Salt and Pepper, Anyone?

Pamela Barrows’ salt and pepper shakers are usually tucked away in a glass front cupboard. On certain holidays, a set might grace the dinner table. For instance, two little china bunnies were on hand for Easter Dinner. This year, Pamela left them out of the cupboard when dinner was over and instead, packed them up with at least 50, probably more, other salt and pepper shakers, and delivered them to our library display case. She says it wasn’t easy deciding which to display — she has about 275 sets. Imagine! They don’t all have salt and pepper in them but many do!

Pamela’s grandmother started collecting salt and pepper shakers before Pamela was born, and she’s happily carried on the tradition. Lots of people have helped her along the way, especially her daughter, who’s always on the lookout for shakers she thinks her mother would appreciate.

Every set has a story behind it, and Pamela enjoys sharing her favorites.

“The toaster, when you press it, the two slices of bread come up, so you can use salt or pepper. And the TV, there’s a little knob on the front, and you turn it and the two boxes on top come up so you can get your salt and pepper shaker. if you read what it says on the refrigerator, it says, dinner is ready. And on the stove it says, when the smoke alarm goes off.

You have got to visit during April to look at Pamela’s delightful collection. She even hand wrote some tidbits of information about each shaker set. A labor of love, for sure.