HIDDEN TREASURES THRILL OF THE HUNT KEEPS `EM COMING TO ANTIQUE ROW.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Staff Writer

East Coast antique hunters may snicker, but Los Angeles does have its share of vintage treasures. In this city, a dressing table owned by a silent-screen star or used as a prop in a hit film has just as much value as something that arrived on the Mayflower.

One of the most-traveled antique and thrift store destinations is Ventura Boulevard - which stretches from Woodland Hills to Studio City. However, you have to drive between most stores and feed a lot of parking meters.

For those who like one-stop shopping, Canoga Park's little Antique Row is a gem. Along this three-block neighborhood on Sherman Way, you'll find a mix of antique and thrift stores - all within walking distance.

But even here, you'll find studio stylists on the prowl, so it takes a keen eye, a fast pace and persuasive bargaining skills, says Elizabeth Mason, an expert bargain hunter who knows how to sniff out the good stuff from what she calls ``tricked-up pretenders.''

On a recent trip to Antique Row, Mason, who's known as the ``Paper Bag Princess'' in vintage circles and is the author of the new book ``Valuable Vintage (Three Rivers Press; $18.95), flexed her bargaining muscles, explaining why she buys - or doesn't buy - some of the vintage treasures that catch her eye.

First stop is the newly opened Council Thrift Shop. Inside the spacious store that has everything from mink jackets to dining tables, several shoppers are hovering over a pewter coffee set, priced at $16. ``It's great looking, has an art deco style and even the artist's stamp on the bottom ... and certainly worth the price if all you're going to do is look at it or put flowers in it. But have you ever drunk coffee out of pewter? It tastes awful, and that's why most pewter mugs have a glass liner,'' she points out.

So we pass.

Then she zeros in on a pair of matching side chairs upholstered in a dressy white fabric, priced at $25 each.

``The simple but curvy shape is what appeals to me,'' says Mason, ``but I'll buy them because they're a pair - which you rarely find - and they seem in really good condition.''

As proof, she turns the chairs upside down, notes that the legs are very sturdy and have not been repaired (no tell-tale glue drips or protruding nail heads), and that the springs are in good shape. She also notes the cushions coverings have zippers so they can be easily cleaned.

But she's most excited about a sofa that other customers have ignored. ``It's very Park Avenue,'' she says of the big, off-white sofa that definitely will not blend with any of the latest looks at retail home stores.

As she pulls all the sofa cushions out, she points and says, ``See, you can tell this is a custom-made sofa with quality fabric because even the bottom is lined, and the pillows are designed with a curve in the back to fit the frame better.''

Three white French provincial-looking chow tables with worn parquet veneer tops are iffy. She picks them up, studies them, stacks one on top of the other and in the end says she'll take them. She later confides that she'll put mirrors over the old parquet tops to add a bit of glamour.

As she shops, Mason chats with the sales staff, asking the price of each item. Then she asks what they would charge if she bought the sofa, chairs, tables and a couple of vintage cashmere sweaters she spied earlier on a rack. They negotiate a volume price, and everybody seems happy. And she even arranges for delivery.

Delivery? Yes, many stores will deliver large purchases if you ask, she says.

Next stop on our hot summer's day outing (most of the shops don't have air conditioning) is a shop simply called The Antique Store. The traffic-stopper in the front window is a dainty tilt-top tea table that reflects the ambience inside. The saleswoman says, ``We just got it in,'' which may be true, but it's phrase we hear over and over. The table is top-quality, has the maker's label on it and the mechanism that makes it tilt is in working order. But the $885 price is ``firm'' and Mason feels it's too expensive for her budget.

The store also has a great-looking art deco-inspired dresser for only $450, but upon close inspection Mason realizes the veneer is badly damaged and cannot be stripped. We learn it's the type of piece that will probably be purchased as a prop for a film.

