TH
THE WHITE ELEPHANT
@ BUILDING CHARACTER
"ART & OBJETS FROM
AROUND THE WORLD"
342B NORTH QUEEN STREET
in Historic LANCASTER, PA
Our Brick and Mortar Store on the 300 Block of North Queen Street in Historic Downtown Lancaster had its Grand Opening in August 2006. We are proudly in our fourth year in business.
The White Elephant just marked its one-year anniversary at Building Character in May. We moved to Building Character at 342b North Queen Street at the end of March 2009. This is an exciting new phase for us. We re-opened in our new location on April 3rd and we had our festive Grand Opening there on First Friday May 1st 2009.
Our hours in the new location are: Open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.; Sundays noon until 4:00 p.m.; and First Friday and Music Friday (3rd Friday) until 9:00 p.m.
Links to other 300 Block Shops are listed here: www.uptownlancaster.com
Telephone: 202-378-3703
http://www.cafepress.com/the_wh_elephant
E-mail me at info@thewhitelephant.biz for a list of items we have from a particular country or an inventory for a special category you collect.
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Our new e-mail address is:
info@thewhitelephant.biz note only one "e" for both white and elephant!
The White Elephant and many other shops on the 300 Block have supported "Antiques Roadshow" on WITF-TV in years past.
See our ad by clicking below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJfyNWY7Lts&eurl=http://www.thewhiteelephantshop.com/&feature=player_embedded
American Heritage Dictionary
WHITE ELEPHANT
n.
1.
a. A rare, expensive possession that is a financial burden to maintain.
b. Something of dubious or limited value.
2. An article, ornament, or household utensil no longer wanted by its owner.
3. An endeavor or venture that proves to be a conspicuous failure.
4. A rare whitish or light-gray form of the Asian elephant, often regarded with special veneration in regions of southeast Asia and India.
Houghton Mifflin Company
WHITE ELEPHANT
An unwanted or useless item, as in The cottage at the lake had become a real white elephant—too run down to sell, yet costly to keep up, or Grandma's ornate silver is a white elephant; no one wants it but it's too valuable to discard. This expression comes from a legendary former Siamese custom whereby an albino elephant, considered sacred, could only be owned by the king. The king would bestow such an animal on a subject with whom he was displeased and wait until the high cost of feeding the animal, which could not be slaughtered, ruined the owner. The story was told in England in the 1600s, and in the 1800s the term began to be used figuratively.
Wikipedia
WHITE ELEPHANT
A white elephant is a valuable possession whose upkeep is excessively expensive, and may be useless apart from its value to the gifter and giftee. The term derives from the white elephant of East Asia, and was popularized in the USA after New York Giants manager John McGraw told the press that Philadelphia businessman Benjamin Shibe had "bought himself a white elephant" by acquiring the Philadelphia Athletics baseball team in 1901. The Athletics manager Connie Mack subsequently selected the elephant as the team symbol and mascot. The team is occasionally referred to as the White Elephants.
