Mr. Modtomic

Random Thrift Store Pics. Got Sidetracked Trying To Get My Business Done Yesterday. Status: Crappy Camera Phone Pics...Sorry.

2012-03-07T02:06:00.000-06:00

I had to get up a little early yesterday and try to get some "real life" stuff done but was thwarted by a broke machine where I needed to get my business done. Luckily there are a couple thrift stores RIGHT THERE! I didn't actually buy anything there but I did see some interesting things, like this overnight bag which I'm inexplicably smitten with. I think it's just the cool vinyl. I hope it's just the cool vinyl.

Also in cool vinyl: this fab two piece davenport sofa. It's too bad that some of the piping on the

far seat cushion was busted up. This looked to me to have obviously been reupholstered.

Could you imagine sitting on this heavily textured black vinyl sofa in the middle of summer in

shorts! You'd look like you have a horrible skin condition!

There were a couple interesting lighting options available. The outside fixture is a little too '70s

mod for me with the smoked glass ball and all, plus we don't really have that kind of outside

fixture on the Lily Pad. I almost brought the other fixture home. I'm sure that the wood would

look great with a little teak oil and some Feed-N-Wax.

Nice little planter and a bud vase. Don't need 'em. The retro china cabinet was already sold.

Nice! Glad somebody recognizes cool retro design and saved this from the landfill. That's not

all that had a sold sticker on it though.

This nice compact danish style stereo cabinet had been snatched up as well. Notice that there

are side speakers that swing out (and are removable!). The wood was stupid dry and had

some water spots but I know this could look great with a little rub down. Plus, someone has

already replaced the turntable with a more contemporary unit. Who knows if it works, once

I spotted the sold tag I lost interest!

Sally From Kansas Sent Mr. Modtomic An Inquiry Concerning An Amazing Set Of Dining Chairs. Status: Mr. Mod Fail...And Has A Sad.

2012-03-06T03:13:00.000-06:00

Ok...maybe not a sad, but at least some frustration! I've poured over Google Images for hours trying to get a handle on these chairs and have come up empty handed. I'm throwing them out there for youz guyz. Show me the magic!

Sarah is considering parting ways with these lovely Danish inspired armchairs. She says she's

not so much in love with the combination of Tulip Table and the Arm Chairs. Too bad, right!

Those are some sexy armchairs. But she does kinda have a point. There is a bit of a clash

between the two. Maybe if the the Tulip Base was black instead of white? Dunno.

Sarah was wondering if Mr. Modtomic could help her with an ID on these chairs. Again, Fail...

I got nothing. I was kinda thinking Gunlocke but that certainly isn't it. These chairs are much

more delicate, sculpted and "fine". I swear I've seen these hundreds of times and everywhere,

but of course...as soon as I WANT to find a picture...Fail.

Mr. Modtomic is loving the details like the double taper pencil legs and the lack of stretchers

between them. These little details lend a light and airy look to what could otherwise be kinda

chunky and heavy looking...like the afore mentioned Gunlocke chairs. So if you have any

thoughts as to what the story is with these chairs, please leave a comment. I'm sure Sarah

would be most appreciative and so would I....it's kinda driving me crazy!

Attributions. They Can Be Tricky And Can Raise Expectations. You Gotta Watch Those Pesky Attributions, I Tell Ya. Status: Frederich Weinberg. Is It? Isn't It?

2012-03-05T00:16:00.000-06:00

I recently came across an eBay completed listing (where I look for comparables and values...with a grain of salt) with a set of these nesting patio table / trays attributed to Frederich Weinberg. I haven't been able to find any other patio tables like them with the same attribution though. So where did this seller get the attribution idea?

Looks like Frederich Weinberg did create many items out of steel like these. Most of what I've

found are barstools much like the Dorothy Schindele design. As a matter of fact, I think that the

two get confused often. These somewhat obscure designers are a little harder to pin down than

say, McCobb (oh wait...that can be tricky too) or Baughman (some of his stuff is iffy too).

Attribution (or not) aside, these are still very cool little patio table / trays. Perfect for when I run

out of seating at the "dining" table. Guests can sit in any of my assorted other (amazing) patio

seating and still have a table to eat BBQ at! Then when not in use they can all be stored in the

space of a single table. But like most of my patio stuff, I kinda need to get the finish under

control. I think I need to invest in a sand blaster.

I picked these little beauties up at a yard sale many moons ago. This was way back when we

used to hit many estate sales all in one day. If a yard sale happened to pop up in between a

couple of the estate sales we, of course, would have to stop. This was just a lucky stop. Sure,

the paint is chippy, but all the glass is intact! I wonder what it would cost to have them sand

blasted? Anybody ever have some patio furniture sand blasted? What did it cost?

Short Cold Afternoon Of Project Starts. You Might Remember This Slat Bench As An Estate Sale Score From Last Summer. Status: Started? Only Just.

2012-03-04T02:17:00.000-06:00

I've been sorta avoiding this project since I acquired this slat bench last summer. Looking at all those slats that need cleaning / sanding...it just seems so overwhelming. ::sigh:: But D*mmit, I want my slat bench! So last weekend the screws came out. This weekend I started liberating some of that paint.

Here's what the bench looks like today. I didn't get very far, just got three of the seat slats

sanded. I'm not taking down to bare wood. I ain't got that kinda time. I didn't feel like being

the noisy bastard of the neighborhood either so I didn't get out the D/A power sander either,

but I might tomorrow! That'll make it go so much faster I'm sure.

The three on the right are sanded, but no matter how far I got this afternoon I wasn't going to be

able to paint anything. It was just too cool out. It might be warm enough tomorrow to shoot a

little rattle can satin black and see what it's gonna look like. We'll see. On another note, while I

had the garage opened up I decided to dig way back in the back and pull out a little sumpthn

sumpthn that I picked up at the Wentville flea market WAY back a few years ago but sorta

forgot about.

This is destined for our familyroom / TV room. It's just about the right size to fit between the

fireplace and the outside wall and I can put the stereo stuff on the middle shelf without it sticking

out too far. I won't be able to put the sliding glass doors on it with the stereo equipment in there

but I'm not even sure I know where those glass doors are. The center channel speaker will

reside on the bottom shelf and the TV on top. A couple of DVDs will fit in there too. I wish it

was a bit deeper though, I do admit. I would rather install the sliding doors.

Buuuuutttt...as you can see, the top needs help. It had some really ugly (like it matters) contact

paper up there. I pulled it off. Hmmmm...I wonder if the glue would come off with some Goof

Off. I really should paint the whole thing first anyway. I'm just afraid that the paint is oil based

and I won't be able to rattle can enhance it's aesthetics. How can I tell if this is oil based paint?

So this is weird. There appears to be a plate trench in the back of the middle and lower shelf.

And what are those punched in divots on the middle shelf for? Maybe they hold some sort of

dividers that have little tabs that slip into them? Weirdness.

This is the rail for the two sliding glass doors. It has felt or something in there to keep the glass

from screeching when moved. It's kinda dirty. I'll clean it, promise. Nice legs, huh! Aren't these

just about the shortest cutest little hairpins you've ever seen? I think I paid like $15 for the entire

cabinet and if all I ever got to use out of it were the legs...I'd still feel like I was ahead!

Craigslist Alert! Broyhill Brasilia Dining Suite Just Listed. $400 Status: The Iron Is Hot.

2012-03-03T18:02:00.002-06:00

The picture above is of my personal set. It's not available. Click through to get the link to the C-list ad for the set that is!
This Broyhill Brasilia dining suite was just listed about an hour ago. No mention of Broyhill or Brasilia in the ad so it might still be available. $400 is a good deal for this set if it's in good shape. It even has the smaller, less ubiquitous china cabinet. I'm not snatching this up so if one of you do, please let me know! I'd love to know I helped you get your Brasilia love on!

More Plastic Dinnerware. This Time The Girlfriend's Estate Sale Score. Status: Texas (ware) Hold 'Em.

2012-03-03T04:03:00.000-06:00

The Girlfriend spotted and snatched this lot of Texas Ware at the estate sale where I picked up the "Slavic Modern" danish style chair and pole lamp recently highlighted here on Mr. Modtomic. What a gorgeous blue color, but is this considered "confetti"? If not, then what is this called?

I sorta consider any plasticware or Melmac with the obviously different color flecks of plastic

in it to be "confetti" but I know that what is mostly referred to as "confetti" would be of multiple

colored flecks like red, green and yellow or some such combination. Maybe there is another

name for this look? Beats me.

This is the entire lot as it was found. I haven't had a chance to actually clean any of it.

Unfortunately there is plenty of staining on some of the pieces like the coffee cups. I lied, I

actually started to clean one of those cups just to see if I could get the staining out. I used

Goof Off and 0000 Steel Wool...because I had it handy while I was cleaning the pole lamp.

It did work a little but not completely. Any suggestions.

There are some missing bits as well. This is no issue though as we are always running into other

partial sets and I seem to remember that we already have another partial set of Texas Ware

around here somewhere and the colors seem to mix and match with each other nicely. Some

day I'll have to get all the plastic dishware together so that we can figure out exactly what we

have and what we need to make full sets and maybe what we can live without.

In addition to some of the pieces being stained and some missing there are some pieces that

apparently got too close to the range! Burns mark a few of the pieces and at least one has heat

cracks. Almost all have utensil marks. These aren't museum pieces. I'd use them but I'd put a

paper plate on them to keep from further staining and marring. But first I gotta give them a

proper cleaning!

Although I Shamelessly Pour Through C-list Ads And Often Snatch Up Good Stuff Within Hours Of Listing, This Arthur Umanoff Bar Sat Unbought For Days! Status: Trigger Pulled.

2012-03-02T02:52:00.000-06:00

It's funny how some really good stuff can sit on craigslist for days without being snatched. I just had an e-mail conversation with a local reader about a pair of chairs that sat unbought for well over a week on the list. He had apparently shot off an e-mail after the sellers had bumped up the ad and gotten no reply. Miffed, he did the next logical thing: he shot me a note asking if I had snatched them up!

I assured him that I had not bought the set (one was an Adrian Pearsall, but both looked to me

to had been reupholstered in some unfortunate formal material) but had actually been in

somewhat limited contact with the seller as I did make a half hearted attempt to buy the set when

they first appeared. I just wasn't that into them, so I never got around to making the buy...and

they sat there on c-list for another week and a half...with nobody striking that "hot iron", as it

were.

Then there is the case of this really pretty cool Danish Modern / Scandinavian Style Dining Set

with Buffet for (an asking price of) $200. It's still on c-list and was still available as of 02/26.

The weird thing is that somebody sent me an e-mail with a couple of pictures of an armchair

that is exactly like the chairs in this ad, but they didn't send ANY text and there e-mail address

was kinda weird so I didn't (and won't, sorry...send me a normal e-mail!) respond to them.

But then I thought that maybe the sellers of the dining set above were the people who e-mailed

me and just wanted to know if the dining set was valuable. So I e-mailed the sellers via

craigslist to ask if they had tried to contact me via the blog and they had no idea what I was

talking about. Weird.

So anyway, there you go. Two pretty cool items in excellent condition (from what I could gather

from the ads) that I did not in fact snatch up! I may start an occasional feature of items that I feel

like are pretty good deals that might have gotten missed by local buyers that I'm passing on.

Then there is this Arthur Umanoff (style? I'm just making an educated assumption here) for

Raymor bar that was posted to craigslist last weekend. I saw it right away but I was a little

down in the mouth about having to take Frank to the doctor for work (rear wheel bearing went

way, way bad) and new tires, alignment, oil change, ect. so I didn't really feel like spending any

MORE money, even on something as cool as this...all the while knowing I'd regret it later.

When the ad was still up Wednesday evening and Frank was all better...well, I'm sure you can

guess. A phone call was made and an arrangement was made to pick it up after work. The

seller said there were a few other inquiries that same day but they couldn't come by late like me

or something, dunno. The iron was hot and waiting to be struck...and my hammer was swift

and sure! I'll be sure to post it again after I clean it up, paint the ironwork and fix the bar top.

It'll be beautiful, promise.

Hot or Not? Mr. Modtomic Is No Expert On Glass But Was Smitten By This Pair Of Hand Made Glass Vases. I Just Couldn't Pull The Trigger. Status: Left Behind.

2012-03-01T02:21:00.000-06:00

I kinda liked this pair of yellow glass vases that I spotted at the Goodwill down the street last weekend. Unfortunately they were $4 each...which doesn't sound like much does it? But $8 for a pair of pretty glass vases that I have no real need for is $8 that I'd rather spend on something worth $25 that I have no need for! Know what I mean?

So here's the crux. I just don't trust my vintage modern glass buying instincts yet. I don't know

glass. Oh sure...a big ol' orange slag glass vase for $10 at the flea market is totally coming home

with the Mr., but that's just obvious. It's this subtle stuff that gives me pause. And I can't buy

just 'cuz I like it. If I did that I'd have WAY too much stuff. I have to temper my collecting

compulsion with a value aspect. I have to know that I can always flip it and make a buck...

otherwise it stays on the shelf.

I remember seeing a show on PBS (I think) a few years ago about a couple of guys who were

"doing" the 127 Corridor 450 mile flea market. And Oh, I so have been wanting to do this

myself...but I can't take those days off work...ever...suck. But I digress...and back to the PBS

show. These guys were just driving along and buying up stuff (picking) for their shop or clients

or whatever back in New York.

One of the thing they snatched that resonated with me was a large glass vase that they

proclaimed Blenko I believe or maybe it was Venisian or whatever...it was worth a ton of dough

and they were paying like $10. They showed the bottom of this large vase and you could easily

see where the glass had been broken free from the punty. It was obvious that the vase was hand

made and I thought I had learned something very important!

But surely just the fact that I can see that these glass vases were hand made doesn't mean that

they are highly prized. Right? What ARE the clues. It's not like glass is marked and since

anything hand made is, by it's nature, one of a kind...unlike say a Russel Wright water pitcher...

I can't just get on Google Images and look for a comparable. How DO you know what to

look for in collectible glass?

So what do you think? Should I have snapped these up? Did I leave a treasure behind or did I

play my cards right? For all I know, these were available at Walmart last week!

Reader Submissions! Ain't They Grand? Good Thing Too, Cuz I Had Nothin Today For Realz. Status: Bullet Dodged.

2012-02-29T02:31:00.000-06:00

Blog reader John (the AtomicHipster) shot me a note a few days ago wondering if I might be able to help him with Identification or any other information about this fantastic pole lamp. I gave it a shot but couldn't find anything worth reporting...so, our hope is that the super smart Modtomic readership might be able to shed some light on the lamp. Sorry, had to be done.

John says he's had the lamp for about 10 years after picking it up from a consignment shop in

Spencer Ma. As you can see from the photos, John has an eclectic vintage modern taste in

furnishings and ephemera. He's thinking the lamp might be Italian and because of the marble

base and white globes, I'm tempted to agree. Damn, that's a pretty lamp!

The lamp sports a two button floor switch that can turn on the main "spot" lights for full

illumination or...OR...and this is cool....or you can just turn on some small bulbs that illuminate

the white frosted globes for mood lighting! Nice, right? John only discovered this feature

AFTER buying the lamp and getting it snuggled up against his Plycraft lounger. The globes are

adjustable and look like they "float" in chrome loops so that the "spots" can be aimed and the

chrome loops are apparently mobile as well allowing lots of lighting options. I love that the cords

for the globes drape gracefully between the lamps and the pole. This is obviously a high end

lamp. Have any of you ever come across one or do you have any pertinent info about it? I'm

sure Jeff would be so grateful for any leads that might help.

