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.

Ready For Living

            Cody embarked upon his 10-hour drive around 6PM. With two VERY unhappy kitties. I heard them shrieking in our telephone call. I urged that he check into a motel around 10PM but he might push through. Ahhh, to be so young and crazy again! So, on Saturday (drum roll,…

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My Today

                          Friday is gonna be intense. There will be soooooo much to do to help assure a soft landing for an exhausted Cody. Clean sheets on a temporary bed! A shower curtain! Some more doors! Toilet paper! A bar of soap! More grout!…

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My Yesterday

  Huh? I had to get Scott’s help to remove it, and this was only obtained by CUTTING through the long bolts. My guess is that some previous person occupying the bedroom was convinced that angry and ferocious demons lived in the plenum and so no effort was spared to help, if possible, with a…

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An 1890s DAZZLER!

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

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Cleaning Up

When I get really busy working on restoring lights, I normally shove the debris which piles atop my desk to the floor. After  a few days, I pick all this up and toss it into the outdoor garbage can.     On another note, I have not seen Gray for two days. I am a…

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I Have Good News. I Have Bad News. I Have VERY Bad News.

  THE GOOD NEWS         THE BAD NEWS     THE VERY BAD NEWS      

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Plaster Help? PART II

Recently, I posted about a problem I was having with my first-ever actual plastering, using Structo–Lite® basecoat plaster by USG. Glenn wrote in and suggested I call the company. An actual human answered on like the fifth ring, AND confirmed that they could help after I explained the issue. Golly. It seemed like 1955! An actual…

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Kismet. Live.

    My online vintage lighting store.     On Facebook Marketplace, Cody found a pair of Early Electric sconces in a small town west of Wichita. Oh. Very nice! I contacted the seller. The sconces were still available. “I can pick them up on Friday. I live in Emporia. Would that be OK?” The seller replied…

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A Sink Timeline

8:50AM I read an email from Cody. He found a cool sink on Facebook Marketplace for $10. In Emporia. Oh. My. A 1932 American Standard with original legs and all-important mounting bracket. I wrote the seller, STAT. He still had it.     9:45AM     11:30AM     I love love love how the…

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WE ARE WET!

The carriage house has not had water since I purchased the property in 2014. No place to wash hands. No place to pee. Dry. And today?     SQUEE! SQUEE! SQUEE! OMG, to have water! All the plumbing is new, a combination of PVC, CPVC, and Pex. It is all very neatly done. Which delights…

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An Egyptian Beauty

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Deco Dazzlers

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Oops.

So, I’m doing the final mud coat to the removed second entry door of the Secret Bedroom in the carriage house. To assure that my mudding is near perfect, I plugged in a 1,000W work light. Oh. My. While my mudding did, indeed, look pretty good, the other walls in the room suddenly looked a…

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Plaster Help?

So, as y’all know, Ross finally braved doing a plaster scratch coat. Just a bit. Now, a week on, when I brush the scratch coat with my hand, it easily becomes loose and sand-sized particles fall to the floor. Is this normal?    

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A Sweet 1920s SET

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A Fleur-de-lis Pendant

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Porcelier At Its Best

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A Slip-Shade Dazzler

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A Silver Slag Mission Knock-out!

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A Low Lovely

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