Thursday, December 10, 2015

Friday, November 27, 2015

Our Last Trip Of The Season To The Litchfield Flea Yielded Some Choice Smalls. This Set Of Catherine Holm And Lone Tiki Mug Is One Of Those Forgotten Lots That I Dug Out Of The Back Of The Car! Status: Available (Well, Not The Tiki Mug).



Finding cool Tiki mugs for cheap happens so infrequently that I just can't seem to let them go.  I guess the same could be said for Catherine Holm enamelware, but I don't have a collection of that started.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

If You've Ever Been A Vendor At An Antique Mall You Know The Two Sides Of Smalls. They Are A Pain But Sorta Necessary. At Least They Are Fun To Shop For! Status: Another Load For The Time Machine.



Unwrapping, cleaning, photographing, rewrapping, loading, unloading, tagging and placing these items in the booth can (as you might have guessed) be a chore...but it sometimes pays the rent.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

The Last Of The Halloween In New Orleans Booty. I Couldn't Resist This Pair Of Jerry Johnson Tubular Chrome Barstools That I Found On Craigslist...Even If They Didn't Come With The Original Pads. Status: Project? Available?



Super mod, right?  I love 'em.  If I didn't already have my dream barstools I'd have new cushions made and keep this set.  While yes, they are missing the original cushions, I'm pretty proud that they both have all four end caps on the legs.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

See That Label? Means A Lot To Us, Right? Not So Much To Someone In New Orleans With A Couple Cans Of Paint And A Bright Idea. But Again, There Ain't Nothin' That Can't Be Saved, Right? Begs The Question: Should It Be "Saved"? Status: (Update) Already Gone.



Funny little story about this little Knoll stool: I spotted it many years ago in New Orleans at another shop at the far west end of Magazine Street.  I had hoped at the time that the seller would let it go for cheap since they obviously didn't have a clue of what it was.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

A Couple More Small Items Picked Up Over The Last Few Weekends. Mod Desk Lights Aren't So Hard To Find But Original Mid Century Paintings...Good Luck! Status: Available.



Our trip to the Litchfield Pickers Market yielded more than the little stool and phone I featured a couple days ago.  This nice size acrylic modernist painting was also sourced on that lovely fall day.  The little mod Tensor desk lamp was a thrift find that had been loitering in the back of the car for who knows how long...you know how it is.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Monday, October 12, 2015

Dang, See Those Leaves In The Grass? Yup, Summer Is Over Again And Fall Is Creeping In. So What Else Is Sitting There In The Grass? Why Those Are Peter Opsvik Ergonomic Chairs. Weird, Huh! Status: Already Gone.

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Somehow Mr. M lucked into a FOUR day weekend.  Unfortunately that first day (Friday) was cloudy and cool, but at least I found these fantastic teak Balans chairs, all in great condition.  Their very pretty blue upholstery, contrasting against the beautiful teak frames made up for the otherwise dreary day.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Ahhh...Nice! More Knoll / Saarinen Armchairs! You Only See Five Right Here But I Assure You That There Are Nine Total. Hey, It's Hard To Shoot Nine Chairs All At Once! Status: Available.

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Aren't these fantastic!  I managed to procure Nine Knoll / Eero Saarinen tilt swivel rolling armchairs a few days ago...and what a crazy chore it was to get them all in the back of Frank.  Believe me, it weren't easy!

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Another Item Crossed Of My List. I Finally Found A Vintage Koch And Lowy Reading / Pharmacy Lamp! Not An Easy Find It Seems...Unless You're Looking In My Booth At The Time Machine Antique Mall. Status: Available.

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I see tons of similar brass floor lamps at the thrift stores all the time, but a real Koch and Lowy? Not so much. This one turned up on craigslist and sat there for a few days before even I noticed it. Hard to believe I was the only one to notice it.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Sunday, September 27, 2015

What The What? Two Livingroom Sets In Two Days? Yeah! Although THIS Set Is A Little More In Keeping With What Ya Might Expect 'Round Here. It's Got That Adrian Pearsall Look, But It's Not Craft Associates. Still, Good Lookin' Set, Right? Status: Available!