I Found This Awesome Pull Down Saucer Light Fixture A Few Weeks Ago Languishing In A Belleville Thrift Store. Status: Saved.

2012-02-28T02:15:00.000-06:00

Ain't she a beaut.? Like a city in Montana! Can ya believe somebody didn't want this anymore? At least they had the good sense to donate it to a thrift store. That's were our story begins. The St. Francis Thrift Shop in Belleville Il.

After attending an estate sale in Belleville a few weekends back (where I got the pair of Basset

living room tables I featured about a week ago) I had a little time on my hands before I had to

meet a buyer (who got those great melmac dishes)...so, of course I plowed through as many

East Side thrift stores as I could while in the neighborhood! Oddly enough, this was the only

score and I found it at the first shop I stopped at. The rest were apparently just for practice.

This fixture is HUGE. A full 21" across. The pull down mechanism is nice and smooth and

retracts nicely. The nut on the bottom of that wood "pull" is actually the switch. It's a three

way switch since there are bulbs in both the main light as well as in the "bowl" above it.

You can either have just the bowl lamps on to have a bit off mood light....in the kitchen...

whatever, or the main lamps for...you know...seeing, or both for...seeing....when you're in the

mood? Nice right? And it totally works. I've hooked it all up and tested it.

Unfortunately for me all of our light fixtures (we have a main light and a pull down saucer in

our kitchen) have an antique brass finish, not all bright and shiny like this. So we can't use

this amazing fixture. Can you (and are you local)?

Nothing So Exciting As A Finn Juhl Dumpster Find Today (See Yesterdays Post!). Nope, Just A Quick Coffee Table Cleanup. Status: Subtle Before And After.

2012-02-27T02:11:00.000-06:00

Before
This is the coffee table that I picked up (craigslist) before work last week. The one where the seller was carrying out the coral vinyl barstools (thoroughly cleaned the vinyl last night...look Sweet!). Even though the seller had wiped it down to knock off the dust it was still pretty dirty. Enter Murphy Oil Soap and Howard's Restore-A-Finish.

After
Yesterday sucked. It was actually cold. Really cold. Today? Right back to Spring! I think the

high was like 65 or something. So I dragged out this table and hosed it down with the Murphy

Oil Soap to clean off the rest of the dirt and detritus. You can almost hear an audible sigh when

these old birds get really cleaned for the first time in years.

Before / After

The table cleaned up real nice. It's kinda hard to tell from the pictures. I should have shot some

detail before and after pics but when you're trying to get something done before the sun disappears

well, you do what you can while you can. After cleaning the wood with the Murphy Oil Soap I

cleaned the black formica inserts with Pro Green Kleen and hit the frame with the Howard's.

Gawd...I'm such a shill. For real though, all this stuff works great...and noooooo, I'm not a paid

spokesman.

Before / After

I picked this particular table up a. because it's a cool looking table, b. I get lot's of requests for

long low coffee tables, and c. it was cheap and I can pass it on cheaply! So, like I tell everybody

who asks if I have a particular item but don't...it'll end up on the blog first, so if you see it there

ASK me about it then. He who hesitates may never arrive...or get that long low coffee table

they've been looking for!

Before / After

I probably won't get around to dropping it on my c-list ad(s) right away, along with the recently

featured pole lamp and a couple other choice items, but it'll happen soon. I imagine this table

will "go" quickly too since it seems so many people need one...and it's a good looking table. I

don't know what company made it. I didn't see a mark or label on it. It's pretty solid but it's

not very heavy. The two black panels are removable.

Before / After

So the table isn't 100 over 100. It's in good vintage condition. There are bumps and bruises in

the wood. It's been around the block. I'll be asking a price reflective of this. The Howards did

a wonderful job of visually blending the darker and lighter areas as well as the light scratches.

It's cool like that. All the hard work is done. Now it just needs someone to drop in front of

their sofa!

One Of My Hobbies Is Trying To ID Vintage Modern Furniture And Whatnot. I Like To Think I'm Pretty Good At It But Really, I Just Don't Mind Spending Too Much Time Trying! Status: And Sometimes I Get Lucky.

2012-02-26T02:38:00.000-06:00

The VERY FIRST e-mail I received from the new "Inquiries and IDs" e-mail address (above and to the right) was from a couple who I met at an estate sale last year. They had bought a good size Kent Coffey buffet and I offered to help them get it home since I had room in Frank and they weren't too far away. We all became fast acquaintances and they recently acquired a really neat chair and wondered if I might be able to help them ID it.

So the "Clueless Campers"

(you may know them from the

comments as CC) contacted

me a little over a week ago

asking if I might be able to help

them identify this chair that they

had recently acquired. They

sent me an e-mail with four

good pictures from various

angles; Front 3/4, Back 3/4,

Full Front and Full Back.

This was so much help because

getting an ID on something like

this comes down to details.

For some reason my first

instinct was Grete Jalk so I

sent them a quick note saying

so and asked if they'd be down

with me using the photographs

they sent me for a blog post.

I figured either I'd figure out

what the chair was and get to

brag about it or I'd fail

miserably and mine the

considerable brain power of

this blog's readership for an

answer!

Well, the Grete Jalk inspiration went nowhere. It's so not a Grete Jalk design, but in looking

around at Jalk chairs I stumbled upon a couple pics of Finn Juhl stuff and it looked pretty close.

So I did a Google Image search for Finn Juhl chairs and within just a few minutes I had found

the chair! Turns out it's a "Delegate" chair designed by Finn Juhl for Baker.

So then, after sending them the good news, I had to ask if it might be OK if I dropped by with

my camera to take pics for the blog and hang out for a bit. They were more than welcoming to

me and my obsessive compulsive photography habits. They also have a REALLY nice joint and

I'm hoping that I didn't wear out my welcome (oh yeah...I was there for like 2 hours...for a

dozen pics) because I'd love to have the opportunity to share a tour of their pad with you soon!

They have superb taste and some really nice stuff.

The Clueless Campers received this chair from a friend who pulled it from the trash. Yes, really.

Somebody threw this out. Oh sure, it needs a tiny bit of help to be a nice vintage chair if that was

all it really was. Being that it's a bit more than just a nice vintage chair it maybe deserves a little

more attention...but how much more? We discussed this at length and all came to our own

conclusions. Should it be refinished and if so should it be done by a professional or would a

home / garage job be OK?

Is the upholstery original (we don't think so based on the screws holding the seat to the frame

but it might still be) and if so, should it be preserved? There are some "cat scratch" areas that

aren't too bad and could be cleaned up with a little clipping. The seat cushion has sorta collapsed

and the webbing could use a little tightening up.

Since the Clueless Campers are leaning towards keeping the Delegate Chair my thoughts were

to "skin" the seat and replace the cushion and webbing as needed, then pull the seat upholstery

back on. Take the "seat" off and give the wood a light refinish, maybe with some of the

Howard's products. Nothing too drastic but enough to help the chair shine like the jewel it

really is. A full restoration could always be done later if the time came to sell the chair. What

do you think?

Picked Up A Coffee Table The Other Day And Scored A Nice Little Bonus Of Three Adorable Barstools! Status: Available Soon (Just Gotta Clean 'Em Up!).

2012-02-25T01:58:00.000-06:00

All I showed up for was a simple coffee table (since I get so many e-mails asking for them) but the seller was dragging these out of the basement when I pulled up. "Whoa whoa whoa! Whatcha gonna do with those!"
...Sell 'em to me, that's what! Into the back of Frank they went with the coffee table and off

to work I went.

I got them out of the back of Frank this morning and only had time to clean up one of them a

little. Above is a sort of a before and after. They aren't two pictures of the same stool though.

Just one that hasn't been cleaned and the one I got started on. I'm not finished though. They'll

all get a more thorough cleaning this weekend.

Isn't that a great color?! Is it Coral or Salmon? It's a little pink and a little orange with some

sparkly flecks thrown in just to make sure you notice them. The vinyl is in amazingly good

condition considering the wear on the footrest hoop.

The bases need to be cleaned up and repainted. No problem, I'll hit them with a 3M stripper

and a couple coats of satin black and they'll look super. They're super sturdy and the swivels

are in good shape too! It's funny how many cool barstools I find, yet I hardly ever see a really

cool looking bar. We'd love to find a good looking Googie style bar someday. What we're

using now works fine and looks kinda cool but I'd love to have something with some angles

and maybe asymmetry to it. I might just end up building one some day.

I Took A Poll At The Last Estate Sale I Attended And The Results Were Illuminating. Status: Wow...Pun Much?

2012-02-24T02:49:00.003-06:00

Ok...so I didn't "Take" the poll so much as "Buy" the poll...and well the "poll" was actually a Pole Lamp. Thus the "Illumination". Gawd...was that as bad as it sounds? Too bad. Here, I am King....King of bad Punville! Step inside and let's take a closer look at this beauty!

Pretty nice, right? But this thing was a HOT MESS when I bought it. It was covered in tobacco

stain. ::shudders:: It was actually pretty nasty. More so than the "Slavic Modern" (thanks Dave

...it's gonna be a thing!) Danish style chair I cleaned up a few days ago that came from the same

sale. If the chair was covered in as bad a tobacco stain, it actually probably enhanced the look

of the wood rather than detracted from it! Anyway, it was very obvious on this pole lamp.

"So what did you do to make the pole lamp look so much better Mr. Modtomic?" I'm glad you

asked! I just used some general purpose cleaner (www.progreenkleen.com - bought some

from a guy who knocked on our door. Works great. Smells good too!) and scrubbed with some

0000 steel wool. That's all it took. 0000 steel wool doesn't seem to leave scratches or swirl

marks. It just breaks down the stains while the cleaner helps to dissolve them and wash them

away. Some of you out there might be saying "duh" but I'm just figuring some of these things out!

I though the steel wool might leave scratches all over the paint or leave it dull. Nope! Looks

great. Of course I found out that I have to have a light touch near the edges or find that I've

scrubbed through the paint and down to raw steel!

It's still not perfect but it's gonna find a happy home soon. Happier (hopefully) than the stain

mongering one it came out of. If I end up keeping it I might paint the tan bits bright shiny white.

What do ya think, wouldn't that look pretty mod?

Jere Birds For $50 Anyone? No, Not Anyone...Apparently Everyone....And No One. Status: Don't YOU Wanna Know!.

2012-02-23T01:33:00.000-06:00

I'm sure at least a few local readers must have seen this ad on craigslist yesterday before the "seller" pulled it down. Wanna know why you didn't get it?

I was SO hoping this was going to be a different kind of post. So here's the skinny. Last

night at 8:09pm a nice lady in Chesterfield (west St. Louis County for you out-a-towners)

posted an ad to craigslist.

Wall Hanging Contemporary Brass Birds - $50 (Chesterfield, MO)

Date: 2012-02-21, 8:09PM CST Reply to: qcdwf-XXXXXXXXXX@sale.craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Very Unique Brass, and easy hooks to hang although it is heavy because of the Brass. You need to see it to appreciate it. It will really dress up a room or wall. Purchased new at Dolnick Interiors.

Sacrifice for $50.00 cash.

I shot off an e-mail ASAP offering $100 (double the asking "sacrafice" price) for the Jere

sculpture if the seller would let me pick it up after work at about 10:30pm and included my

phone number. Mine was the first e-mail to get through and I got a call back about 9:15pm.

The seller and I struck a deal. I was to meet her at her home at about 10:35 and pick up the

sculpture for the aforementioned offer of $100. She gave me her home address even after I

suggested since it was night that she might be more comfortable meeting me in a public place.

Sweet, right! Well, apparently between the time the seller and I struck a deal and the time I

was to leave work to claim the item, the seller got a TON of other e-mails. So many so that

she got cold feet for selling the sculpture. She called me back just seconds before I left to tell

me that she couldn't sell it because she thought that maybe this "Jere" fella might be something.

Well, with that...the jig was up and I went ahead and spilled the rest of the beans. She was

going to find it on the net anyway so I directed her to look at eBay for comparables. Better

than 1stDibs, right? She said that her and her husband were going to look into it and would

call me in the morning to "let me know". Let me know what? I'm not sure. Doesn't matter, the

call never came. I e-mailed again today to ask if they had decided to back out of our deal and

got the same run around. So, it looks like None of us are going to get a deal on this Jere Birds

sculpture. Juuuuussssttt like the auctions.

Oh well, I'll keep plugging along and SOMEDAY I'll find one at a reasonable price. It happens.

Look at Dan's score. I think he told me he got his for something stupid like $35 from a

co-worker. Ooohhh...and I've tried and tried to snag his. Not gonna happen. I gave up.

Then there's this one that popped up at a weekday auction. I attended the auction thinking that

because it was a weekday and there was absolutely NOTHING else at the auction in the same

vein that there might not be a bunch of other buyers there to jack up the selling price. Nope...

that was a pipe dream. I left when the bidding topped $275.

And at yet another auction (I HATE auctions) on New Years Day a few years ago there was

yet another Jere Birds available. I left this auction well before it even got around to selling this

one. The prices were going stupid nuts on everything. Well above what the same items were

selling for on eBay! Once I figured that out...well, what's the point of sticking around? It's all

good though. Just like I finally found my Eric Buck barstools, I'll eventually get my Jere Birds.

I thought this might be the day but looks like I'll just have to be patient.

Oh No! What Does Mr. M Have On Tap For Today? How 'Bout Estate Sale Smalls / Sundries? Status: Ain't Surprised Bowling Ball Man Just Too Cute?

2012-02-22T02:53:00.000-06:00

Actually I just plopped this Bowling Ball (the Girlfriends new personal ball [omg...she grabs like 5 diff. balls at the bowling alley]) on this Bullet Planter Stand and this "expression" of surprise appeared! Of course I had to shoot it. Look inside to see more various goodies culled last weekend.

This is the combined "smalls" booty from the two estate sales I hit this weekend. Not a bad

lil' haul. I looked all over for the "bullet" for the bullet planter base but it was just not there.

Finding a Pair of Prowling Panthers made up for the loss. The Paint By Numbers P-38

Lightning painting was one of the items that I was specifically after! The amber colored glass

vase filled with river stones was just a lucky find.

I spotted this bullet planter base in the pictures advertising the estate sale and was hopeful

that I'd be able to find it's "bullet" as well but it just was not to be. I looked all over that

house for it too! Even after I paid for and loaded the rest of my loot. Too bad huh. I'll find

something interesting to put in there. Anybody got a "bullet" sans base that they wanna get

rid of?

How cool is this? I've seen all kinds of Paint By Numbers paintings and when I spotted this in

the ad pics for the estate sale I just wasn't sure it was a PBN until I saw it in person. I don't

know exactly why I'm so excited by it but I find it very interesting. The P-38 Lightning has

been one of my favorite aircraft (along with the Corsair F4U) since I was a child.

Rowl... Until just a week ago I had no ceramic prowlers. Now I got three! Two of which are

twins. I might keep one but some of these will end up on the craigslist ad. What the heck am

I gonna do with three?

Rocks? Why not! Looks kinda classy! Again, I'm not much of a glass collector since there's not

a real good way to tell who made it or how long ago. I'm just not that into it enough to learn all

about it. I kinda know what I like and go from there. This looked interesting...and was cheap.

Sold!

'Memba That "Slavic Modern" Danish Style Armchair From Sunday? I Got The Howards Restore-A-Finish For It Today. Status: Better, Much Better.

