I have been restoring vintage lights since I was a teenager in the mid-1970s. An Interstate highway was being rammed through the city where I lived, and I ran (steps ahead of the bulldozers, and with my shag haircut flying) from one incredible building to another, and from one incredible house to another, and salvaged everything I could.

My poor, bewildered parents. Their garage was soon chock-a-block with what I thought were treasures beyond compare. But which they thought was just useless flotsam. I did though once overhear my mom say: “Well, at least he’s not out doing drugs.”

However, when all their boring lights were systematically replaced with the most stunning lights they had ever seen – and all for free, rewired, and restored – they soon had second thoughts about the flotsam. (I paid for new parts by mowing lawns!)

Fast forward many decades.

One day I realized I had a pile of old lights rusting away in my basement. I hauled a few out, restored them (bringing back many old memories), and listed them on eBay.

At the time I had no idea, not a clue, that I had just radically changed my life.

Within months my life was unrecognizable, and I was working full time restoring vintage lighting and selling the fixtures across America.

My new e-commerce website is now online. Whoee! Please feel free to shop and purchase here:

The Old Above

My blog post are below.

FLOORING!!!!!!!!!!!

                      The living room is next. Then all the repair work to the bits of original flooring. Then it all needs to sanded and finished. But…how long before I can lure Justin back? If ever?          

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Oopsie

             

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Inching Along

     

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VISITORS!

   

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Revised New Kitty

   

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Bigly Numbers

This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down…..                                                                  

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5 Words

This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down.                                   I think we’re gonna win.        

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Some Good News!

This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down:                                        

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Dear Mr. President

I will email this to Joe Biden tomorrow. Any thoughts, suggestions? Please scroll down if interested:                                     Dear President Biden, I’m a (kinda) average American, 67-years-old, born in Detroit, and now living in rural Kansas. During the 2020…

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Before. After.

  My online vintage lighting store.         I also have a similar 3-bulb version but it was missing the decorative ring which goes above the finial. My thought all these years was that I would find a matching ring. But the other day I looked at the forlorn 5-bulb and thought: Screw this! Bring…

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Removing 1894 Rot

                    I realized that the damage was not being caused by normal weather conditions (as I had assumed) but rather from water getting (somehow) into the column from the porch roof beam. The adjacent column is also damaged so an investigation is needed to figure out…

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A New Intruder

She arrived in my life, totally unexpectedly, one day in early 1999. My dear friend Christina (who lived across the street) and I were talking in my driveway when a tiny kitten, perhaps just five-weeks-old, scurried up to me, stood at my feet, and meowed. Loudly. I picked up the tiny furry thing. Where had…

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Before. After.

    My online vintage lighting store.                                                                 My online vintage lighting store.      

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Inching Along

           

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Inching Along

   

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Four Facades. A Third Time.

Kit recently asked that I do an update on my seemingly well-known Four Facades post from 2015. I was surprised to find that I did an update in 2017. So, Kit, this 2024 edition is for you!                                 And, I…

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How The French Are Feeling Today

       

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Shopping for your new Barbie Dream House?

    My online vintage lighting store.               My online vintage lighting store.      

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Some Good news!

This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down.                           With the media in an unprecedented frenzy of bashing the democratic candidate (while giving a free pass to the other guy, you know, the felon), this is a welcome surprise:    …

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Before. After.

  My online vintage lighting store.                                                                   My online vintage lighting store.      

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