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Funny story: before making my way downtown to pick up the Ikea set I featured yesterday I stopped by a Friday morning estate sale that happened to have a Pearsall sofa and couple of chairs.  I didn't go out early or anything and consequently the set had already sold.  I wake up Saturday morning, check craigslist and find This set!  What are the chances?

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Yeah, I Know...They're Not Vintage, But They Are Out Of Production Ikea Lillberg. Ikea? Again, I Know...But We Takes Whats We Can Gets, And I Gotta Admit That It's A Great Looking Set! Status: Available.

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This fine accumulation of Ikea living room furniture has recently made it's way to my booth at The Antique Mall of Creve Coeur.  Can you believe I was able to fit all of this into the back of Frank?  Of course I didn't go crazy and try to close the hatch...but I might have been able too.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Sometimes I Do Things Out Of Order. I Searched Images On The Internet For About An Hour Trying To ID This Vintage Fluorescent Desk Lamp...And Then I Took A Second Look At The Lamp For A Label. Oh, It's Got A Fostoria Sticker. Status: ID'd.

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So yeah, ID success!  Yet still, I cannot find another Fostoria 1950s desk lamp like this on the webernets.  I know I've seen this particular lamp around before so I thought it'd be easy to find a couple online.  Not so much.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Oh Wow, This Is The Last Of The Rutledge Flea Market Goodies. And Good Stuff It Is Indeed. You All Know Mr. Modtomic Loves The Corning Ware Buffet Server Stuff, Right? Status: Tossed On The Pile.

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Christ, I really don't even know how much of this Buffet Server stuff I have right now!  I need to get it all together one of these days and do a tally I guess.  Well, add Two more really cool pieces to the lot!

Monday, September 21, 2015

More Small Scores From The Rutledge Flea In Northern Missouri...And I've Still Got Other Stuff To Show! Turns Out That Friday Might Not Be The Day To Attend. Saturday Had More Vendors. Status: Available.

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It's both a beautifully sculpted piece of walnut AND a lovely religious figure.  I'm not a particularly religious fella but I just can't seem to resist modern religious art.  Go figure.  This piece and a terrific Russel Wright casserole made their way to the booth in The Time Machine Antique Mall recently.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Mr. M Loves Some Eye-Talian Chrome And This Little Two Seat Sofa Really Delivers. Picked This Up This Morning And It Was So Clean I Was Able To Drop It Straight Into My Booth At The Green Shag Market. Status: Available!

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I don't know if this piece has any particular designer name attached to it (I couldn't find any while at work today) but I think it may be manufactured by the same company that made my LC3s that I still have.  Anybody ever seen this style before?

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Vendors Camp Out At The Rutledge Flea Once A Month...Some Do It In Vintage Style. Check Out The Russel Wright Lawn Chairs These Folks Are Sporting! Wanna See A Few More Items I Picked Up Here Last Weekend? Status: Available.

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Too bad this flea is only once a month.  Actually, it's probably a good thing.  40 minutes each way to Wentzville is nothing to the round trip to northern Missouri.  Still have no idea why it's even where it is.  What's even up there?

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

This Last Weekend Was Absolutely Beautiful. Perfect Weather. Luckily I Had Taken Friday Off To Visit The Rutledge Missouri Flea Market And As Such Had A Three Day Ahead Of Me. Did I Score? You Bet! Status: New Stuff.

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The first thing I purchased last weekend was a new set of wheels for Frank.  Frank needed new tires BADLY (only real failing is he chews through tires) so I felt an upgrade was in order, wheel wise.  These 16 inch wheels from a 2011 Ford Fiesta SES are a perfect fit and look pretty good.  The tires are in better shape than what came off too!  But I'm sure it's what I picked up at Rutledge that you're probably interested in.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Saturday, September 5, 2015

No, It's Obviously Not An Arne Jacobson Egg Chair By Fritz Hansen...But It's Still A Fun Swivel Chair "In The Style Of". It's Origin Is A Mystery Since I Cannot Find Another Like It On The Web. Status: Avaiable.