2012-02-21T02:55:00.000-06:00

Four screws, take 'em out and the whole chair brakes down into it's flat components! Makes it easy to ship and easy to clean and refinish. And that...the cleaning and refinishing part, not the shipping part...is exactly what I got done today.

This is as far as I got Sunday. Just a quick cleanup of the dust and cobwebs and a temporary

application of cushion. Just enough to kinda show it off. From a distance it looks great but

there were some finish issues that I needed to address. So today I got some of that Howards

Restore-A-Finish in Walnut that everybody is raving about.

Here are a couple of before and after pics. Sorry the after pics are indoors and with a flash.

That totally changes the color but at least you can see the obvious and vast improvement. Gone

are those badly scratched and finishless areas. I had to really go to town with the Goof Off to

get the old duct tape residue off the wood at the back of the seat.

I didn't really take my time with this as it'll be hidden by a cushion sooner or later...and I don't

really have a lot of patience. Still, a huge improvement! Then I cleaned everything with general

purpose cleaner. After that I used some dry steel wool (0000) on everything which really cleans

the finish up quite nicely itself. Then I used a new piece of steel wool and applied the Howards

Restore-A-Finish.

I was surprised how different this product is than my stand by of Minwax Antique Finish

Restorer. The Minwax dissolves the old finish where as the Howards does not. The Howards

seems to perhaps further clean the existing finish while adding color to areas that need it. It

does not leave a finish behind or disturb the original finish. It just freshens up the old and fills

in color where needed. I like it. I have a number of other items that I will be trying it out on

in the future, including a full Broyhill Sculptra bedroom set that I've yet to clean up!

Now...cushions. Hmmm....

Fellow Blogger "The Nomads" Over At She Finds Retro Contacted Me About A Strange "Brasilia" Table. Status: Mystery....Solved?

2012-02-20T01:06:00.000-06:00

So since I put out the e-mail address to hit me with any crazy furniture ID inquiries you might have I've gotten quite a few! I'm not always going to be able to figure things out but if I have the time, believe me, I'm gonna give it a solid shot. She Finds Retro blogger challenged me (not through e-mail but via the comments on a posting a few days ago) to find out more about this table that she is convinced is a Broyhill Brasilia piece. Well, I got news for ya....

She's Right! At first I wasn't convinced. I've seen other manufacturers copy details from

more popular companies (but change the details up just enough to not get a lawsuit dropped

on them) to be suspicious of a dining table like this that I've never seen before. Especially

Broyhill Brasilia since I've bought and sold a lot of it and looked at lots of it on the web.

So like any good skeptic, I got my Sherlock hat on and got to searchin' 'round the web to

prove myself wrong. When it comes to something as cool as this, I'd love to have my

skepticism dissuaded! I got to looking through Google Images and after going through a

number of different search terms I FINALLY stumbled upon a very small thumbnail photo

that had been used on eBay but is no longer there. It shows a table just like this surrounded

by a set of Broyhill Brasilia chairs that are equally bizarre and rare.

The chairs are similar to the standard Broyhill Brasilia chairs but instead of three spires running

down the back they have two and between them there is caning...yes CANING! I've seen

these chairs on eBay before and they have much thicker seat padding as well as piping around

the upper edge of the seat. The set I saw had the original upholstery material (gold, checks,

birds) so I feel very confident that they were in fact Broyhill Brasilia.

She Finds Retro blogger is wondering why she can't find any other pics of the set on the web

and is at a loss as to how to price the set. Based on the chairs that I've seen, I'm going to

guess at this point that this is a Later Brasilia set and that is why it isn't shown on the PDF

document of the Broyhill Brasilia catalog that is floating around the web. I think this is from

the Brasilia II (2) line. I normally don't care for the Brasilia II line but this is obviously pretty

special since it appears to be pretty rare. She says in her blog post that she has the matching

credenza but hasn't pictured it yet. I personally can't wait to see it! What do you think about

pricing the table?

(all photos by She Finds Retro and used by permission)

Ya Know...We're Gonna Have To Start Calling These Yugoslavian Modern Chairs. Status: Estate Sale Garage Rescue.

2012-02-19T01:47:00.000-06:00

Much like the tables I featured earlier (BTW, Illuminate is picking those up today), this fine example of Yugoslavian craftsmanship was covered....COVERED...in dust, dirt and cobwebs. Again, I was too embarrassed to even photograph it in that state. It was gross just having it in the back of Frank. But, of course, not so gross I would leave it behind!

Them's some great lines, right? Sure, it was put together in Yugoslavia but it's style is pure

Scandinavian! Too bad it didn't come with those great cushions. Maybe that's why it was

relegated to the garage and was covered in dust and cobwebs. The sale was great. I picked

up a few other niceties while there and didn't have to get up at the butt crack of dawn to be

#2 (and the Girlfriend #3!) in line.

See, no cusions. Suck. I mean...it's OK and all. It's not the end of the world. It might have

been nice to have the cushions but that's why it didn't cost much...and why it won't take much

to move it on! I don't think I'll ever get around to making a set of cushions for it so that means

the next owner can get all creative with the upholstery and go for a bold pattern or keep it

subtle like these nice brown cushions.

And the missing cushions ain't all the issues this fella's sporting. It had some finish issues hiding

under the dust but nothing that can't be cleaned up pretty easily. Maybe I'll go get some

Howard's Walnut Restore-a-finish and see whazup with that! Oh, and a little wood glue too.

So Check This Craigslist Ad Out. Eames Lounge - $1400. Scam? Status: I Want It I Want It I Want It!

2012-02-18T19:52:00.000-06:00

Sorry, no pic. I don't generally use other peoples pictures here and I don't have a picture of an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman to present here as a tease. But there is a genuine Eames / Miller Lounge Chair and Ottoman on the Springfield Il. (about a hundred mile drive from here). craigslist. It took me a while but I caved and shot them an e-mail.

Vintage 70's Herman Miller Eames LOUNGE CHAIR & OTTOMAN Rosewood - $1400

So I sent them an e-mail expressing my interest in buying the chair and ottoman. Check it out

an tell me what YOU think!

From me:

Hi. If the lounge chair & ottoman are still available could I possibly make arrangements to see

them this weekend?

Thanks, XXX

From me: (second e-mail - day later)

Hi, I e-mailed yesterday asking if the Eames / Miller chair and ottoman were still available. I

can come look at them today or tomorrow if they are. Could you let me know if the set is still

available or if they are gone?

Thanks, XXX

From seller:

Hi,
Thanks for being interested in buying my Vintage 70's Herman Miller Eames LOUNGE

CHAIR & OTTOMAN Rosewood , I will start my email by telling you that I'm currently

out of country so pick up isn't an option. The item is as described, in perfect condition and

will be delivered at your home address. Total price will be $1400 and the transaction will

be made only through eBay because because they will handle with all that it has to be done,

the shipping, payment and passing the item in to your property. Right now I'm in Italy, just

arrived here 3 days ago. Before I left I found a buyer and I had everything arranged. I paid

for the shipping and almost sent it to him. But yesterday the buyer that I had asked me to

wait another 4 weeks because he suddenly had other priorities and he is out of money for

the moment. I can't wait this long as I'm in Italy for 3 days now and i really need the money,

I am in the moving process, changing the work place and everything. A major issue is that

if you want to buy my item you really need to have the money ready for it.

This purchase protection guarantees that the item is exactly as I described; basically, once

delivered, you'll have 10 working days to inspect it at your home and if you decide not to

keep it you will get refunded in no time and they will charge me with the return costs. If the

item meets your expectations and you want to keep it you will have to tell them to release

the payment to me. If you are interested in this purchase please reply me with your full name

and shipping address. After that i will pass your details to eBay and you will receive an

invoice and further instructions as how will you be able to get possession of the item .

Let me know your thoughts .

Warmest regards

From me:

Whoa....sorry....I ONLY buy cash in hand and ONLY after I have a chance to inspect the

chair. If you can find a way to have a trusted friend or relative show me the chair I'd be

super happy to come by and check it out and pay them in Cash. I'd be happy to document

the transaction in photos that I can e-mail you during the sale.

Thanks, XXX

So yeah, it sounds pretty scammy, right? Too Bad. Grrrrrr....

Picked Up Another Lovely "Chocolate" Lamp At An Estate Sale This Weekend. 'Cuz Chocolate's Better When....There's More. Status: Doubled.

2012-02-18T00:26:00.000-06:00

Check it out! The lamp in the background was pilfered from an estate sale long, long ago in West County and the New lamp in the foreground was snatched up at an estate sale this weekend in Belleville Il. which could be kinda considered East County!

Not a perfect match but Oh So Close! I say "Chocolate Lamp" but really it's more of a Three

Musketeers Lamp. You know...like the candy bar....if you cut one in half. Great...now I want

a candy bar. Other coincidences? Both were found in the basement in of their respected sales.

And both were the same price!

...But those shades couldn't be more different! The first is like burlap with spun fiberglass and

then laced along the edges. Weird, right? But it's really cool. The second is a standard shade...

that is wrapped with two tones of twine. So they are completely different...yet both weird...and

cool. Booyah!

Classic Genie Bottle shapes. Gotta love 'em! Do I need another lamp? Nope. No really, we got

lamps out the wazoo 'round here! I need to get some garage shelves for all the extra stuff we

got sitting around in this joint! I'm sure it would make finding stuff much easier. Maybe I'll find

some cheap shelves at the Estate Sale I'm going to in the morning! Maybe I'll get another lamp

or three!

I'm Here! I'm Here! I Know I'm A Little Late. But I Got A Nice Little Before And After Bassett Furniture Livingroom Table Set! Status: Lacking Sleep!

2012-02-17T16:29:00.000-06:00

So sorry we missed each other this morning! I had a tough night last night and had planned to get up real early this morning. I just didn't have the wear with all to get a post up last night after work. Sometimes it just bees that way. But I hope ya like this posting. Went to an estate sale this morning and brought home a rough pair of Bassett Furniture livingroom tables. Then cleaned them up for ya!

I got an e-mail via craigslist last night while I was at work inquiring about the PJC plastic

dinnerware and made arrangements to meet the sender. When I got home I took care of

some other pressing matters then started looking for the dishware. Oh....My....God. I

spent like 3 hours trying to find that damn set of dishes. I had gotten an inquiry about them

weeks ago and had packed them all up to take to work with me (to meet the buyer by my

workplace). When that deal never materialized I did something with the dishes but I

couldn't remember what for the life of me. Then of course, as soon as I did find them I was

all like, duh. But by that time it was 3:30am and I had planned to get up at 7am. ::sigh::

Well, I did manage to get up at 7am but it weren't fun. I am NOT a morning person. I managed

to get to the sale a full hour early but still there were about four or five buyers already there

waiting in line. I wasn't aching to get anything in particular at the sale so it wasn't a big deal.

And yet, I managed to get absolutely EVERYTHING I came for without even trying! And

Wow, there were a lot of buyers lined up behind me by the time the doors opened!

These two livingroom tables were part of what drew me to the sale. Seems like if you see a

couple of items like this in the advertising pictures of a sale, you're likely to find at least a

couple other good items even if there aren't pictures of anything else in the ad. These were

SO dusty and dirty. These pics are post Murphy Oil Soap cleanup. They were so bad

before that I was too embarrassed to show you. Then after cleaning them up I felt like since

it's like 50 degrees and sunny today, maybe I'd go one further and take some steel wool and

some refinisher to them as well.

Ta-Da! Done. No...they still are not perfect. They are vintage...and as such they are going to

possess Character! I was hoping that the dark rings on the smaller / taller table would come

out but they just wouldn't budge. I'll leave any further efforts to remove those to the next owner.

They look pretty nice now and a skillful placement of a lamp will do wonders for hiding that

character mark.

I actually picked up the coffee table for my friend Illuminate though since it was in rougher shape

than could be discerned from the ad pics I went ahead and gussied it up to rack up a little value

added. She gets first shot at the coffee table and the lamp table too, if she likes...but if she

passed these will be available right away. I get lots of requests for long low coffee table so I'm

sure I'll be relieved of it shortly one way or another!

Just look at those lovely sculpted legs. Anybody know who manufactured these? (Edit:

Vintage Hunter ID'd these for us!) I've seen them around here and there but I've never seen

a tag attached. There was a real nice Danish Modern style dining set with a china cabinet at

the sale too but I just didn't have room (or the extra $$) to bring it home. There were some

other good items there to be had and I got my share and I'll be sharing them with you soon

but I left plenty behind. There was a great stereo console that worked but had finish issues

on it's lid. I also left (but it did get snapped up before I left) a nice little Danish style end

table / night stand. It was a good sale...well worth getting only a couple hours sleep!

Sometimes The Girlfriend Gets In On The C-List Scavenging Too. She Snatched This Swirly Globe Light A While Back. Status: Wants To Be Lit!

2012-02-16T03:03:00.000-06:00

We got so much cool stuff that just sits around gathering dust that it's embarrassing! As I recall the Girlfriend spotted this on C-list and asked me what I thought. It looked like a good deal to me so I said she should go for it! She did. We got it. We actually used it for a while when we were down in Tower Grove East (South City, St. Louis). But now, it's just been sittin' there....juuuust sittin' there.

So I dragged it out and cleaned it up a little (oh the dust...the shameful dust!) to see what kinda

trouble I could get into with it. Well, if I'm gonna mess with it, I'm gonna shoot it too! So I set

the camera up as well to share all my crazy ideas with youz guyz. Above it's just sittin' on a

little lamp because I didn't really feel like actually wiring it up but I did want to show ya how

pretty it is when illuminated. It looks like the Sun!

One idea I had was to set it on a hairpin leg plant stand. So I did. Hmmm...kinda interesting

but I'm not really feeling it. You? Note that it would not have the brass base of the lamp that

is inside it at the bottom of the globe if I were to actually go forward with this crazy plan.

Still....maybe not.

This little plant stand was picked up at the flea market some time ago. Ain't it a neat little plant

stand? It needs to be cleaned up and repainted but it's solid. It's been buried out in the

Garage for a while and I thought this was going to really be a match made in heaven. Again,

hmmmm....kinda interesting but I'm not feeling it. And yeah, there's that little lamp sticking out

the bottom again. I think I'll stick with putting plants on the plant stands.

And hears the little work horse lamp! pretty cool little lamp don't ya think? It was just a couple

of bucks from the Value Village thrift store and in great shape. The base isn't as great as some

of those with the little tripod wood legs and although the shade screws directly to the top part

of the base, I have to wonder if the bottom part is maybe a married piece. A married piece

that...again, kinda interesting....but I'm just not feeling it.

While I Was At Work Today I Got An E-mail From Mr. Modtomic Reader "Johnny!". He Needed An ID On This Great Bentwood Chair And I Was Glad To Help. Status: But That's Not All!

2012-02-15T02:28:00.000-06:00

Right, Johnny! (you might recognize him through his comments here on the blog) sent me a couple photos this afternoon while I was at work hoping I might be able to identify this really nice chair he had. I recognized it right away! Kodawood! I don't have any information on who designed it or anything but these are very popular chairs and are highly sought after.

Turns out this chair was snatched up from another scavenger Waaaayyyyyy out in the far west

county on the other side of St. Charles. Johnny!'s pop spotted this jewel at a Sanford-n-Son

type place apparently in a pile of trash! He called Johnny! to take a look who knew trash

from treasure and the chair was had for just a few bucks. After a number of e-mails I

discovered that Johnny! is no slouch with a handful of sandpaper and stripper. Not that kind

of stripper....stain stripper. Get yer dirty mind outa the gutter. He totally broke this beauty

down, stripped and refinished the frame and shells. Talk about a good eye, remember...he still

doesn't know that this is a genuine Kodawood Clam chair! It's just a cool bentwood chair that

he thought was nice enough to breathe life back into!

