Vacation Time

It's the beginning of January, and you know what that means, right?

I'm back from my annual UK visit.  This is always a somewhat bittersweet time, as I'm glad to be home where I can see my friends, get back into my routine, and sleep in my own bed, but leaving my girlfriend behind gets me kind of down.  It's especially hard now that all of the buildup and excitement of the holidays is over and I'm back to dealing with the craziness at work and my dad's poor health, but that's enough about that.

I always make sure to hit up a few thrifts and antique spots while I'm over, just to give myself a good tease.  I can't really get much back in my suitcase, but it's always enjoyable to just have a look around and see something different.

Here's a few of the treasures that I found at the Herts and Essex Antique Center.

Back to the grind

Christmas turned out pretty well this year (all house-related issues aside).  It's always wonderful to spend some quality time with the family, eat 'till you're about to burst, and celebrate.

The presents don't hurt either.

Guess what!  I finally got my very own digital camera courtesy of the girlfriend (Thank you)!  Now I can hopefully update a little more regularly.  

I'll start with this little beauty.

It's a Smith-Corona Galaxie Deluxe, which I picked up for a song at Goodwill a few weeks ago.

With its retro powder blue and cream frame and stylized logo, it's quite the looker.  It comes with a locking carrying case as well.

From the look of it, I don't even think it's ever been touched by human hands.  Everything is in pristine condition.  Even the tape holding the packing foam is undisturbed, and there isn't one single scratch or mark on the entire thing.  Pretty cool!

Now I just have to keep my girlfriend from running off back to England with it.  I've seen her eyeing it up.

Where was everyone this weekend?

Either there was a huge MCM estate sale or everyone was too busy watching World Series coverage this weekend, because the thrift stores in St. Louis were hot, hot, hot!

I didn't make it out all that early and I still managed to score this:

Yes.  This Broyhill Brasilia gentlemen's cabinet sat at the Salvation Army a whole 2 hours before I showed up.  You can imagine my disappointment when I strolled in and saw another customer giving it the once-over with the tag in-hand, but then he left it behind!

Overpriced perhaps?  Nope!  You wouldn't believe me if I told you what they were charging.  The cashier even gave me a discount off of the ticketed price.  "That's a lovely cabinet," she remarked.  Yes.  Yes it is.  In fact, I'd say that Broyhill Brasilia is my favorite mass produced mid-century line, so this was quite a find.  

After checking out, I had a little look around the rest of the shop and found a fabulous mid-century Basset bedroom set with intricate carved wooden handles, a retro ceramic and brass lamp, a svelte velvet sofa, and a few smaller items.  Usually the thrifts are pretty sparse once noon rolls around, but the pickings were equally good at every stop.   It was too bad I had to switch out the van for my sedan early in the afternoon.  I would have picked up all of these mid-century goodies. 

It's hard to tell from the photos, but the cabinet was is in what I'd call "fair" shape.  There were a few small chips in the veneer along the bottom edge, some surface scratches/gouges, and a water spot on top.  Nothing too bad, but it definitely needed work.  I'd intended to get pictures before I applied the Howard's, but as you can see, my excitement got the best of me.  Oops.  This is after one quick rubdown, so I'll post the finished photos later.

It works really well in the dining room with my Kent Coffey Perspecta dining set, as the two look somewhat similar, but the Brasilia definitely has a bit more flair.  Don't you think?

I love it!  

Beginner's Luck

Over the last several months, My girlfriend and I have made a habit of visiting area thrift stores in the hope that we might stumble across some treasures. A few items have made the cut so far, but one of our earliest scores turned out to be my personal favorite.

This amazing bedroom set was sitting in the basement of the local Salvation Army, just begging to come home with us (the pictures don't really do it justice).

It wasn't marked, so I inquired about the price and waited ... and waited ... for a manager. An hour later (and after witnessing a fellow shopper walk off with a pair of sandals shoved into his pants) we were loading everything into the van and on our way home.

It's no Broyhill Brasilia, but I find the lines, on the lo-boy in particular, very attractive. The set looks almost Streamline Moderne and reminiscent of the front end of a 1951 Buick LeSabre.

There are, naturally, a few imperfections. The finish is worn and the wood is bone-dry, but the pieces are in passable condition. If I get some practice in, they might be good candidates for a Howard's Feed-n-Wax treatment. In the mean time, I'm attempting to identify them. There is a United Furniture Corp. stamp, but I can't seem to find anything on the line to which they belong. Any ideas?