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I've actually got a PAIR of these with one already in my booth at The Antique Mall Of Creve Coeur and the other waiting for a place to put it.  They needed a good vacuuming but turned out to be much nicer than I thought from looking at the craigslist pics from whence they came.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Since September 1st Is The Official "Opening Day" At The Antique Mall I Thought I'd Give You A Quick Video Look Through Of My Booth And The Surrounding Space. Status: Come And Get It!

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Even though the antique mall and I have been "open" for weeks now, September 1st is supposed to be the REAL opening...but since they have been having so many customers every day they've been "open" so far, the owners have decided to forgo a "Grand Opening".

Sunday, August 30, 2015

I'm Not Much Of A Morning Person But Sometimes Waking Early Can Really Pay Off. Being On Craigslist When This Pair Of Richard Schults / Knoll Outdoor Tables Popped Up Was Just Preparation Meeting Opportunity. Status: Available / Project.

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These look a hot mess, but when you've done enough research into vintage modern design they are instantly recognizable as being a Knoll product designed by Richard Schultz.  They are in fact the 1966 line of outdoor tables in aluminum with porcelain steel tops.  Tables worth taking a second look at!

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Totally Had Something Else In The Que For Today's Post, Then I Went To The Flea Market This Morning. I Found Cool Looking Steel Chest Of Drawers And Spent The Afternoon Cleaning It Up And Taking It To The Time Machine Antique Mall. Status: Already Gone!

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I almost passed on this chest this morning. It's big and heavy and I didn't have Frank (the Focus wagon), instead opting to take the Girlfriend's GTI Rabbit named "Jack". I wasn't keen on man handling this into the back of Jack all by my lonesome...but in the end, I got it done.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Another Domino Mobler Teak Desk? Why Yes...Yes Indeed! I Can't Pass Up An Opportunity To Drop One Of These Fantastic Teak Beauties In My Booth At The Antique Mall Of Creve Coeur. Status: Available

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A sizable hole opened up in my booth a couple of weeks ago and up until this weekend I've been unable to fill it.  But, as we all know...when it rains - it pours!  And rain & pour it did today while unloading Frank!

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Well, In Case You Haven't Heard Yet, I've Expanded Once Again. Now You Can Find Mr. Modtomic's Available Wares In St. Peters Near The Mid Rivers Mall! We Stopped By The Brand New Time Machine Antique Mall Sunday And Walked Out With 100 Sq. Ft. More Booth Space! Status: Open!!!

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Technically, The Time Machine Antique Mall in St. Peters won't have it's grand opening until September 1st, but they are open to the public already and there are a number of vendors up and vending already...including yours truly!  I rented a spot Sunday morning and managed to get some select pieces in there Sunday afternoon.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Another Mod "Live Edge" Coffee Table Mash-Up...Though This Time In Walnut Instead Of Cypress. This Was A Project Many Months In The Making. Status: Already Gone...From The New Place!

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We spent our morning Saturday over at the Belleville Flea Market...but other than the powdered sugar from the funnel cake, I came home empty handed.  Where I DID find some cool stuff was the Litchfield Il. antique and flea market the previous weekend!

Friday, August 14, 2015

No, It's Not (As I Had Hoped So Hard For) A George Nelson Bubble Tension Pole Lamp, But Had Howard Miller Ever Produced A Tension Pole Lamp With A Nelson Bubble Shade...This Is Perhaps What It Would Have Looked Like. Status: Keeper.

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We picked up this fantastic piece of lighting over the weekend at an estate sale that the Girlfriend had been made aware of through a friend.  She actually spotted it first, but that's only because she went through the front door first.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Lord, Sometimes It Takes Me Forever To Get A Project Done. This Pair Of Teak Nesting Tables Have Been Super Patient Waiting For Me To Refinish Them For Over A Year! Status: Done And Available @ Time Machine Antique Mall.