Then he and his pop redid the upholstery. His plan was to go with real leather by scavenging

the thrift stores for a nice leather jacket to use as a donor but that turned out to be more

difficult than he thought. In the end he and the old man dropped in on a Joann Fabrics to scam

on all the ladies workin' there...not really. They went to procure a nice piece of remnant vinyl

that looks great. His dad used to work for Ford in Hazelwood (Not too far from the

Modtomic Ranch!) during the eighties in the cushion room so Johnny! had a good head start in

the reupholstering effort. The old man took care of the piping (using Johnny!'s grandmother's

sewing machine! Three generations effort!) while Johnny! took care of the reconstruction and

recovering aspects. Looks like there was a lot of work and a lot of fun had taking care of this

great chair!

I wish there were more before pics to see. It's hard to think about taking those pics when you

start a project like this since we get so focused on how good it's gonna look when it's done!

Johnny! has inspired me to ad an E-mail contact to my blog for anybody to ask a question or

submit blog material. This started out as just a quick question and quickly turned into me

begging for more pics and any info he cared to share! I asked Johnny! if he was going to flip

this chair but he said it's a keeper. I don't blame him. He has a great story and probably a

good memory in rescuing this chair with his dad...AND a cool vintage modern chair to sit in

and show off! What do ya think...did Johnny! do good?

As Promised: South County Antique Mall - A Quick "Tour". Status: Delivered.

2012-02-14T03:25:00.000-06:00

I knew I'd find it! This is the Herman Miller / Eames table that I failed to get a picture of at the shoe store "estate" sale last week. Ahhhh...my work is done. What? You wanna see more? It isn't enough that I drove to the complete other side of St. Louis to get this picture? Well...there was some other interesting items at the South County Antique Mall...I realize that acronyms out to SCAM but I assure you that the mall is not!
Sure, there are some dealers who aren't concerned with the thrifty vintage modern buyer but

ain't nobody getting scammed. There are almost always good deals to be had, but it's usually

the better informed or educated that is on the good side of the deal. I can't stress this enough.

Knowledge equals Time equals Money. Pick any two! Anyway, enough preachin'. Let's

have a quick look around and see what kinda cool stuff lurks at this HUGE antique mall.

These daybed sofas seem to be pretty popular with the vintage modern buyers. I recently sold

a matched pair of them that I had in the spare bedroom. They weren't this nice though. I

didn't fully inspect the white vinyl for flaws but it looked pretty nice to me. Crisp and clean.

Now wouldn't this glass chip art piece look lovely hanging just above that white daybed sofa?

That is some classic retro artwork. Somehow this gives off a Polynesian vibe even though the

lute is like a Renaissance or Egyptian instrument. I guess you could put together an Egyptian

retro kitschy themed room around it! I just like glass chip art.

This is a genuine Preway cone fireplace. I say genuine because I own five cone style fireplaces

and not one is a Preway! And Preway is one of the big names in these fireplaces. Malm is the

other. You can still buy a new Malm...if like you are just itchin' to kill that checking balance

you've worked so hard to build up. The other really cool thing about this piece is that it's small.

It's like a 3/4 scale version of what I would say is the standard size fireplace! It's got to be

rare, right? I didn't even look at the price since the seller had attached a fact sheet about

Preway fireplaces to the item. Knowledge equals Money!

Now you know that if there is some Russel Wright to be found in an antique mall Mr. Modtomic

is going to suss it out. I've pretty much got my fill of the Stubenville line but this plastic stuff is

starting to piss me off. I only see little bits and pieces of it here and there! I don't buy it because

I'm afraid I won't be able to find enough to complete even a basic setting for four. And really,

that's the whole point of collecting it, right?

Oh, and speaking of collecting dinnerware...check out this rather comprehensive set of Red

Wing Lute Song! Uh...WOW! And yes, the asking was also appropriately WOW, but the

booth did have a 40% off sign up. Even so it would still be slightly upwards of four Bens. I

really....really like this set. I'm trying real hard to justify NOT going back and making an offer

on the set. I'm fairly smitten with some of the Red Wing lines such as Bobwhite but it's

always priced out of my comfort zone and I NEVER see it at estate sales or (heaven forbid!)

thrift stores. Ugh.

Both the Girlfriend and I loved this little walnut tripod bowl / stand, and it was available for a

good price, but we just couldn't see a place for it in the house. We passed on it but I can't

imagine it sticking around for long. It's just too cool...and it's a locally produced (Ozark Walnut

Bowl) piece of vintage modern ephemera!

This has to be the prettiest Wagner Magnalite aluminum roaster I've ever seen. It looks like it's

never been used. Actually I think it looks better than that, it looks like it's been polished up all

nice! I have a weakness for Wagnerware, be it the cast iron skillets or the aluminum sauce

pans. Even so, I had to leave it behind. I'll find mine at an estate sale some day. I can wait.

This is a nice example of an Eames Lounger knock off but I'm not sure what to say about the

asking price. I don't know if I am just underestimating the market for such an item and perhaps

these are growing in value rather rigorously. I'm not trying to be a know it all or hurt anyone's

feelings or anything like that but am I wrong in thinking that even the best example of a knock

off like this isn't a $1,200 item? Let's take a poll! Where are you from and what does an

Eames Lounger copy (chrome steel base like this one) generally go for in your neck of the

woods? 'Round here I'd say the average is maybe $250. I've picked up one for $75 and

passed on a second for the same the same day. I've seen one had for $10 at an estate sale

recently. I've seen them sell for upwards of $500 on eBay. I don't generally like to talk

numbers like this but maybe I need to learn a little something!

We Took A Quick Trip To The South County Antique Mall This Afternoon. Found A Pair Of Under Appreciated Vintage Modern Lovelies. Status: Love When That Happens!

2012-02-13T00:54:00.000-06:00

No, they aren't Knoll and definitely not original Groupo Australs but they are still great vintage modern knock offs (of which there are ba-zillions) of the Hardoy Butterfly Chair. Stuck in a booth way in the back hidden behind a bunch of utterly incongruous antique mall fare, they were the bargain of the week. Happy as a clam was I to free up a good amount of booth space for the seller! Why am I writing like Yoda?

There's not a lot of information about identifying a genuine Knoll or Groupo Austral chair from

the torrent of knock off copies that came after their introduction 1940. Seems as though the

Knoll chairs were delivered with a leather seat sling and I think the rear uprights had a subtle

inward bend at about the top 5 inches. I have no doubt that these chairs are just a pair of the

millions of copies but that's quite alright. They're Vintage copies!

The pair was priced so cheaply that I had to check all the welds for breaks and the canvas for

holes and tares! None were found I'm happy to report. One frame has been poorly repainted

and the other is covered in surface rust though. These will be easy to clean up and will look

great again with a couple coats of black semi-gloss or bright white.

We actually only went to the antique mall to see if I could locate the booth that I thought would

have the Herman Miller / Eames conference dining table that was purchased at that shoe

business close out sale about a week ago. I finally found it...after looking through almost the

entire antique mall...and making the lucking find. Pays to be persistent! There were some

other cool items of note at the mall as well. I'll share those with you tomorrow. Meanwhile,

anybody aching for a pair of Butterfly Chairs for their upcoming mod patio season? Get 'em

before I drop them on my ad!

Got Out This Afternoon And Did A Little Shoppin' With The Girlfriend...Even Though It IS Cold And I GOT A Cold! Status: Brought Home BOXES Of Stuff!

2012-02-12T04:41:00.000-06:00

...Three boxes of stuff to be exact. Shoes, that is. Spotted the Vans (I'm a child of the '80s, Vans are the coolest, hands down) and decided to pickup two pair since they were closeouts at $30 each pair. Needed some cushy, comfy trainers for work since I'm on my feet ALL day, walk to places downtown to get my dinner and never use the elevators. I hate coming home with achy feet so I splurged on the Adidas (also very cool. See: Run DMC) which were also closeout but still about $15 more than a single pair of the Vans. "Shoes?", you say. "When did this become a clothing horse blog?!"

Just Kidding!

Here's the REAL thrift booty! But yes, I did in fact go to a shoe store...with the girlfriend...and

buy shoes...and she did not. Weird. The other weird thing? Went to Five thrift stores before

hitting pay dirt this afternoon. I was about to throw in the towel, but I figured that, what are the

odds of finding NOTHING if I just keep going until ALL of the thrift stores are closed for the

evening? My plan finally worked...but I don't recommend it's implementation.

I love this GE electric frying pan so much I bought it twice (I have a duplicate!). But, uh oh...

what's that? I guess I shoulda looked a little closer at the power cord, huh? That ain't gonna

work. At least with that cord it ain't. It's a little hard to tell from these photos but the lid is that

cool pinkish copper color.

Picked up a great little vintage Royal Haeger candy dish. I actually have a couple other pieces

in this finish. I'll have to gather them up and do a posting on those as well. What do you think

that is? A golden artichoke? Hey kids, wanna piece of artichoke candy?

Awe yeah! Now all I need is a velvet painting of a puma or a kung fu guy or something! Nice

right? This doesn't really fit with the danish kitty collection but I just couldn't pass it up.

Another addition to the Tiki mug collection! I actually found this yesterday at the Goodwill. Is

that cheating? The pair of aluminum candle sticks look like Ikea to me, but I won't hold that

against them. I'm sure someone will need them. Check out the little Witco Owl! Also picked

up Friday. I am cheating aren't I? Oh well, at least I remembered to title this posting (unlike

yesterday)! It was the cold and the drugs!

Holy Crap. I Forgot To Title This Post! Hmmmm...Looky, Mod Art! Status: I Was Ill, Swear.

2012-02-11T02:31:00.000-06:00

These four pieces weren't recent finds. I've had them for years. Funny looking back now how I can see the phases of availability of various styles at the thrift stores. I hardly ever see this style anymore, which sucks...cuz it's one of my favorites! Maybe I'll stop being so lazy and try my hand at making my own pieces inspired by this style.

If you look closely at these you notice that first of all, they are indeed prints. I ain't got no fancy

originals...not yet anyway. The thrift gods haven't been THAT good to me! But second, and

more interestingly, the subjects are represented by what appears to be a mosaic of different

veneers of wood. How cool is that...or well, would that be if they weren't just simple prints?

They's still purdy.

Bernard Buffet is the only artist of this type that I've ever heard of. Paillava? I can't find any

info on the web at all. Love the style though. What would it be called, Geometric

Expressionism? I think that might suit it.

Again, artist Moret 62. Not much info out there. Surely these artists produced originals, right?

Well of course. You can't have a print without an original. I'll happily stick with these if I don't

ever stumble upon an original. But then again, maybe I'll start making my OWN originals! Who

wants an original M. Modtomic '12?!

C. Miller Pottery Circa 1957. When I Found The First I Wondered If I Had Scored Big. By The Time I Found The Second I Realized I Had Not. Status: Loved None The Less.

2012-02-10T01:15:00.000-06:00

These coffee warmer carafes by C. Miller (1957) are so utterly representative of the late '50s! Slightly atomic, sorta kitschy, imminently useful and totally beautiful! Oh wait...I forgot easily collectible...'cuz they ain't worth the millions of dollars I had hoped!

Sometimes it just don't matter what your collectibles are worth, worth being so ephemeral and

subjective. You can't walk into hardly any retro shop without tripping over an Eames Shell

armchair for $350 but just try to find five of these for sale...and you can't even warm your

coffee in an old fiberglass chair! It's cool though, I'll keep buying these up for the couple ten

bucks or whatever (I think I got the first one for like $4 at Value Village) and then someday

everybody will realize how silly awesome these really are and I'll have like a million of them...

ready to dole out...to support myself in my old age.

Ain't it totally cool to see that these have been used! There's a burned down candle in each of

the bases. Cleaning up the spent wax off the outside of them this morning before shooting was

kind of a chore. But nothing but the best for you guys! I should be sponsored by Bounty paper

towels and Goof-Off heavy duty cleaner. Instead, I think they are sponsored by me.

I've seen two other styles of these carafes. One is like the blue and black one but mostly brown

and the other is a lot like the pink and brown one in shape but the blocks of color are more

defined. Finding these with the base seems to be difficult. You can find a few of the decanters

alone places like eBay and etsy. I almost picked up another a while back but it's base was

broken and glued back together. No thanks. Plus it was just like the blue one. Like I need a

duplicate...with a broken base. I ain't got enough broken stuff?

Anybody else have one of these? Where are all of these hiding? Who the heck is C. Miller?

Questions questions questions. Who else needs a hot cuppa joe?

Another Compilation Of Chair Posts. It's Stupid How Many Chairs I've "Gone Through"! Status: The Next Ten

2012-02-09T03:10:00.001-06:00

Awe...those of you who are new to Mr. Modtomic's blog may not recognize Kennedy. He was our kitty for many years (more so in the Girlfriends case as he was around before I was) and we had to let him go to the big catnip field in the sky last year. It's still a little heart wrenching to see pictures of him unexpectedly. He was the best cat ever. But even so, the Girlfriend is chompin' at the bit lately to get another. So that this chair is up next, with Kennedy posing rather proudly, is kind of a coincidence!

This Overman Swivel Lounge "Pod" chair was a great craigslist find. It wasn't a super bargain

but it was priced fairly. I drove out just at dusk to meet the seller and procure it. What I didn't

realize in the dark was that it was covered in pet hair! It was pretty easy to clean up and

eventually it was taken to New Orleans on one of our many trips to the Big Easy and presented

to a new owner there. This happens a lot. I almost always take a load of this stuff with me to

New Orleans. There are those down there who love that I do this and probably some who

hate it (my ads get flagged pretty hard).

I think I picked up this somewhat conservative lounge chair at the St. Charles Goodwill or

maybe Salvation Army. I can't remember. Shoot I didn't even remember the chair at all until I

re-read this posting! The chair came home with a bunch of other items that were probably

culled from both of those "traps". It didn't stick around long. It's solid construction, simple lines

and firm cushions helped it find a new home quickly.

These Knoll Bertoia side chairs, like the Erik Buck barstools, where long in coming to the

Modtomic Ranch. I had been pining for a set of these so much that I had been considering

bidding on various sets on eBay. Then I spotted a set of "patio chairs" on the Kansas City

craigslist and they were about 1/3 the price (maybe less) than what I thought I could expect

to pay on eBay. Sold. A road trip was in order! A long, wet, rainy roadtrip. But I finally

got my set of Bertoias!

Ah, the Panton "S" Chairs. These caused a little bit of controversy here on the Mr. Modtomic

blog. The seller had listed the four chairs on craigslist @ $25. It was difficult to discern if the

seller meant $25 each or for all. I assumed it was each and (ostensibly) offered $125 if they

could drive and meet me half way. An over offer never hurts your chances when a seller gets

multiple e-mails. So yeah, I got them...and that really pissed somebody off!

I spotted these Knoll Eero Saarinen Executive swivel rockers in a picture in an ad for a

conference table. They didn't come cheap...at least by my standards, but they are superior

quality executive chairs. I'm sitting in one right now. I still have all six that I bought. They are

still available on my craigslist ad. I don't understand St. Louis sometimes. Oh well, some day

the right person will see them and just have to have them!

