From the outside, it looks like any other ordinary shop, but as you walk through the green front door your eyes are immediately filled with an eclectic display more reminiscent of a museum than an antique store.
Razzle Dazzle, 1918 E. Prince Road, invites customers into owner Cindy Ferris' "warehouse" of inventory, compiled over the years from private sellers and from her searches of yard and estate sales everywhere she goes.
The store is "deceptively delicious," said customer Barbara Russek who decided, after passing by many times, to venture in and look for a few decorations.
While it looks small from the outside, the shop opens into four large rooms and a basement. Each room is broken up into themes much like rooms in a house. The "living room" area in the basement even contains a fireplace mantle to convey a cozy feel.
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The vignettes Ferris has created in each of the rooms are testimony to her attention to detail. A skillet in the kitchen area contains faux fried eggs. The clothing area features a Marilyn Monroe mannequin styled in her signature white dress blown gracefully upward by a strategically placed fan.
Ferris rents a room to her "partner in crime," Sharon Monash. The room houses her vintage boutique, Theodora Rose, named after her grandmother. While Ferris' collection offers more pieces from the 1950s, Monash focuses on the 1930s and '40s.
Everything in Razzle Dazzle is unique — even the register area is an old beauty counter that came out of a '50s department store.
Items range in price from $3 to thousands of dollars. Finds include a white feather cap ($69), 1940s black suede platform heels with silver rivet detailing and ankle straps ($250), a 1950s black one-piece swimsuit with a crisscross back and a ruffled bottom ($75) and a "Queen of the Nile" jewelry set with an Egyptian flair and containing a gold collar, earrings and bracelet adorned with faux seed pearls and green glass that emulates emeralds ($1,195).
"I buy what I like," Ferris said. "And I like pretty things."
While her store has a little bit of everything, its main focus is vintage clothing and jewelry, she said.
Ferris, a University of Arizona graduate, is a jeweler by trade. She owned a custom jewelry shop, Ferris Gold Arts, for 19 years before crossing into the antiques world.
"Jewelry is our forté," said Ferris, who is in her early 50s.
Ferris refurbishes jewelry pieces before putting them in the showroom, saying she enjoys transforming things into the way they used to look.
She added that although all the pieces are vintage, people feel comfortable wearing her wares because they have been cleaned and repaired.
Razzle Dazzle's jewelry collection is immense, featuring one-of-a-kind pieces mainly from the 1950s and earlier. While she has some fine jewelry, Ferris sells mostly antique costume jewelry.
The store has a good selection and all the items are reasonably priced, customer Trish Muir said. Muir bought a couple of vintage hats and purses from Razzle Dazzle. They look brand-new but are actually 50 or 60 years old, she said.
Russek ended up with a handtooled leather purse lined in suede with an art deco flower design from 1910.
"It's just charming," she said. "I just love that little purse."
If You Go
Razzle Dazzle, at 1918 E. Prince Road, is open 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Call 323-4544 or go online to www.razzledazzletucson.com for more information.
