Aug. 30--EVERYTHING HAS A STORY -- every purse, every doorknob, every paper fan.

Alexa McColl Smith makes it her mission to uncover those stories.

The brand name or value doesn't carry as much weight as knowing the story behind a vintage piece -- who made it, who wore it, the dose of love or emotion infused in it. Her business cards read: "Alexa McColl Smith, Style Archaeologist."

"I feel really strongly about historic preservation and honoring the past," said the 38-year-old, who earned a master's degree in anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1999.

Her degree qualifies her to study prehistoric ceramic pottery. But she applies a similar scientific theory to restoring old houses and collecting vintage clothing and accessories. She seeks out people in the know and talks to them. Some are professionals, others are neighbors who remember days past.

"She's not afraid to find things out where some people, like myself, might be intimidated to approach someone," said best friend Kristen Buckles, who met Smith in graduate school at the UA in 1997.

These days, Smith can be found working at Gersons Used Building Materials, where she puts her knowledge of vintage and antique home hardware to use. She's recently renovated a 1930s bungalow in the University of Arizona-area, where she's uncovered interesting tales about the original owners -- a pair of sisters who worked at the old JC Penney store Downtown.

Smith worked tirelessly to uncover and refinish the birch wood floors, and plans to replace the doors and hardware with materials appropriate to the original architecture of the home.

"She's always had a lot of fire and energy about things. I think that's what drives her," Buckles said. "She really picks up on the little bits of information and just goes with it. She's keen on details, things that someone else might dismiss as unimportant."

Cutlines for: Paper fan: A paper fan with landscape scene dates from 1955. "My father brought it back from Valencia, Spain, to give his mother in the late '50s." Stack of suitcases: "I found them at one of those antique stores on Grant Road. I fell in love with them at first sight because the color was exquisite, one of my favorites, and because they reminded me of my great Aunt Harriet, who would travel to Europe for a month in the '40s, '50s and '60s with only one suitcase." The matching set, made by Platt Airess, is turquoise leather with leather trim and brass hardware. Print scarf: The scarf is modern, from the 1970s. It has a rolled edge with a particular kind of stitching, which Smith said she's found out to be indicative of the modern styles.