The four Herman Miller / Eames shell stacking chairs were traded to me along with an amazing

console stereo for the Broyhill Brazilia desk that currently (at least I think) resides at Dan's

amazing home. He really wanted this desk! I kinda wish I had kept the Shell Chairs! Eh, it all

works out in the end. These chairs have made their way on to a new owner in Columbia Mo.

OK, so maybe these aren't technically "chairs", but these are some sweet vintage modern bar

stools! I haven't any idea who made them or if they are designed by anybody important. In

fact, I've never seen any very similar to them at all! I think these will be available on one of my

ads shortly as they have been usurped by the Erik Buck bar stools! They have served me well.

Nope. These Thomas Moser dining chairs were not purchased and never made their way home

with me. I didn't even know what they were when I spotted them at the Peavely Flea Market

that day. I just knew that they were obviously of superior quality and workmanship and that I

better get a picture or three of them to take home so I could do a little research. I went back.

They were of course gone. Boy did I have a sad. :(

Well, since I found our Broyhill Brasilia dining chairs and the rest of the set, it turns out I didn't

need no stinkin' Thomas Moser dining chairs...yeah, I know...whatever! Still, I'm more than

happy with our Brasilia dining suite. As a matter of fact, it probably would take a Thomas

Moser dining set to crowbar the Brasilia set out of our dining room! Check out this before

and after upholstery post.

I picked up this nice vinyl and walnut lounge chair from another craigslist ad. I also ended up

buying some really nice tables that the seller had in the garage too. They were just trying to

clean out some "old" stuff. I was happy to help! This has made it's way to a happy new home,

though as I recall, we had to take it all apart to fit into the new owner's car...while it was

raining. No worries, we were under an awning down at the Frozen Yogurt shop where I

meet buyers.

So there ya go! Ten more great seating choices that have come and gone (mostly) through the

Modtomic Lily Pad! I hope you've enjoyed this little look back and maybe you've discovered

a posting that you missed before or maybe because you are new 'round these parts. This time

we got up to about 400 post ago! Whew, we are moving right along!

Only A Few Times In One's "Picking" Adventures Does A Fella Come Across An Acquisition Such As This. Status: A Little Stunned.

2012-02-08T03:40:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week (last weekend actually) Nickarmadillo of Mid-Century Midwest snapped up a great Herman Miller slat bench for next to nothing (even with over offering / paying). I have to say I was a little bummed as I too had fired off an e-mail after seeing the ad (and also over offered) and realized the seller had no idea what they were selling. Well...Sunday brought blue skies again as these popped up on the list while I was poking around on my phone sittin' in the Mr. Chair.

I won't lie, I almost peed my pants when I spotted the ad. I've been hoping to find a set of

Erik Buck barstools for about 4 or 5 years! I won't crush you with the asking price of the set

but I'll give you this: I didn't make an over offer...I just called the number listed, showed up at

the door, looked them over and calmly (ohhhh...it was so hard to be calm!) calmy handed the

seller EIGHT TIMES THEIR ASKING PRICE. They didn't even blink. They didn't ask why

or anything. I simply explained that they can consider it a tip and that the stools were worth

much more. I grabbed them up, carefully placed them in the back of Frank and drove home

all giddy with excitement!

Now understand this, even though I gave the seller WAY more than their asking price I paid

nowhere near the $500 - $600 these would cost on eBay...never mind 1stDibs. Still, I feel

like my Karma is well in order. The seller had a big grin on their face when I left...almost as

big as mine! They surely thought me mad. "What kinda idiot pays MORE for old junk we

just had sittin' out in the garage?" they must be thinking.

Farm Fresh. It's a term pickers use to describe an item just pulled from a barn or out building.

Usually these items would be covered in dust, rust and spiderwebs. Well, these barstools didn't

come from any farm or barn but they were apparently stored out in a south city garage which

would technically be an out building as the garages on the south side are butted up against the

alley and not connected to the homes. Then there's all that dust, a little caked mud and yes

spiderwebs! Definitely Farm Fresh!

I first encountered the Erik Buck barstool when I was researching my three danish style

barstools that we are currently using here at the Modtomic Ranch / Lily (her name...we name

everything) Pad. While I love the barstools we have, when I found pics on the web of the

Erik Buck models...well, I was smitten. Finding these is better than when I found the Bertoia

Diamond chairs, though those definitely have a better story attached to them. I've been hoping

to find a set For FOUR or FIVE Years! It's called patience...it's a virtue.

Oh...oh my...look at that. That my friends is Rosewood. Don't you just love how it contrasts

and yet compliments the frames made of...uh, what...Walnut? I'd guess Teak but Teak is

notoriously hard on tools and these aren't hand crafted as much as mass produced. But then

again...most of those on the net that do list a wood type list the frames as Teak. I can't guess.

They cleaned up nice but the seats still need some more attention. I only had about 20 minutes

to clean these up before shooting them for the blog this morning. Not nearly enough time to

clean the seats properly. Can you imagine...these were just left out in the garage until last

Sunday. Then the stars all lined up just so...and they got rescued. I bet this morning was the

first time in decades that they got the kinda love they shoulda' been gettin' all along.

Only one still has it's original label. Oddly the manufacturer deemed it necessary to apply the

label not to the wood frame where the adhesive could get a good purchase, but to the fuzzy

bottom of the seat? Huh? Go figure. Now comes the hard part...keep or flip. Seems to be one

of the bigger questions these days. It's so hard to let my babies go!

This Will Be Our Third Lamp / Table In The Modtomic Ranch. Where Oh Where Shall I Ever Find Room For It? Status: Ridiculous Bargain!

2012-02-07T02:58:00.000-06:00

We brought this slinky little number home from the Green Shag Market yesterday. The funny thing is that it was in a booth that had absolutely nothing else like this in it! Let me put it this way...we had to excavate the lamp from a baker's dozen Hummels that were displayed on the glass table. But it was bought sans lampshade.

No problem. I have a couple sitting on less appropriate lamps hanging around the house.

Problem is, I can't decide which one will crown this jewel. Both are of vintage modern status

but one is maybe more '60s and the other is more '50s. The single tier seems a bit more in

keeping with the rest of the lamp but it has a brass edge along the top and bottom. Also it sits

kinda low and covers some of the beautifully sculpted upper end. The two tier sits perfectly

and looks great but is perhaps a little bit dated compared to the mod glass table section.

I might be able to remove the brass edging from the single tier and I might be able to reshape

the spider to show a little more "leg". As you've probably guessed, I'm leaning that way. What

do you think? Can this mod vixen pull of a more vintage hat?

At first glance I thought this was a contemporary lamp that had somehow stumbled into the

antique mall but looking at the details showed the signs and wear of age. Also the socket is

lined with paper. I'd have expected it to be made entirely of plastic if it were new. Do they

still make sockets lined with that sepia colored paper?

The other detail that gave me a little pause was that the bowl is made of plastic, not milk glass

as it looks to be. It has a little crack but it's not bad at all and it isn't structeral and it can't be

seen with a shade on. The seller must have gotten this for free or something because I paid a

thrift store pittance for it! Score!

Green Shag. What Image Does That Conjure Up? Take A Stroll Through The Green Shag Market And That Image Will Be A Smile In The Mirror! Status: New Venue In Town.

2012-02-06T03:42:00.000-06:00

Everybody ready for another Shop Tour? It's not really a shop as much as an antique mall, but it's a good one. It's one that seems to try and cater to the vintage modern collector. Bully for us!!!

Once again the STL is lucky enough to have another great place to get your vintage retro hunt

on. Yes, the Green Shag Market is still an antique mall and there are plenty of venders there

dealing in the common antique mall wares but there is a very nice percentage of sellers pushing

the Retro, Mid-Century, Danish Modern and the like.

I'm not gonna bore you with commentary on each individual picture or item. Let me just say

that there is good stuff to be had here. Actually there were lots of customers carrying out lots

of stuff while I was shooting these pics so some of what you are seeing here is just gone! I'm

sure it'll be replaced by even more good stuff though.

And prices? Well, you know me. I may be Mr. Modtomic but, I could just as easily be Mr.

Cheapo, it just doesn't have the same catchy ring to it...anyway, even I was compelled to bring

something home. You'll get to see that another day. It was a good weekend to be Mr.

Modtomic!

The place is located on Manchester Blvd. (5733 to be exact, St. Louis, MO 63110 [314]

646-8687) and is easy to find from either Hampton or Kingshighway, but it's closer to Hampton.

It's in an industrial area that hasn't been redeveloped so even though the building's facade has

a really cool subtle mid century look, you might not see it right away. If you pass it, turn around

and park it. You won't be sorry. Plus, we really have to try and support places like this. They

gotta make a buck to keep the (really cool and such a great idea) sliding front door open.

Holy cow...I took a lot of pictures! I've been through some of the largest antique malls in

Missouri and Illinois. Never have I felt the need to take so many pictures to show you. I

think this speaks volumes for what a buyer can expect here. Like I said before though, the

stuff was movin'. I'm expecting a high turnover here so dropping by while out "checking my

traps" should become a regular thing.

The Green Shag Market has only been open for a few months but almost all of the booth

spaces were occupied. I only saw one "booth" that was empty though it may be rented and

the seller just hasn't filled it yet (there was a ladder in there with a price tag on it).

The owners of the mall were putting the "hard sell" on Mr. Modtomic to rent a space and sell

his wares there. What do you think? Could the Mr. make a go of it in an antique mall? I let go

of a couple of items about every two weeks on craigslist, would I sell that much more in an

antique mall? Hmmm...

If I was ever gonna test my lil' wings and stick a toe outside my warm nest this is the antique

mall I'd probably want to set up in. It's got a good mix of antiques, vintage, vintage modern

and contemporary. The location might not get a lot of drive by walk in traffic (then again,

maybe it does...ain't like I took a poll) but the mall does have a good looking home page and

does make it's presence known on craigslist and facebook, whatever that is. It seems to be

working.

Ok, I just gotta say something about the beer bottle swan. Awesome!

Looks Like George (Comments, Yesterday) Sussed Out That This Is A Herman Miller "Chicklet" Sofa Tout De Suite! Did I Make It THAT Easy? Status: Needs A Good Cleaning.

2012-02-05T05:28:00.000-06:00

Is that a sexy back side or what? Please disregard the dollies. It was misting all day today and I wanted to get some natural light pictures of this beauty designed by Ray Wilkes, but I didn't want to put it on the wet driveway. It's just so Pop Art cool! I've got to figure out a place to put this in the house that shows off this angle, don't ya think?

You might remember back in November of last year that I attended the Ivey Selkirk modernism

auction where there were a pair of chicklet chairs being sold. They weren't quite my cup of tea

because of the upholstery choice and since they didn't sell (lot was passed, estimate was at

$500 - $700 for the pair) I assume the other buyers felt the same way. I'm glad I waited and

my patience paid off!

I arrived at the sale (estate, ostensibly) yesterday only about 40 minutes before opening time

and was still first in line and had my choice of items. Like I said yesterday, this was actually a

consolation prize as the Eames / Herman Miller dining table was just a little to pricey for my

comfort. I took the Girlfriend back over to that sale late this afternoon to see what was left

and pick up a couple half off sundries. She managed to find some cute shoes for cheap and

some office needs for work I picked up a pair of nice Altec Lansing computer speakers. The

Knoll task chair and Eames / Herman Miller desk were both gone. I'm kinda glad since I don't

really have any need of them and even less room to store them.

Obviously this sofa (love seat?) needs a good cleaning but otherwise it's perfect. There aren't

any rips, tears or worn areas. Cleaning it up should be pretty easy since it comes all apart.

That means I'll be able to get all the crud out from between all the seat cushions and armrests /

sides. Dated 1979, that makes this sofa 33 years old. It's excellent condition testifies to the

quality of materials, design and workmanship of Herman Miller products. There is a reason

that new Herman Miller products are seemingly so expensive...it's because in 30 years (likely

in 50 years, even) they are probably going to be as good as new like this!

Friday Morning Estate (???) Sale. Picked Up A Little And Left Some For Others. Status: Different / Good.

2012-02-04T04:51:00.000-06:00

I hit one of the strangest "estate" sales this morning before work. It wasn't so much an estate sale as much as a business cleanout, but I still managed to do pretty good and so did a few others. I picked up one Big score but passed on a Herman Miller / Eames Segment Base conference or dining table that a fella who came in after me snatched up.

The Miller / Eames table was my target at this sale and I thought it would be priced a bit more

conservatively. It was right up front and almost the first thing I walked past...yet somehow I

managed to fail to take a picture of it before the new owner had it out the door. I know where

it's headed (I talked a little while with the buyer) so I'll probably get a chance to shoot it again.

Anyway, check out this crazy sale!

That's right....shoes. Tons of shoes! I didn't look at any of the shoes or prices so I can't say...or

really, even if I had, couldn't say if there were any bargains to be had. It's not my field. But even

those display cubes that the shoes are sitting on are for sale and those WERE a bargain...

especially if you are a flea mkt. vendor have a shop. Sometimes you gotta think outside the box.

I didn't buy any of those but I did pick up a few display items which you'll be subjected to soon

enough.

TONS of rolling shoe racks. That's what you see above to the left. There were even a couple

of shopping carts available. Virtually EVERYTHING was for sale! I love it. I even considered

buying one of the shopping carts. I don't know exactly why. Maybe to take with me to the flea

markets! Need a super sized dining table? Get yourself a giant conference table like this. You

could have a couple of families over for your holiday dinners! I could almost use that table in

the garage to double up some of my storage space.

I passed on this Knoll vintage modern (1979?) Bruce Hannah and Andrew Morris office chair

even though it was an amazing design from a well known manufacturer. It was a little chipped

up along the front of the armrests and I had already pulled the trigger on too much other stuff.

The combination of more $$ and trying to stuff it in Frank gave me pause. I might go back

tomorrow to see if it's still there...and maybe see if this desk below is still there.

Again, I had already dropped a good chunk of change and had a pretty full car so this Eames /

Herman Miller desk didn't make the cut either. It wasn't pricey at all but I just don't know if

there is a market for this style. Just because it has the names doesn't mean it's coveted by a

wide market. The sale had a number of very high quality side chairs available and I was

surprised that they weren't being snatched up quickly. The two above to the right were very

solid and had really nice upholstery.

Unfortunately, these three tubular chrome side chairs above were sporting damaged upholstery.

They have a beautiful and cool mod design but they look like they'd be hard to recover. That

office / task chair though...that is a nice one. It has a great Restoration Hardware look to it.

Plus, it looks like an easy reupholstering project.

Then there's this. This is what took up the bulk of Franks hauling capacities this morning! I've

already done my research and know what it is and who designed it and all that...but can you

figure out what it is from this intentionally obscured photo? Sharpen your IDing skills and show

off to all your friend by being the first to comment with the correct name and designer of this

fine piece!

Yesterday I Visited The Value Village Just Down The Street. This Sunbeam T20B Was All I Brought Home. Status: Bright And Shiny!

2012-02-03T03:44:00.000-06:00

Yep, another Sunbeam Automatic toaster! I know, I know...I already got lots of these. I just can't help myself. They're just too pretty and I can't believe all toasters today aren't as advanced as these. Just drop your bread in and walk away...no lever to push down. Did I mention it's automatic?!

And since this late January / early February is turning out to be Spring...well I decided to take

my camera and the little T20B outside for some beauty shots. Starting out at $22.50 in 1949,

this '52-'56 version couldn't have been considered a bargain when new, but look at how nice

this still looks. How many new small appliances are in our kitchen that we can count on looking

this good in 60 years? I haven't tested this one yet but I have a couple others that I know still

work just fine and haven't needed to be repaired...at least not by me when I got them.

