Keller Charles

A long time ago my mom got this melamine plate set. It's fun in the summer and has always been a favorite. When Josh and I got married, I got a similar set. This type of plate set had been easy to find. They are actual beach-themed paintings put onto melamine dinnerware. My mom has the matching plastic glasses for this pattern. They also come as placemats.

In October, we decided to add bowls to our seasonal dinner sets. I had changed the menu planning slightly, no more burgers here. I replaced burgers in Fall and Spring with grilled chicken and homemade mac and cheese. Zach doesn't like the mac and cheese touching the chicken so it's time for bowls! We use them with other things anyway. For some seasons I already had bowls.

I looked very hard for these types of bowls. Anything with this type of design. Like a painting. I brought in one of my plates from the garage. I saw it was made my Keller Charles. After a lot of research, I tracked down their website.

But, they had sold everything to a different business. Last January they retired. That new business didn't have bowls or even that many of these beach painting plates left. It didn't have to be this pattern. They made a lot in this style. But, I struggled.

Eventually, I ended up with something similar but not from Amazon. It's pretty and does look nice with the plates I have. But, it's got a less artistic feel to it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LW1M1YD/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I did further research today. Perhaps some other company makes the same kind of plates and bowls. It appears the answer is "no". So, I have been getting nostalgic

I got my set on vacation in Ocean City, NJ. Zach was 2 and it was his first vacation ever. It's where we went every summer when I was a kid. One of the stores on the boardwalk I went into was called "Old Salt". It had always been a favorite. At that time, they featured a lot of different patterns just like these. I found the ones I loved and got them. That's when my mom got the glasses that match her plates. "Old Salt" went out of business a few years ago. There is a similar store on a nearby street but they don't sell this style plates.

Keller Charles sold more then just beach themes. He has a lot of options and they do have some on Amazon. But, to me the beach themes are what makes it special. I will miss seeing these around over the summer. I wish I had gotten the bowls while in "Old Salt" that day.

https://www.google.com/search?q=keller+charles+plates&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiVqJjI8vzeAhUi1lkKHbcqBE0Q_AUIDygC&biw=1366&bih=594#imgrc=_&spf=1543607642504