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We went to an all "Mid-Century" auction quite a while back wherein I purchased a few select items, all wanting for a bit of love.  This pair of teak danish modern nesting tables was one of just a few lots that went cheap enough for me to bring home, but they were a mess.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

I'm Such A Sucker For The Bicycles Of My Youth. I Only Actively Look For Mid Eighties BMX / Freestyle Bikes...But These 20" Schwinn Stingrays Were THE Bikes Of My First Years Of Personal Freedom. Status: Available.

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It's pretty amazing that a Vintage 1978 kids bike is even still around much less still functional, but (except for a blown rear tire and tube) this one is probably ready for another 37 long years of service!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

I'm In The Middle Of Refinishing The Tops But The Summer Heat And Hummidity Have Put The Kabash On The Project Until Cooler Weather Returns. The Couple Hours Spent So Far Drenched Mr. M In Sweat...So We'll Wait For Lower Temps Before Continuing! Status: Almost There! Status:

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I bought this sad little pair of Lane end tables at the Mid Century combined estate auction early this spring for a song.  Kinda got what I paid for though.  I figured they were priced about right to mess with learning proper sanding, staining and finishing work on.  Huh, turns out I was right!

Friday, July 24, 2015

You Find All Sorts Of Containers At The Thrift Stores. Here We've Got A Couple Of Coffee Cups, A Small Planter And A Very Interesting Christmas Tree Stand. Status: Collected.

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You like me?  Always finding plastic bags with stuff wrapped in newspaper in 'em?  It's the curse of the avid thriftbreaker.  "Thriftbreak"? you ask?  Yeah, it's apparently a hashtag used on twitter by those of us who scour the thrifts, fleas, estate sales and antique malls to show off or call for help in IDing items.

Monday, July 20, 2015

I've Been Wanting To Find One Of These Chaise Lounges For Some Time Now. They Are Incredibly Comfortable And Although Some May Balk At Black And Chrome, Quite A Stylish Statement Piece. Status: Available.

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It's not a real LeCorbusier LC4, of course.  I'm not that lucky...and if it was the real deal I wouldn't be parting with it!  Still, it's got style for miles and is so so comfy.  Don't believe?  Drop by the Antique Mall Of Creve Coeur and try it out!

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Like Many Others Out There, The Walt Disney World Polynesian Village Mug Is What Got My Motor Started In The Tiki Collecting World. My Mom Gave Me One Years Ago And I Was Off To The (Tiki Bar) Races. Status: Available.

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Disney, the Fifties, Tiki...it all comes together in these fabulous frosted glass mugs.  Oddly enough, they also sport the theater comedy and tragedy faces in Tiki guise.  Having never been to the Polynesian Village I cannot say that the faces don't have anything to do with Tiki, but I still find it questionable.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

It's Been A Little While Since We've Taken A Look At The Booth Down At The Green Shag Market. A Lot Of Stuff Moved While We Were On Vacation So I Had To Restock. Status: All Waiting For You!

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Is that a Maison Jansen rocking chair?  Why yes it is!  And it's been freshly re-upholstered in black suede.  Black and chrome...classic!  Stop by and take it for a spin...or...rock, or whatever.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Yes Yes, I Realize It's Been About A Month...But Half Of That Was My Being Trapped On A Deserted Island (St. Thomas USVI - Our 2015 Vacation). Here's A Cool Lamp And A Neat Glass Head From Recent Thriftbreak Excursions! Status: Soon To Be Available.

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Yeah, after a couple of weeks off (believe me...there is NOTHING vintage modern to talk about on St. Thomas Island) it has been tough getting back on the horse. That and Flickr has messed with it's interface again, making it tougher to post from a phone.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Another Before And After! This Time It's A Clean-up Tip. Ever Had Bar Keepers Friend Recommended To Clean Knife Marks Off Your China? Guess What, It Works! Status: Skepticism Fail.