A buddy of mine who worked for a company that serviced the machines I operate at work got

me started with these particular toasters. He knew I collected "retro" ephemera and mentioned

that his sister had gotten a toaster from his mother's estate that he had always admired, him

being mechanically inclined I can understand why...even though he didn't care so much for it's

vintage status. He asked if I had ever seen one and described it too me. Of course, it wasn't

long before I had 2 and ended up giving one of them to him.

Since then I've gone through at least a half dozen of these. I've held on to a couple for myself

and sold the others. Not everybody recognizes the pure engineering genius of this toaster but

those who do will pay a premium for these upward of $100 on sites like eBay. Of course, if

you have the patience you can pick one up on eBay for as little as $20-$30 too! Or like me,

scour the thrifts and estate sale kitchens and basements for your very own.

So You Demand A Danish Modern Look But You Have A Hankerin' To Play Some Honky Tonk Piano? Better Get To Value Village Quick! Status: You're Covered.

2012-02-02T03:28:00.000-06:00

Mr. Modtomic can't really play the piano to well but he can play a little by ear. But this piano might be too far gone to be a "playing" piano anymore. It might just be a good "looking at" piano if it makes it out of this Value Village at 770 N Us Highway 67 Florissant, MO 63031.

I poked around inside this rare danish modern style Winter Piano and it looked pretty

rough. The tuners looked rusty and it looked like some "strings" were missing. I know that

even having a piano TUNED isn't a cheap endeavor so I can imagine having one rebuilt

must be ridiculous. But then, maybe there is a musician with a soft heart and some

mechanical skills out there who just can't stand the idea of this rare beauty heading off to

the landfill.

I'd bring it home myself but I know it would just sit out there in the Garage collecting more than

it's own weight in dust before I got around to doing it justice! They either just got it in or

someone actually bought it since I didn't see a price on it anywhere. I'm guessing it just came in.

There isn't a big market for iffy pianos out there is there?

Whoa...This was $875 when it was new back in what...1965? Plus the freight and the bench...

that was almost a cool grand. Keep in mind that a 1965 Ford Mustang could be had for about

$2500! Hmmmm....how much is a new Ford Mustang? Looks like a cheap one will run you

about 10 times the '65. Could this mid century modern piano be the diamond in the rough

you've been hoping to find? It was still at the Value Village this afternoon.

One of the two items above is not still available at the Value Village thrift store. Can you guess

which one came home with me? The Dormeyer deep fat fryer? The Sunbeam Radiant Control

Automatic toaster? Both are pretty cool. All the fast food french fries suck anymore (well,

White Castle are still pretty good) so having a counter top deep fryer would be great. No more

microwave Jalapeno Poppers! But I do have a thing for Sunbeam toasters...yet I already have

three of these sitting on a shelf. Which is it? Which one made the cut?

Yesterday's Post Made Me Think About How Many Chairs That Have Made An Appearance Here. Let's Look Back! Status: It's A Lot...And That's Being "Chair"itable.

2012-02-01T03:28:00.001-06:00

This chair was not only the first chair to be featured here at Mr. Modtomic...it was the first post EVER! I'm creating this post as I write so I don't even know how many chairs I have featured and I don't know how many I'll review in this particular post. Click through to find out how many made it!

Yep, this great danish style barrel side chair was the very first item to be featured here on the

blog. I about couldn't get the chair up to the cash register and out to the car fast enough when

I found it at the St. Charles Salvation Army. The chair was later sold and sent to Chicago for

somebody's daughter.

Then along came this beautiful Selig "Z" chair. It was posted on the Springfield Mo. craigslist

by Funtiques Market antique mall. Small world story: I ended up meeting the seller of this chair

again a few months ago at an estate auction that was just down the street from me! Thus far this

is still the nicest chair I have...but not the most comfortable. There is no nap taking in this chair.

These "Pod" chairs were advertised on craigslist and we stopped by to see / buy them on our

way to the Belleville Flea Market. There were four of them together and we used them often

for extra guest or party seating. They were really light and comfortable. The set got split up

and sent in different directions and are now all gone.

This task chair reupholstery was my first feature of a before and after. This chair was very high

quality. It rolled and swiveled so so smoothly. It was a nice first project to get my feet wet in

reuphostery work. The "new" fabric was actually a panel from some drapes that I got at a

thrift store. I still have the other panels and have even found a few more at an estate sale!

These beautiful bentwood and chrome steel Pagholz / Royal - Royalmetal chairs just left my

collection this evening...to the same guys who bought that coffee table from Gus (at

Vandeventer Vintage) last weekend. Small world! In another twist of small world irony...I

bought the Pagholz chairs FROM Gus myself way before he opened his current shop or his

former shop in Soulard. Weird.

Ah...the OMC, Original Man Chair! This was another craigslist find. It was super cheap as the

seller just wanted it gone and the seam between the fabric seatback and the vinyl headrest was

split. It was an exceedingly easy fix. I just had to sorta "skin" the chair, re-sew by hand the

seam and replace the upholstery upon the frame. It took some time but it was worth the effort.

The chair was saved and served me well during it's time at the Modtomic household.

These two Knoll Bertoia Diamond chairs were a "freestyle picking" score. I found them on a

porch in East St. Louis Il. while we were on our way to the drive in theater in Belleville Il. The

sad part? There was only the two and the seller told me that their former employer had given

them about a dozen or more that they had sold at yard sales. ::sob::

This pair of Douglass fiberglass shell chairs were bought at different times. I got the first at the

St. Charles Antique Mall and it isn't labeled. I posted about the mystery of who made it and

a reader, Kim, came through with the second chair which I also purchased from her! Now I

have a pair and I love them. What I really need now is a matched pair of bases for them.

Unfortunately I don't think the mounts are the same configuration as a Herman Miller / Eames

shell chair or I'd get some Eiffel bases for them!

This was my second real "designer" chair find, the first being the Bertoia Diamond chairs above.

I had to do a little reluctant haggling before I was able to bring this ever so stylish piece of

seating home from the Belleville Flea Market. It's identification was a mystery until some

information gleaned from Jonathan Goldstein revealed it to be designed by Kipp Stewart and

Stewart MacDougal for Winchendon Furniture. Except for the pics of another on Jonathan's

blog, I've never seen another like it. Anybody else? I oughta drag this out to get appraised at

an Antiques Roadshow some day!

This amazing Googie Orange Slice or Clam Shell chair was found on craigslist and is still one

of the Girlfriends favorites. I gotta admit...looking at these pics, I too harbor a great admiration

for it's kitschy lines and retro vinyl upholstery. I have from time to time tried unsuccessfully to

sell this and a pair of other (nearly) matching chairs. I'm glad to still have them to this day.

Well, that's the first ten. I think that's enough for one post. I'll drop some more another time.

Note that these Ten chairs or chair sets were all from only the first 45 posts. I've got another

500 posts to sift through! Yikes.

Well, This Has Been Out In The Garage For A Long Time. I'd Love To Re-cover / Reupholster It, But... Status: Time To Let It Go.

2012-01-31T04:10:00.000-06:00

This was the first step on my ongoing journey to falling asleep in my very own Eames / Herman Miller lounge chair and ottoman. I had big plans for it too. I've even got some great upholstery fabric to make it all pretty and comfy but I'm so fickle and newer "Man" chairs have come and gone. I think perhaps it should be moved along.

It's super comfortable. It rocks and swivels. It's kinda ugly with the brown vinyl but it's

got tons of potential! It's been out in the Garage since we moved in. Embarrassing to say

but it had already been relegated to the basement before we moved here. It was replaced

by the Man Chair, then the Baughman recliner and then by the current Mr. Chair.

Lots of people mistakenly identify these Homecrest chairs as Bertoia chairs. It's easy to see

why with the steel wire construction. It does look similar. These are mostly built for patio use

but I don't think these pieces have ever been anywhere but indoors. The vinyl on the seat is

cracking where the pattern is embossed but it isn't even noticeable when there isn't anybody

in the seat. It can actually be used and would look fine as is.

There is a broken weld on the chair somewhere but I forgot where and I failed to look for it

earlier today. It's not anything noticeable. It doesn't poke the person lounging or anything.

The chair, a Model 97 rocks and swivels smoothly. The ottoman, a Model 170 is sturdy and

solid. These pieces were featured in the 1976 Homecrest Casual Furniture catalog.

I'm going to be adding this and a number of other pieces to the ads sometime this week. It takes

me a little time to get around to updating the ads since most of the time I'm just spending keeping

them up on craigslist...and you know, blogcasting daily...and putting in my 40 at work (Oooo, a

40 at work...wouldn't that be nice!). The flagging is kinda nuts these days. It's all good. It don't

cost me anything to repost ads.

New Vintage Modern Religious Architecture Feature. Status: Makes Ya Think.

2012-01-30T03:51:00.000-06:00

Have you ever noticed that some of the wildest, most adventurous, least conservative architecture of the 1960's was religious in nature? My particular neighborhood is rife with very liberal looking houses of God. I'm starting with the King's Crown of Mod Religious Architecture here in St. Louis. The Catholic Center building on Lindell Blvd.

Of course I love this building. It seriously smacks of the Supreme Court building and much of

the other architecture of Brasilia Brazil, and much of the furnishings of our home!

We were over at the Girlfriend's Mom's house for brunch this afternoon and this building is just

across the street. It was such a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I had the camera with me so I

decided to shoot some pics of the building...before the Archdiocese decides to tear it down

too, as it did to an amazing building just up the street.

But I digress. I can't really complain. I didn't go out and picket or anything. I didn't even

know that it was coming down or pay too much attention to that particular building until after

it was gone. Ain't that just how it goes? We can't hardly appreciate anything good until it's

gone. I get the feeling this is safe though. Looks like it's in continuous use.

It's just so incongruous next to the cathedral! What happened in the '60s? Seriously!

Churches were just sorta run of the mill Gothic looking buildings until the 1960's, right? And

don't get me wrong...Mr. Modtomic loves him some Gothic cathedrals with all their flying

buttresses and amazing dark ages engineering.

Nice vintage mod artwork and other details don't ya think? That giant inlaid mural just inside

the front door reminds me of the decoration on the Metlox Freeform dinnerware. Even the

door pulls are amazing.

The building has been here on Lindell since 1961. It's getting a little grey around the temples.

Looks like the surrounding patio could use a good tuckpointing. I apologize for the midwinter

photo shoot. I really wish all the plantings were blooming instead of dry and dead. Please

check out this B.E.L.T. blog posting for more pictures and more info about the building as well

as many more modern building keeping it company all along Lindell Blvd. I'll be tossing in a

post here and there featuring some of the super mod churches around here as I get around to

shooting them. Maybe I'll get lucky and be able to get some interior shots as well...you know,

to better showcase the stained glass!

Wanna Do A Little Shoppin' With The Mr.? Gus' New Shop - Vandeventer Vintage - Is Up And Runnin'. Let's Take A Peek Inside! Status: Lousy With The Goods.

2012-01-29T05:01:00.000-06:00

The Girlfriend and I FINALLY got down to Mid-Town and had a chance to peruse Gus' new shop Vandeventer Vintage on...wait for it...Vandeventer Blvd. Keepin' real...and real simple! Won't you join me on a little tour of the new facilities?

You might remember Gus' old shop that was located in Soulard from this post last year. He's

changed location and just barely gotten open but is still showing signs of great taste.

There's no shortage of case goods in the shop. Floor space was at a bit of a premium though!

It gets kinda scary scootching around trying to position the camera for shots when things are

tight. Gotta be careful cuz I don't wanna be bringing home stuff just cuz I broke it!

Hey Dana, ask the SIL if he recognizes the

(totally awesome!) three legged tub chairs

on the right! Gus was telling me this story

about an auction in southern Missouri he had

attended recently that had a load of Brasilia

that he lost to a buyer with Texas plates.

I put 2 & 2 together and remembered this!

For everybody else...according to Gus,

they are currently, as of 01-28-12, available on eBay.

I wouldn't get tipsy in these or things might

get...well, tipsy. Of course I gotta show

some Scandinavian kitty love. See that

Lane Perception coffee table on top of the

other surfboard coffee table? It's gone.

A buyer made off with it while we were

hanging out talking. People were coming

and going. Stuff be moving. Word. Gus

said sofas move quick so if you find yourself

digging this long vintage modern unit to the right

you might want to head down there quick!

You'll find a good variety styles, from retro to contemporary modern, as well as price points.

Looking to find a bargain? Bingo. Wanna drop some bank? You Sir or Madam, are covered

as well. The Heywood Wakefield desk was in what I consider bargain territory. I didn't check

out the price of that amazing George Nakashima style slab coffee table but I bet it would

require some bank!

Of course I can't shed a little light on Gus' new joint without shedding a little light on the lamps.

Finding great lamps can be a pain. That's why shops like Vandeventer Vintage (and my craigslist

ads...ahem) exist. We don't mind doing the legwork. Heck, we kinda like digging through thrift

store after estate sale after flea market...all so you don't have to!

Then, of course, as with Gus' previous place there is the basement. Let's take a little look down

there and see what treasures we can turn up. There's not nearly as much down there but then...

who wants to drag a bunch of stuff up and down those stairs? Too much like work. One must

prioritize floorspace and I'm thinking anything going into the basement would have to me light

and easy to move.

I guess I'm the only one who thinks this way. Those dining sets look plenty heavy to me. I

KNOW the oh so killer red and black planter is pretty heavy. I had to drag it out from behind

the blond dining set to get a good picture of it. If only I could keep plants alive...I'd so have

dragged it on up stairs and out to the car.

There were a number of loose single chairs hanging out in the basement too. Don't hesitate to

check out the basement when you stop by. Gus will remind you that it's there but don't let

yourself get distracted and forget. You'll likely find a bargain down there, especially if you can

do a little refinishing or paint work yourself.

At this moment the shop is only open on Friday and Saturday 11am - 6pm. It being a mostly

one man operation, he has to allow himself time to find, clean up and arrange (and even set up

shipping sometimes) all this glorious booty. I'm sure he'd show items by appointment as well

and since he's handing out cards with a phone number on it I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I gave

it out here.

So if you maybe can't make it by on a weekend during normal hours you might wanna

give Gus a call at 314-652-1437. The address is 1437 S. Vandeventer St. Louis Mo

63110.

Two Vintage Wooden Purses Via The Girlfriend. Status: Babe Boxes.

2012-01-28T04:32:00.000-06:00

Weird, right? But they are kinda cool. I think we picked up the white washed one at an estate sale, sans the Betty Page embellishments. I came up with that bright idea and started messing around with it's implementation one evening long ago. The "babes" on the second, woodstained purse came with it.

The pics I put in the little frames on this purse were just printed on a cheap printer on cheap

paper and were not meant to stay. I just wanted to mock up what it would look like with some

cool Bettie Page pics in there. I never did get around to finishing the project (gasp...really?).

I'll get to it...some day. I think I kinda had to talk the Girlfriend into wanting the purse to begin

with. As purses go, I think it's got a great Rockabilly Chick vibe going for it.

Looks like a couple of earrings got forgotten in it. Check out the fitted mirror and classic tweed

patterned cloth interior. Gosh, I sound like I'm selling a car or something! As you can see I

only got around to fitting the front three frames with pictures. It was a lot of work trying to find

the right picture in the proper arrangement (landscape / portrait) and then resizing it to fit the

frame and printing it off. I could probably do it a lot easier now that I've had a bit more

experience with photo editing.