While she's on the subject of dressers, Mason says shoppers should check to see whether the hardware is authentic, whether decorative woodwork is simply glued on or is actually carved, and whether the drawers are dovetailed or nailed at the corners. And, finally, she sniffs the inside of cabinets for the odor of varnish, which indicates replacement parts and diminishes the value of a true antique (more than 100 years old). On the other hand, some younger pieces have been totally refinished and look better than new, like those at the Old Friends store, which specializes in oak.

Mason also checked out the drop-front desks at a tidy store called Visions of the Past, before exploring Jacqueline's at the Antique Cottage, which is stuffed to the rafters with a jumble of things, from huge silk lampshades for $25 to French-style boudoir chairs for $245 just waiting to be discovered. While there, the vintage shopping expert also finds a wrought iron patio table with matching chairs, much like those featured in all the decorating magazines that emphasize the ``garden look.''

``When shopping for used wrought iron, the best value is the one that's been painted white year after year. If it's chipped and you can see other colors, you're going to have spend a lot of time sanding the paint off and then repainting it,'' says Mason.

More vintage outdoor furniture is at Dovely's, where white wrought iron chandeliers and bird cages hang from the ceiling and weathered wicker sits out front. It's a haven for ``shabby Chic'' fans, she notes, but nothing there will go with her earlier ``Park Avenue'' purchases.

At the Lynn Cherney shop, the emphasis is on feminine nostalgia, from heart-shaped candy dishes to a vintage lace wedding gown to an assortment of dainty chairs.

Silver is particularly popular this year and Mason found it in all shapes and qualities - from worn-thin silver-plated trays to solid sterling candelabras - at the thrift stores as well as upscale well-dusted shops such as Now and Then and Claudia's.

``If you're really going to use silver coffee pots and trays, buy sterling silver, which can be identified by the silversmith's hallmark. Silver plate wears with time and can give food a bad taste once it has worn off ... and don't let the weight of candlesticks fool you as some are weighted with lead, not silver,'' she comments.

One can only antique-hunt for so long. After awhile, everything starts to look the same, she laments.

Then she discovers Miss La De Da's, an air-conditioned oasis at the corner of Sherman Way and Alabama Avenue, where heaps of vintage costume jewelry is arranged by color. It's got everything you'd need for a black-tie gala - or a headdress for membership in the ``Ya-Ya Sisterhood.'' As Mason surveys the scene, she finds what she calls the real deal - vintage black bangle bracelets sparkling with rhinestones - that she stacks on her wrist before calling it a day.

BARGAINING TOOLS

Unlike new items at retail stores, used merchandise does not have a fixed price. It is always negotiable. So, before you visit Canoga Park's Antique Row, practice your bargaining skills. Here are a few tried-and-true tips:

--Never let them see just how much you love an item.

--Always ask, ``Is that your best price?''

--Offer to ``split the difference.''

--Ask if price includes delivery.

--If you see lots of things you like, ask if they'll sell them all at a lower price.

--Inquire whether it's cheaper if you pay cash.

--Be courteous and fair.

For more information on Antique Row, go to www.canogaparkshops.com

CAPTION(S):

8 photos, box, map

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- cover -- color) On the hunt

Vintage expert and author Elizabeth Mason checks out Canoga Park's Antique Row

(3 -- color) A dainty tilt-top tea table is the show-stopper at The Antique Store on Sherman Way.

(4 -- 5 -- color) At Dovely's you'll find vintage items hanging from the ceiling, at left, and lots of shabby chic decor.

(6 -- color) Bargain hunter Elizabeth Mason reclines on her major find of the day: a white sofa she calls ``very Park Avenue'' purchased at the Council Thrift Shop.

(7 -- color) This pewter coffee set for $16 is one of the bargains on Canoga Park's Antique Row.

(8) Slightly worn chairs and chow tables were among the loot vintage furniture expert Elizabeth Mason snapped up on Canoga Park's Antique Row. She says to look for solid wood frames and quality materials that can be easily cleaned or repaired.

Box:

BARGAINING TOOLS (see text)

Map:

(color) ANTIQUE ROW