Aimee Maier, the owner of Virginia Beach furniture company Benny Robert Designs, had a spring in her step.
Written by Butch Maier. Black Dog Salvage welcomed Aimee Maier, owner of Benny Robert Designs in Virginia Beach, to hunt for cool pieces in its warehouse.
She soon would have a spring in her purse. Black Dog Salvage co-owner Mike Whiteside, star of the DIY Network reality television show Salvage Dawgs, surprised my wife by giving her a tour of his Roanoke business as part of my 25th wedding anniversary gift trip in May.
When they approached a rusted spring—separated from an antique box spring—and she rattled off several creative ideas for the seemingly unusable piece, Whiteside surprised Aimee again by handing her the spring, free of charge. What some might have viewed as a small gesture was a big deal to her. So was the 36-hour adventure for us.
Not only was it our 25th anniversary week, but it was also the first time we had ever been away together overnight from our son Ben, who is 21, has Down syndrome, and is autistic. To make the getaway possible, our other sons, Will, 23, and Jack, 18, tag-teamed tending to Ben, with help from Aimee’s father and sister.
Aimee named Benny Robert Designs after Ben so that he would one day have a place to work with her. Life detours the past few years had gotten in the way of Aimee’s market displays and delayed that “one day,” so this two-day trip was one way to bring her closer to that elusive future day when her business will be fully functional.
Two keys to a productive “pick”—uncovering unique, usable, undervalued items at antique stores—after a 300-mile drive were a good night’s sleep and a big breakfast. We found both at the Roanoke Boutique Hotel.
Roanoke Boutique Hotel
539 Day Ave. SW, Roanoke
roanokeboutiquehotel.com
The Roanoke Boutique Hotel, a cozy 1890 Italianate home, is tucked in the Historic Old Southwest District of Roanoke, a cute neighborhood that is close to downtown but far enough away for a quiet night’s sleep. Innkeeper Liz Scheessele relocated to Roanoke from Coastal Virginia to fulfill her dream of running a bed-and-breakfast. Scheessele was as welcoming as your favorite cousin, making sure all her visitors’ needs were met. We were greeted with a surprise snack—a yummy slice of vegan yogurt cake with blueberries.
The generous breakfast offerings, included with accommodations, were: fresh fruit, homemade bread of choice, entree, meat, and a carb side, if so desired. Breads offered were lean sourdough and milk bread, plus a rotating option or two. Guests chose between fresh eggs cooked to order, a savory option, and a sweet option for their main entree. Entrees were served with bacon or ham from the local butcher shop, homemade poultry sausage, or Impossible sausage, as well as either potatoes or grits. The beverages provided were coffee, a selection of teas, and a selection of juices. This was not your typical what’s-left-on-the-buffet-table hotel breakfast. This was a full, fresh, scrumptious home-cooked meal.
We stayed in the elegant Hydrangea Room, a modern primary room on the second floor, with a comfy king bed and a large ensuite bathroom featuring a clawfoot tub and double sink. After a five-hour drive, enjoying free Netflix on the bedroom TV was a relaxing way to unwind. A younger couple might have taken in a First Fridays concert downtown, but we instead headed to dinner at Sidecar.
Sidecar
411 1st St. SW, Roanoke
sidecarva.com
Sidecar, a European pub-like restaurant with an impressive 4.8/5 rating from Google reviews, offered luxury cocktails, fine European wines, rare whiskeys, and more than a dozen imported beers and ciders. Aimee ordered the limoncello spritz. I selected a nice glass of 2026 dark soda.
The menu featured traditional European foods and bistro staples such as handmade sausages, Belgian hand-cut fries, mussels, steak frites, and duck confit. Fresh seafood was available aplenty, along with carefully curated charcuterie. We enjoyed jumbo shrimp and a gigantic Bavarian pretzel for appetizers. For the main course, I chose the steak frites—a pre-cut prime New York strip—while Aimee selected the juicy pub burger. Relaxed atmosphere. Terrific food. Full bellies. Back to the hotel to rest up for a full day of treasure picking.
Black Dog Salvage
Showroom: 902 13th St. SW, Roanoke
Warehouse: 629 Ashlawn St. SW, Roanoke
blackdogsalvage.com
Where’s Waldo? is the North American version of Martin Handford’s British search-and-find Where’s Wally? puzzle books. Where’s Aimee?—my Roanoke live-action puzzle—involved figuring out where my wife was in the woods—among the many wooden doors, wooden benches, and wooden fireplace mantels—of the vast Black Dog Salvage warehouse. Unable to find her immediately, I resorted to my family’s unique, high-pitched call (“Peepo! Peepo!”) to flush out my bargain-hunting bride. She emerged to show me her selections with a sheepish grin.