So then we spotted this sorta doppelganger at the thrift store and my first thought was "spare

parts!" I think the Girlfriend has caught my "three's a collection" bug though. We haven't spotted

a third yet for me to test my theory...so it remains a just that, a theory. Those three face shots

on the end are eyebrow raising. Kinda scary a little bit. Someone really wanted to show of

their kid!

It's not quite as fancy with just a stain for a finish and just red fabric and a round mirror inside.

No leather clasp either. But that's the thing about thrifting...beggars can't be choosers. You

buy what you find or just leave it behind. It's kinda neat that they both still have their tags

intact. And they both still work. No broken hinges or clasps. But without a shoulder strap, I

don't know how useful these really are. There I go thinking like a guy though. I know...I get it...

I mean, how "useful" are 4" stacked heels? I really shouldn't know what stacked heels are

should I?

A Very Special Episode Of Mr. Modtomic. Need Some Fine China? Status: Come-N-Get-It!

2012-01-27T04:53:00.001-06:00

Mother Modtomic gifted this very pretty set of Sone China (Japan 1964) to me a few years ago I think because A. She knew I'd like bamboo motif, and B. They didn't really fit the style of items she sells in her antique mall spaces. Unfortunately I never warmed to the platinum or chrome edge. Too stuffy for my taste, so in the same spirit that the set came into my possession I will be pass these onto one lucky reader!

So here's the deal...you got a nice china cabinet but lack that special set of fine china to display

and only bring out on Thanksgiving and the like? The first person Who Has Purchased From

Me In The Past to leave a comment below Gets This WHOLE Set For Free! The lucky winner

must pick these up here within 3 weeks, I ain't shippin' or holding them for you forever.

It's a very nearly complete set for Eight. It's missing all but one of the saucers and it needs one

more salad plate. The sugar bowl lid is cracked and repaired. There are plenty of serving

pieces and other than the sugar bowl lid, it's in very very nice condition. All of these missing

pieces can be found on eBay or Replacements.com of course.

It's the shiny finish I think that puts me off. It's just too formal for my devil may care style! But

it sure would look sweet in somebody's china cabinet needing a nice matched set of dining and

serving pieces.

It's just been collecting dust out in the Garage in a cardboard box and it's just to beautiful to

suffer a fate like that. I could sell it, sure. It'd be free money! But I think I want to reward

someone who not only has relieved me of some other item but is also a loyal reader of the

blog...and is quick! Leave a comment below and we'll work out the details via e-mail later,

hopefully this weekend.

Can't Find Those "Just Right" Barkcloth Drapes? Look To Space Age Synthetics! Status: Stylishly Modern.

2012-01-26T04:28:00.000-06:00

I don't find cool drapes often at the thrift stores but when I do I don't bother measuring or looking for small holes. Oh sure, I'll unfold them and see what we have but I don't think I've EVER put a set back.
These four panels are tall and narrow. Enough for two tall windows or, with a little work, for

short windows! It's a shame that, unlike barkcloth, these really can't be used for upholstery.

You could make throw pillows out of them but they aren't going to be very comfy. It's best to

leave these for their intended use.

I just love the mod pattern. I'm gonna say this is an architectural / garden print. These drapes

won't block much light. They'd be great for a window in front of a sink in the kitchen.

Unfortunately I haven't got a window in front of a sink in either house! 0 for 2.

I've got another set similar to these in the spare bedroom filtering the light coming through the

very tall, very skinny front windows in that room. They were a set of two panels that were

intended to be used on one window but since I don't need to ever "open" the drapes on these

windows, I just used one on each window. Ta-Da!

Tube Powered Webcor Record Player. Warm Sound From Warm Electronics. Status: Not Just Pretty...It Works.

2012-01-25T03:54:00.000-06:00

This little beauty was sitting neglected in the basement of an estate sale a couple years ago. It was filthy and kinda hidden under a table and didn't really look like much but something about the stance...the little scamp had me at hello!

It's a Webcor Allegro and it don't play no MP3s and it ain't got no I-pod dock. There's no

WiFi or Bluetooth or digital anything. It don't even got an RCA output. Too bad, I'd love to

plug it into my PC to record my LPs using those wonderful tubes! The tiny and very old

speaker just couldn't be doing justice to the sound of vintage vinyl but it does indeed work

and it's fun to play.

I'm not sure if the finish would be called simply Blonde or Limed Oak. I have a Limed Oak

dining set that this highly resembles. Check out that speaker cover. That's not speaker cloth.

It's actually a woven caning. Nice. Doesn't the shape of the unit have a Jetsons look to it?

Kinda makes ya wanna throw on some Miles Davis and have a record listening party, right?

Even the Webcor Allegro logo inside the lid has a Googie look to it. This a really mod unit man

even though the record player is so old school. It has 33, 45 and even the archaic 78 LP

speeds. The two potentiometers that control the volume and tone on the outside front of the

player had knobs that were not in such good condition so I replaced them with light knobs

from the hardware store. I still have the originals though...for reference, just in case I one

day want to track down some that more closely resemble the originals.

Sunday Late Afternoon / Early Evening Thrift Scores. Status: Nice Smalls

2012-01-24T03:04:00.000-06:00

I stopped by a couple of Goodwills on the west side (St. Charles area) on Sunday after making a craigslist run and managed to procure a few little niceties! Wineglasses, Salad Fork-n-Spoon and Dip Bowl to match my Chip Bowl!

Am I crazy for thinking any glass with etching on it like these is vintage? I mean, these otherwise

would be just regular ol' wine glasses, right? But it's hard to find wine glasses that are obviously

vintage and look cool, so when I found these Sunday they were joining their brothers and sisters

in our collection of barware. Oh, and isn't that wine holder cool? It's not vintage as I'm pretty

sure it came from Pier 1 and you can still buy them new, but I did get it cheap at a thrift store a

short while back. It's actually kinda useless as it only holds one bottle of wine. Unless you are

drinking alone one bottle ain't really gonna be enough. But I guess it's nice to display a special

bottle. The St. James (local Missouri winery) Velvet Red ain't really special...it was just

convenient to reach.

I got the chip bowl a while back at one of the antique malls down on Big Bend. I just got

it because I have some glassware that kinda matches with the same colors. But then I spotted

the matching Dip Bowl at the Goodwill! I didn't have a huge haul Sunday but finding a

matching piece kinda made up for it! What are the chances?

Lastly, I picked up this killer Salad tossing set! I'm pretty sure these are pressure formed walnut.

They look unused. One of the little decorative tabs was painted black inside the teardrop

shape but it was chipped a little and the other one had no paint at all so I used a Q-tip and some

Goof-Off to remove the rest of the paint and made them match. All told? $3.60. Oh snap...

Sherlock is starting on Masterpiece Mystery / PBS. I'm wrapping this up!

Snnniiiiifffffff...Mmmmm. Smell That Cedar! Need A Place To Keep Those Wool Blankies Away From The Moths? Status: Just In.

2012-01-23T00:09:00.000-06:00

There is a small (41" wide) area between our fireplace and the outside wall of the house where we have our TV. It's really the only logical place for the TV in the room. Right now the TV is sitting on a round blond coctail table that is also supporting a 400lb "fatback" 36" Sony HDTV that gave up the ghost a while back. The new TV thoroughly hides the old TV so it's been that way for a while, but I'd like to someday find just the right case piece to replace the coctail table and get rid of that old TV.

I really thought I had it this time. I got this beautiful Lane Perception cedar chest this afternoon

and it's so close. If it was about an inch or two less wide it would fit right in the space. Looks

like nobody made any case pieces 40" wide which makes a certain kind of sense...3 foot plus

another half foot is 42". Who's gonna make a cabinet at 3' 4"? That'd be just weird!

Like, wouldn't that little drawer be a great place to keep the remotes? And one could cut a few

holes in the back or bottom (I know...perish the thought!) in order to house audio / video

equipment. I have this remote thing that will let me hide my remote controlled items completely

out of sight. And one of these days, when I find the right item, I'll finally get to use it!

So for the moment this Lane vintage modern cedar blanket chest gets to keep being a blanket

chest! Look inside at that cedar. It looks to me like the cabinet is made of cedar with a walnut

veneer. Wouldn't Cedar be the more expensive wood? I'd think they'd make the cabinet out

of walnut and put a veneer of cedar inside. Oh well, that's the quality of older furniture!

Ok, I give...what is that little drawer on the bottom for? I haven't got a clue. It looks like a

silverware drawer or something. It's lined in green felt. Is that a clue? Maybe for golf tees, balls

and gloves? I got nothin'. I mean, this is supposed to sit at the end or a bed and store blankets,

right? So it has to be bedroom stuff...I think. Anybody?

In Town For The Weekend? Need To Find A Cool Watering Hole? May I Suggest The Way Out Club? Status: Rockin' The South Side.

2012-01-22T04:36:00.000-06:00

The Way Out Club in South St. Louis (2525 South Jefferson Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104-2307) is one of the best places to see a good punk rock band or a high energy rockabilly show while getting your Pabst Blue Ribbon on. I don't get down there as often as I used to but The Way Out is still at the top of my list of cool dive bars here in St. Louis.

The Way Out Club started out down on Cherokee Street just across the street from where

Momoderne's new shop is. I was dragged there by a band that I was trying to join (never

panned out) and was imediately smitten with the joint. Soon after they moved the Way Out

to an easier to find location near the corner of Jefferson and Gravois. This was previously

the Palms as the still lit neon sign outside attests to, but is now the home of the fabulous Way

Out Club.

Owner operator couple Bob and Sherri have been pouring it on since Way Back in '94. They

have built not only a great bar and venue for local and national touring acts but a reputation for

being excellent hosts to hard working talent and the hard drinking locals. They are some of the

friendliest folks you'd ever want to tip for their time and effort! Don't be affraid to introduce

yourself and tell 'em your story. You'll have a friend for life.

Yeah yeah yeah...it's not the Pageant (in U-City) but the stage is plenty high so that you can see

the band even when the house is packed. The sound is adequate and is usually at least as good

as the band. The house gets the job done. The room is an odd mix of cafeteria, museum and

rock venue. Your first time will at least partly be spent just looking at all the vintage stuff all over

the place! It's the kind of place that makes me want to order drinks by their proper name...like

a Greyhound for my buddy Kevin and a Sloe Gin Fizz for the Girlfriend.

Additionally, there are two semi-separate rooms at the Way Out Club (as well as a small

amount of outside patio up front in the warmer months). It's great if you are just looking to

hang out with your friends and have good conversation since you can sit at the bar and the

band won't be so loud and you don't have to concern yourself with being rude by yelling over

them. You can even sit at one end of the long vintage bar and still watch the band through the

large door between the two rooms. I think that they still serve Pizza or some sort of food. I

know I've eaten there before but it's been a long time.

::Sigh:: Why are all the cool places on the South Side? I'm way up in North County and it's a

long drive home after having a few cold ones. If you happen to hear that the Trip Daddies are

playing there drop me a note. Maybe I'll be able to attend and we can have a drink together!

Uhmmmm....If What I Read On The Internet Is To Be Believed, This Is A Burke Chair! Like The Famous Tulip Burke Chair "Burke"! Status: Huh?

2012-01-21T03:16:00.000-06:00

These were actually bought by the Girlfriend many years ago during our early years as a couple and our first adventures in attending estate sales. I actually didn't think too much about them either way. She liked them so we brought them home. They were in continuous use for several years until she moved up here to Florissant.

When we moved her up here to north county we had to break these "safari" style vintage

modern chairs down to aid in packing the moving van. Unfortunately they got stuck in the

Garage and have been languishing there ever since. Oh...and we have a pair of them! I only

had time to clean one up and re-assemble it this morning since I had to meet a buyer who

relieved me of the Pale Blue Vintage Modern Armchair featured some time back.

Looking around the web this late evening / early morning I've come to find information

stating that these chairs were made by Arkana in Bath United Kingdom and that they were

designed by Maurice Burke. Most of us know of Maurice Burke by just the name "Burke"

and associate it with a particular type of "Tulip" dining chair / dining set made by Arkana. The

Burke / Arkana dining chair looks very similar to the Saarinen / Knoll variation except that

the Burke base is a four footed "X" base instead of a circular base. The Arkana and Knoll

tables also look very similar except perhaps the Knoll "neck" looks a little more delicate.

There aren't any Arkana markings on the chairs as far as my limited perusal has been able to

come up with but these chairs are a dead ringer for all the others on the web that are tagged as

Arkana / Burke. I'll admit, before looking around for info on these chairs I had always assumed

that the label "Burke" was the manufacturer of the Tulip style dining sets! I'm always learning

new things here.

This particular example is the lesser of the two we have. It was a 50/50 shot at which I was

gonna pull out of the Garage this morning. You'll notice that the armrest band has become

unattached at the top of the front right leg. I'm hoping to pull this apart and repair this issue

soon. I don't think anything is really broken. I think the screw has just pulled though the band

that is covered in vinyl. Easy fix I'm sure. I don't think these chairs will become available any

time soon. The Girlfriend really likes them and after cleaning them up and giving them a little

Howards Feed-N-Wax love, they are kinda growing on me too!

Oh Wow, I Forgot I Had This! It's A Nice Little Danish Style Stool In The Manner Of Hans Wegner. Status: ESB From Last Summer!

2012-01-20T03:16:00.000-06:00

I forgot all about this little danish stool! I got it at an estate sale last summer. It resided in the living room for a short while but at some point it made its way into the garage and well...out of sight, out of mind.

It was sitting on top of something or another that I had to move last Monday when I had to pull

out that Heywood Wakefield table and chairs to get some pics of it for a possible new owner.

It's not in A-1 condition but it's not so bad that I'd pull it all apart either. I think a little selective

use of super glue might help tame those stray pieces of rope. It's structurally sound so I don't

really see a reason to get too crazy with any "restoration" ideas!

There are no markings on it but it looks a lot like a rocking chair and a pair of folding chairs

that were all marked "made in Yugoslavia" that I used to have. Don't the sculpted taper legs

just look lovely? I have a feeling this will be on my c-list ads soon. I don't have time right now

to update them (just got home from having a birthday drink(s) with a buddy!) but maybe if I

can find a few minutes this weekend. Sorry if I haven't been prompt in getting back to c-list

inquiries. Work has been busy and I've been doing some OT and other stuff has taken some

of my time. I try to answer everyone as soon as I can.

The Buffet Is Long Gone But They Didn't Want The China Cabinet Top! Status: Mmmm...Leftovers!

2012-01-19T03:12:00.001-06:00

This china top was left behind by a couple who drove down from Minneapolis about a year and a half ago to pick up a Brasilia bedroom set. They snatched up the bottom half of it to use as a TV stand I think and didn't have a use for this. I had seen plenty of these on the web paired up with short legs to make nice curio cabinets so I was happy to keep it.

I find little tables and whatnot with hairpin legs all the time at estate sales and have a lot of

them just sitting around in the garage so I thought I'd slap a set of them on the Broyhill Brasilia

china top.

Well, the idea is sound but these legs are maybe a little too tall. Once I got the china top up on

them it didn't look quite right. It looked better once I got it up against a wall so maybe it's fine as

is but I also have a shorter set that are currently attached to a not so sturdy bench that I picked

up at the Wentzville flea market last spring. I've offered this up to fellow bloggers over at Living

Analog since they posted the other day about wanting just such an animal, but if they don't act

fast I'm going to put a shorter set on it and put all of our DVDs in it!