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Years ago I found a pair of yellow Fiesta dinner plates at the thrift store with utensil marks all over them.  Some kind soul recommended that I try Bar Keepers Friend to clean them up and I passed, choosing instead to use 0000 steel wool, baking soda and a lot of elbow grease to achieve the same result.  Today, I eat crow.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

EVERYTHING Has Been A Little Dry Lately. Craigslist, Thriftstores...Even The Goings On At The Antique Malls, But Finally A Little Life Giving Rain Falls At The Flea Market! Salterini, Salem Biscayne And A Danish Modern Valet. Status: Available (Salterini Already Gone!).

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It's been ages seems like since I've had such a nice haul from any of the local flea markets.  Belleville has shone me no love, the new St. Louis Swap Meet hasn't quite found it's footing (but is still quite enjoyable!) and I think we've just been getting to Wentzville to late.  But finally, Booty!!!

Saturday, June 6, 2015

If You Follow My Twitter Feed You May Have Already Gotten A Little Glimpse Of This Domino Mobler Danish Modern Desk. I Haven't Picked Up Much Lately And Bringing This Home A Couple Of Days Ago Was A Nice Prize. Status: Gone

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My buddy Jeff had one of these desks a while back.  Actually, he showed it to me the day we first kinda met.  I was buying a couple of Herman Miller sofas from him and, like me, he has lots of other stuff sitting around.  A desk just like this was one of them.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Before And After Project Time! I Picked Up This Rather Beat Down Hairpin Leg Coffee Table / Bench At A Recent Estate Sale And Just Knew It Could Be Saved. Status: Done AND Available.

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Yeah, this sucker was rough!  I found it in the garage / shop at an estate sale a few weeks back buried under paint cans and whatnot.  For the price I figured, if nothing else I could save the hairpin legs...but I decided to try to recycle the whole shebang as is.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Haven't Been To The Green Shag Market In A Little While? There's Lots Of New Vendors And Amazing Treasures To Be Perused And Taken Home. I Dropped By Saturday And Took Tons Of Pics. Status: Ready And Waiting!

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Wow!  There's so much good stuff down at The Green Shag right now!  If you've not been there in a little while you might not recognize the joint!  New vendors are everywhere and lots of new items abound.  So much that I ended up taking more than 30 pics!

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

What A Pleasant Weekend (For The Most Part...There Was Some Rain) For The Flea Markets! We Managed To Hit TWO Last Sunday. There Is A New One In Town: The St. Louis Swap Meet. Status: Meh...So Far.

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It's not much loot, but (sadly) it's better than what I found up North at the Olmsted County Gold Rush Antique Market And Flea!  But this all came from 2 fleas here at home.  The Wentzville and the new St. Louis Swap Meet.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

The Girlfriend And I Picked Up This Great Jens Risom Compact Desk With Return Two Weeks Ago. It's Been Waiting In The Back Of Frank (The Focus Wagon) Until Now To Make It's Debut! Status: Gone.

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It's not in perfect condition, but it's the real deal.  And most of the Jens Risom desks that I've come across have been HUGE.  This one's just about the perfect size for someone to use at home.

Monday, May 4, 2015

If You Check My Twitter Feed You May Have Already Seen This Fine Pair Of Retro Armchairs. If Not, Check Out The Video Inside! Status: Gone.

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I picked up a nice pair of vintage '50s vinyl and chrome armchairs last weekend and although it took me over a week to post them, I've already got them down at the booth in The Green Shag Market.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

What Can I Say, I've Been Lazy. But I'm Still Posting! I Mean, Just Look! Some Smalls I've Picked Up, The Best Of Which Would Be A Fantastic Set Of Norman Bleckner Bookends. Status: Available.

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Some of this lot has been sitting around here for a lil bit and some of it just recently found its way into the fray.  The candle holder and platter are fairly recent finds but the bookends have been sitting in a small paper bag since last Halloween!