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.

Discovery #5!!!!!!!!

OK! Let the games begin! This is the fifth in a series of Discovery posts, and all based on the Bo Adventure!   It was a dark and stormy night as Bo and I crept into the abandoned, unlighted carriage house. The house shuddered from thunder, and the windows, for an instant, and then another instant,…

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THE 1970s…are in the house!

Previously, I did a post about decorating the parlor and library of the 1894 Cross House. In the parlor I was thinking about using an incredibly wild & crazy 1970s-inspired paper by the esteemed Bradbury & Bradbury. It arrived today.     The library has almost NO wall space as the room is 80% bookshelves…

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Bedazzling Results

A few months back I purchased an extraordinary 1920s crystal chandelier. But I had no idea of how it all went together. The whole was in pieces in a box. Even all the crystals were mostly separated. Ugh. After a great deal of ado, and eight hours of my time yesterday (eight hours!) I am…

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THE CHAIR…is in the house!

    In decorating the Cross House I will be using few antiques. And I greatly desire that these select antiques support the period when the house was built. The house was innovative and I feel a desire to be respectful of this. So, I do not want antiques from the 1870s or 1880s or…

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Before. After.

            My online vintage lighting store.        

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More Windows!

         

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Before. After.

  The set looked sooooooooo pitiful. The fixtures were dirty and SO obviously unloved that…I had no choice…but to buy them. No choice! This was kinda crazy, because were the three fixtures even complete? Did they retain all their crystals? Were the crystals undamaged? But…the fixtures were dirty and SO obviously unloved that…I had no…

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Wanna Meet Frank and Esther?

In 1960, the Cross House was purchased by Frank and Esther Toms. The house was later inherited by their son, Bob, who sold it in 1993. This thirty-three-year period of ownership is the longest in the 123-year history of the house. Even longer than the thirty-one-year history of the Mouse family. I have been told…

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ALERT! A Curved Sofa ALERT!!!!!!!!

  Well! One is on eBay! It is in Connecticut, pick-up only. So, if you need a fabulous sofa, and are sorta in the area… NOTE: The sofa is in two pieces, and the pieces will spoon into a mini-van. The link is here.      

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Discovery #4!!!!!!!!

OK! Let the games begin! This is the fourth in a series of Discovery posts, and all based on the Bo Adventure!   I picked Bo up at the airport, and we drove the two hours to Emporia, arriving late in the afternoon. Bo wanted to run through the Cross House before checking into his…

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Before. After.

          My online vintage lighting store.

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Before. After.

          My online vintage lighting store.        

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Discovery #3!!!!!!!!

OK! Let the games begin! This is the third of a series of Discovery posts, and all based on the Bo Adventure!   THE most exciting, THE most thrilling, and THE most unexpected discovery during the Bo Adventure happened during the last half-hour of Bo’s stay. During this mind-boggling half-hour, things began by Bo and I innocuously…

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EXCITEMENT…briefly.

  I was breathless with excitement! But…where was the tub? It was no longer in place. Did Bob remove it? Even if the tub was long gone, at least I had an image. Now I knew what to look for! The next day a thought popped into my head: Is the tub in the garage?…

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Discovery #2!!!!!!!!

OK! Let the games begin! This is the second of a series of Discovery posts, and all based on the Bo Adventure!   I have really weird front doors. It’s true. There are three entry vestibules in the Cross House, and each has an inner and outer set of doors. The main entry faces west,…

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Discovery #1!!!!!!!!

OK! Let the games begin! This is the first of a series of Discovery posts, and all based on the Bo Adventure!   A while back I confirmed that the Cross House had picture rail throughout when built. This was, alas, and curiously, all long gone. There was no question that I would reinstate such…

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A Monday Update!

ANNOUNCEMENT! During the next week or so I will be doing a series of MYSTERIES REVEALED posts about the numerous magical discoveries made during the — drum roll, please — BO VISIT! Stay tuned! TODAY:                  

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A Petite Update

I am sad. Why am I sad? Because Bo left today. Sad. So sad. I asked Bo to stay longer but he said something REALLY nonsensical: “But…but…I have to get back to my life.” Huh? WHAT does that even mean? What could possibly be more important than running all over Emporia looking at fabulous old…

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Cary Grant…Is In The House.

Today, Cary Grant arrived at the Cross House. Previously, I alluded to his visit, and am thrilled that Mr. Grant has now stepped over the threshold! OK, so, ah, maybe it’s not really Cary Grant. Maybe…it…is…Bo! Yes! Bo Sullivan has traveled half-way across the country to document the 1894 wallpapers in the house, no matter…

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Before. After.

        My online vintage lighting store.

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