This. This is why I did this. Aimee loves—love, love, loves—hunting for vintage furniture and old treasures to create something new and functional. She picked out a wooden fireplace mantel. My first thought: We already have a mantel at home. My second thought: Aimee is going to make this into something else. Sure enough, she planned to convert it into a shabby-chic TV frame for Ben.
Benny Robert Designs was inspired by Ben to teach him the love of art, as well as how to work with different tools and materials. She stepped away from her business for years to help Ben through schooling. With no children at home in school, I hope she can get back to enjoying her joys: repurposing, restoring, and upcycling old wood, furniture, and lost treasures for Coastal Virginia markets.
Christa Stephens, the Black Dog Salvage branding and promotions director, greeted us in the showroom to show us around the TV-famous architectural salvage store. There was so much to take in. Then Stephens took a call. Someone was joining us. Someone even I did not expect. Someone famous.
Whiteside did not act like a celebrity. He generously guided us from The Stone House (the Black Dog Salvage guest house), to his shop (where Aimee spotted the spring), to The Dog Bowl (an outdoor music and event venue), to the gift shop (for swag), and back to the showroom, where we perused punny paint names.
Black Dog Salvage created its own signature paints. Baby I’m Amaized is a warm yellow. Gonna Leave a Mark is a purple, named for crew bruises. Whiteside tossed in a can of I Need a Bandage, a blood-red paint named for his on-the-job scrapes.
Patrick Trujillo of the Black Dog Salvage design center not only cut us some deals on the wood in the warehouse, he and his crew gave us six hands and strong arms to stuff everything—including the red lockers, two doors for projects, a cabinet, the fireplace mantel/TV frame, and a church pew for our kitchen table—in our rental van.
While Aimee and I could have spent a week at Black Dog Salvage, if we had the time and the money, we needed to stop for lunch at The Village Grill before visiting more vintage locations.
The Village Grill
802 Memorial Ave SW, Roanoke
villagegrillroanoke.com
If you are a soccer fan on a Saturday, there are large TVs and plenty of fellow footie followers. By all means, eat and cheer inside. If you are on an antiques mission, enjoy the quiet, breezy outside dining option. I chowed down on a burger, and Aimee chose a chicken sandwich. Both were served with wonderful waffle fries with Old Bay seasoning. Then it was off to Salem, a quick 15-minute drive away, for three afternoon antique picking stops.
Buy the Season
1529 Apperson Drive, Salem
buytheseason.com
There are shopping carts when you first walk in. Do not overlook them. Do not walk past them without grabbing one. You likely will need one. You do not want to have to walk back to the front to retrieve one. Trust me.
You might find a skateboard you want to turn into a shelf. Or children’s blocks to utilize as ornaments. Or magazines from many moons ago. Or a wooden carving of a man and woman dancing. Or a one-of-a-kind box. Or all the above and many more items that fill up and overflow said shopping cart.
Buy the Season offers home décor for every season. The vendor display booths are lettered and numbered, so the maze-like building is easy to navigate.
Charlotte’s Web Antique Mall
27 W. Main St., Salem
instagram.com/charlotteswebsalem
More than 50 vendors offered a diverse collection of fine antiques, vintage furniture, clocks, pottery, glassware, advertising memorabilia, and unique collectibles. There were stacks upon stacks of record albums from the 1970s and 1980s. I did not have time to see if they would play—without a scratch, natch—so I had to leave them behind.
The constantly changing inventory means you could find something new that is cool and that I would have liked. What was uncool was an elderly lady who cut line when we were there. It was May, but she looked an awful lot like June—Squibb, that is. (It wasn’t, just in case the actor’s people see this. Would love to work with her.)
Salem Antique Market
2700 W. Main St., Salem
facebook.com/salemantiquemarket
There was a 100-year-old Abraham Lincoln biography tucked on a snug shelf of fascinating books in the Salem Antique Market, which offers a diverse selection of collectibles, vintage decor, and handmade goods. I disappeared in the Lincoln book for a few minutes and should have taken it to the counter so I could read the rest and then give someone a one-of-a-kind gift. Alas, it went back on the shelf. (If you visit and it’s still there, you’re welcome.)
As this shop was our last stop, we had to make some quick decisions. I regret that one. I do not regret pointing out a funny picture that Aimee paired with a just-as-funny sign. Both pieces of bathroom humor now hang together in our guest bath. Neither image was appropriate for a classy publication such as this. You will have to visit us to see them.
For more information about visiting the Roanoke Region in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, go to visitroanokeva.com.
