian artifacts and Presidential pieces, to name a few.

Other popular displays include birdhouses, ancestral displays and Christmas pins during the holidays.

Do you own idea for a display? Stop by the library and who knows? Maybe your collection could become the Milford Library's next great attraction.