Only thing is...I wish it had doors all the way across the front. The areas on each side aren't so

useful for storing things you need to be able to access. I'll have to just use that area for display

and use the center for DVDs. Not that there's anything so wrong with that. I've got plenty that

needs a good place to be displayed! Plus then I'll have all that area on top to put a few ashtrays

or something.

While Out Monkeying Around In The Garage Monday I Pulled This Out And Realized I Might Never Use It Again. Status: Straight To My Ads.

2012-01-18T03:52:00.001-06:00

I picked this up YEARS ago and I used it in the spare bedroom for a while. Extra stuff migrated to the spare bedroom and the little table made its way to the garage. I pulled it out in order to unearth another item and decided it might be time to put it on the "list".

I picked this up when I picked up the original "Man Chair" years ago. I answered an ad for the

chair (it was super cool in that "first class TWA 1960s" sorta way) and the seller almost MADE

me take this little table too. They threatened to toss it if I didn't take it as I recall.

Oh no...that just wouldn't do! I believe I gave them a few extra bucks for it for Karmic sake.

It's a great little table and I think it may be a home made project or a mail order kit. Something

you'd buy out of the back of a Better Homes and Garden or Popular Mechanics.

It's such a cool little table that even as I'm writing this I'm having second thought about giving it

up! It looked so good in the spare bedroom. I really do need to clean that room out. Maybe I'll

put my new Broyhill desk in there too and use that as my "study" where I can knock out these

posts without being so distracted by the TV....and refrigerator, where the beer is.

It Was So Freakishly Warm Out Today That I Just Had To Finally Drag This Heywood Wakefield Dining Set Out And Shoot Some Pics. Status: Pretty But Distressed.

2012-01-17T03:18:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been getting inquiries via my craigslist ads wondering if I might have this or that. Usually I don't and will try to help them find what they are looking for if I have the time, but sometimes I actually do have what they are looking for and just haven't ever gotten around to shooting pics of it for my ads. This Heywood Wakefield dining set is one of those items.

I got an e-mail a few days ago asking if I might have a drop leaf table measuring less than 30"

when closed. I've had a pretty full week with working overtime and other less pleasant things.

Then I attended my Grandmother's funeral this weekend. But today was a perfect day to finally

get out in the Garage and photograph some of the nearly forgotten items that I didn't get around

to shooting when I got them.

This is one of those crazy magic tables that can go from seating two in a small kitchen (only 27"

when closed up) to unfurling its two leaves to seat four very generously, to spreading out to a

full 83" (very nearly 7'!) perhaps seating up to eight. It's super solid for being approximately 60

years old. Heywood Wakefield was built to last a lifetime...or three. The finish is well,

distressed. It could easily be used as is. It's not so rare a piece that I'd be embarrassed to

simply sand and paint it but it would look so great if it were to be properly refinished. Looks

like a job for A Modern Line. I so wish we lived closer. I'd love to have a place to take all my

Hey / Wake for needed attention!

The table is either an M989G from 1954-55 or it's an M1549G from 1956-66. I can't see a

difference between the two. I failed to get under the table and look for the ID number as I was

in kind of a hurry. I wasn't sure how long the nice weather would hold out. Since there were

likely so many more of the M1549G made, I'm going to guess it's that. It's a good looking table

with those Googie looking legs and simple rectangular top, don't you think?

There four chairs are also available with the table as a set. I hesitate to label them "rare" but I

can't find any pictures of them using Google Images. They are Heywood Wakefield M577A

side chairs from 1952. They too are pretty solid for their age. They too could benefit from a

dose of refinish love. The upholstery is in good shape and doesn't necessarily need to be

redone but since there is quit a large swath of cloth seating surface there, they make for a

great canvas to show off your own style. Wouldn't these look great in nice atomic barkcloth?

So there ya go, if you are looking for a serviceable dining set that you can keep in a small space

for intimate candle lit dinners and transform into a large banquet set for family gatherings, shoot

me a note via my craigslist ads. I can hook ya up!

I Failed To Take The "Real" Camera With Me Yesterday, But Here's Some Crappy Phone Pics. Status: Left Behind

2012-01-16T04:00:00.000-06:00

Ugh....I hate relying on my phone for pics. It's just not cut out for it. These new phones are great at most everything and having a camera built in can be a God Send but using those pics for anything but a quick reference is a drag. But it's what I had. And I wanted to share this booth with ya!

I immediately grabbed the two Metlox Poppytrail Aztec tea cups above but put them both

back since one had a substantial crack in the side. They were priced reall good too as was

most everything else but I don't need a single. I would have grabbed up all that Metlox

Poppytrail Navajo if I hadn't found all that other stuff that I featured yesterday. There were

all sorts of Partial Sets in this booth space. It looked like somebody raided all the boxes in

my Garage!

This sugar bowl was sitting with the rest of the Canonsburg Temporama that I DID buy. It

unfortunately had a couple of chips. The chips were on the back side but it was priced a

little too high for the damage. I love this Pink / Charcoal Scots Clan by Stetson China set

but I couldn't bring every stray home I came across. I had to leave some for others to

stumble upon.

Isn't that a killer vintage A-Bomb lamp? The seller certainly thinks so! That's about what I

think it's worth though. The booth was half off but this lamp was not included in the sale. I

don't blame the seller at all. If they have a house full of retro and this lamp didn't make the

cut...wow. I'd love to know what was kept! And how about the space age coffee carafe /

warmer. Hard to leave behind. And who doesn't love a stretched out orange slag glass vase?

If it had been a few bucks cheaper I would have taken much better pictures of it...here at

home with my Real camera!

We Made A Little Road Trip This Morning And Of Course We Stopped At An Antique Mall. Wanna See What's In The Box? Status: Take A Look!

2012-01-15T03:04:00.000-06:00

We stopped today at a couple of antique malls just off the highway south of here near Cuba Mo. We didn't find anything note worthy in the first but found a booth full of all kinds of good smalls in the second. The Girlfriend spotted the booth first and said something like "Oh Sweety, you're gonna like this one."

Not a bad little box of stuff, huh? All but the Russel Wright pitcher came from one booth that

was full of some of my favorite patterns. I left plenty behind too. This seller totally had my

number! The cashier said the seller had a house full of retro too. Hey Seller, if you're reading

this let me know! I wanna check out your joint!

I know, more Russel Wright? I can't pass up a good buy on Russel Wright. This was $30

(in excellent condition). That's more than twice what I paid for my other pitcher but still way

less than the going rate of approx. $75 and up. There was another short teapot with lid (also

in Chartreuse) that I think was $40 and well worth every bit of that but I didn't snatch it. Then

there were four plastic teacups and a saucer by Russel Wright that I also left behind, because

there were three blue ones and one yellow one...and then only one saucer. I just don't see

those often enough to feel confident that I could build on that collection. It would just gnaw

at me.

I've already got a pretty good setting for Four of Franciscan Autumn and actually already have

Eight of these teacups but Two of them have some slight imperfections. With these additional

Four I now have a great set of Eight total. Now I can start building toward a setting for Eight.

These were Half Off as were the Two sets below.

This is a weird lot of plates but again, the lot was Half Off and so the price was right. At least

around here, one does not turn their nose up at an odd lot / windfall of Salem Northstar when

it is presented. Can one ever have too much Northstar? Hmmmm...maybe.

Until today I've only had one piece of Canonsburg Temporama. I found it at an antique mall in

Cave City Ky. while on vacation there last year. It too was had at a bargain price. I've had it

available on my craigslist ads for a while but I might just have to take it off and start a proper

collection of this pattern as well! Yeah, more dishes to collect. Just what I need.

Some Folks Might Think That I'm Omnipotent And That I Snatch EVERY Cool Thing / Amazing Deal On Craigslist. Status: Not So. (Another Year End Wrap Up)

2012-01-14T02:39:00.000-06:00

Swing and a Miss! "solid wood and in excellent condition. It has a hinged drop down desk." This was only a Hundred Bucks! I called and COULD have had it but I stupidly passed on it because I had had a busy weekend and probably had bought a bunch of stuff at an estate sale or something and the unit was one piece. It would have been hard to get home. Like I said. "Stupid" Look inside for 9 more near misses!

"The only reason I am selling the set is because I recently received the Eames lounge chair

as a gift." Wha??!!?? Must be nice! Again, just a single Benjamin ($100). I think I e-mailed

about the set and just never got a reply. I'm sure it sold as fast as the seller hit the "publish"

button on craigslist. Ain't that a beautiful set? All ya need is a white Persian kitty to sit on your

lap as you contemplate world domination.

Finding a good looking sofa table is hard. Check out this one. It listed for the grand sum of $10.

"Works great behind a sofa or in an entry way! Only reason I am selling is because I am moving

out west and need to downsize!" Don't know how I missed this one. Now I has a sad.

I was in lots of contact with this seller but we never seemed to be able to connect. The marble

kinda turned me off a little but I still liked them. The two pieces were $50. I shoulda tried

harder! Lane?

"Set of end tables, good condition $10.00" Ok...so these weren't exactly local but there was

another set of tables near where these were and if I could have gotten them all it would have

been a coup! I didn't get any of them. :(

This was the other set of table that were near where the above set were located (Columbia Mo.

area). "2 end tables brown oldies solid - $30" I'd have been happy as a clam to drive a couple

hundred miles and drop $40 for all four of these gems! It just never materialized.

I know I kinda bag on the Lane Acclaim tables but..."COFFEE TABLE AND 2 END

TABLES - $25". They had me at all caps...no wait...I mean $25. But alas...these were had

by somebody else.

Only one picture but it got my attention. But in the text: "6 drawer dresser, very big. Light oak

finish, 2 end tables with it. Excellent shape". That's right...a pair of end tables (mayhaps

nightstands?) and all of it for just $200. Again in Columbia Mo. I love when I read "but I live

in a rural community and there's never anything good on our craigslist". It's not so, it's just not

as much fun to keep searching since it doesn't pop up very often!

Sure, it was just a knockoff but it's still a beautiful Isamu Noguchi design. I would have happily

had it for the asking price of $50. Listed just as "Coffee table - $50" with "Great shape must

see." as the text. This is a good example of why you can't just search "mid century" or "danish

modern" to find the deals. Still...I missed it.

But the one that makes me really grit my teeth? It's not the dining table and chairs with original

upholstery...or the china hutch and commode like Dan's...not even the buffet / bar / server (I've

already got mine!)...no. No Sir-E-Bob. Look closely at the pictures of this fine Broyhill Brasilia

dining room suite.

Do you see it? Are you all "WTF is THAT?!?!" like I was? There...on the far right of the last

photo. It's some sort of Brasilia glass shelf curio. I've never seen one before. I spotted this set

early last year and fretted over it being so far away...Papillion, NE...which is an 8 hour drive

one way from St. Louis. I coulda done it but damn...that's a long long day. It turns out I know

the guy (in KC) who bought the set, less the little shelf. He said that the shelf sold separately

for $300...BY ITSELF! I can't remember what he told me he payed for the rest of the set but

it was all listed (with the mystery shelf) for $1500. Not a bad buy. I even e-mailed the seller

asking if they could send me pics of the crazy shelf. I got nothin.

So you see, even I miss out on the occasional killer deal...but you gotta be quick and vigilant

(or lucky!) if you wanna beat me to the good stuff! See ya on the "list".

I Kill Plants. I've Tried...I Really Have. I Don't Have A Brown Thumb. I Have An Defoliant Thumb. Status: Plastics...The Plants Of The Future!

2012-01-13T04:07:00.001-06:00

Oh...looky, all those fake kitties wanting to eat the fake plants. What is it with cats wanting to eat plants, fake or otherwise? Our former kitty would even try to eat the tinsel off our Christmas tree.

We couldn't have any real plants when he was with us because he'd just chew them to bits.

Not that it matters. I tried years ago to keep some house plants alive and killed some right

away while others lingered helplessly for ages before succumbing to either too much water

or not enough. Or was it too much sun...or not enough...or some torturous diabolical

combination their of.

Luckily a bunch of dinosaurs died about a million billion years ago and gave us the miracle of

plastic. Try as I might, I just can't kill these guys! They need so little...just a little dusting every

so often. These (and a few others that I'll show you another time) were all rescued from

various basement "rumpus rooms" via estate sale purchase.

I've also got a similar "plant" that fits into this amazing atomic style plant stand. This just has

so much going for it. I love the swirly drizzle paint. The "rocket ship" style base. The walnut

legs. What's not to love? Another estate sale find. I got all these Waaayyyyy back when...

when the girlfriend and I used to get up in the morning and hit a dozen or more estate sales

before noon. Most would have nothing but we always found something good. Law of

averages!

Just A Few Things That Found It's Way Into My Hand Last Weekend. Status: Thrift Goodies.

2012-01-12T04:56:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post. It's late and I've had a long day. Worked 11 hours and my Grandmother passed on today (well, yesterday...Wednesday). Not an easy day. So I'm gonna make this a quick one.

These are just a couple of things that found their way home with me this last weekend. I found

this great printed drape panel at a Value Village thrift store for just a couple of bucks. I looked

and looked for a matching panel but it just wasn't there. Oh well, I figured I'd figure out

something to do with it.

Pillows? It's a nice linen so that'd be nice. The pattern repeats it's self four times going up the

panel. Maybe I can get four pillows out of it. Sounds like a job for SuperModtomicMom. I'd

just make a mess of the whole endeavor.

This is the set of pillows that gave me the idea. I think they came with a sofa or something, or

maybe I got them loose at an estate sale. I really can't remember. They are super looking but

slick to the touch since they are made of a synthetic. The linen will be much more comfortable.

I also picked up a set of small coffee cups that will match both my Salem Biscayne and Salem

Northstar. At Fifty Cents each from the goodwill I just couldn't leave them behind. It's how a

big healthy set of dinnerware gets built...on the cheap!

More From Royal Haeger Potterys. Same Shape - Different Finish. Status: Three's Company.

2012-01-11T03:22:00.000-06:00

I do love me some Royal Haeger! After seeing a large collection of this line in the brilliant orange at a now defunct retro shop on Cherokee Street's Antique Row many years ago I was hooked. I started picking up a piece here and there at thrift stores and estate sales. Then I spotted the line in this finish. Sweet. I could keep buying without collecting duplicates!

I find collecting small items from a line like this so much fun because I don't usually find them

all in one place at the same time. Actually, that wouldn't be any fun at all! I enjoy the hunt. It

always starts with a single piece bought solely for it's aesthetic qualities...and maybe hoping it's

worth a bit more than what I'm paying for it.

Finding a second piece of a specific line is always a surprise to me and gives me such a charge

because this means there's more out there to find! That's when the fun really begins because

now I'm on the hunt. I can actively search the pieces out and do research to find out what else

there is to find.

It seems like a few years ago I was finding a piece of Royal Haeger about once or twice a

month. I haven't come across many new pieces lately, just a large bright orange compote about

a month ago. I haven't seen any in this Gold Tweed Glaze in years. Even more seemingly rare

are the blue / green pieces. I haven't seen any Royal Haeger in that color combination in

MANY years. Most of my collection is in the blazing orange color.

The sublime shapes and subtle curves of these two ashtrays bring to mind one of my favorite

Heywood Wakefield lines: Kohinoor. The Kohinoor line of bedroom furniture is heavily faceted

much like the Kohinoor diamond and I'm sure that was sorta the point but if you've ever seen

the Heywood Wakefield Kohinoor bed you'll understand why I can see a family resemblance to

this Royal Haeger line even though there is no actual relation. Oh to dream of a bedroom full of

Hey/Wake Kohinoor surrounded by Royal Haeger. ::sigh:: Now that's class.