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:
My blog post are below.
An Alien!!!!!!!!
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingThe Tuesday Thrill. The Wednesday Tease. The Future Tantalize.
As promised. Scroll way down… The doors were graciously returned to the house by Bob Rodak. They were falling apart though, and Dr. Doug (above, doing a very poor Vanna White) wholly rebuilt them. All the wood…
Continue ReadingGood. Rewarded. At Last.
In 2015, I did a blog post about a titanic battle between Good Ross and Evil Ross. If you have not read the post, I suggest clicking the link above and taking a look. I assure you it will be worth it. In 2016, I did an update. This, too, is well worth it. It…
Continue ReadingA Faux Beginning
On Wednesday, my artist friend Susi will arrive to begin the process of recreating the lost finish. Neither one of us knows what the end result will look like, but we are confident it will look a LOT better than it has for many decades. Stay tuned! And, on Tuesday, something big is gonna…
Continue ReadingA Beefy Colonial
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingWhen Something Is So Bad…It’s Good
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingA Mid-Century Colonial
My online vintage lighting store. When we think mid-century we normally add the word modern. But traditional styling was still very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, and the majority of homes built during this era were traditional in style. Hence, this gorgeous chandelier: My online vintage lighting store. …
Continue ReadingSomething…Unexpected
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingHiding Things
As it proved, the entry WAS original to the circa-1921 conversion. But, I much prefer making the room a secret.
Continue ReadingReturning the Past
When I purchased the property in 2014, the cabinet was in a closet, which had previously been an open porch. It was obvious though that the cabinet had originally been elsewhere. But where? My guess is that it had been a part of the circa-1921 conversion of the carriage house. The kitchen was then…
Continue ReadingYEP
This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down. Today, Senate Republicans…all of them…blocked a bill to raise the federal debt ceiling. Two things to note: This is not about future spending. This is about current debt. Which Republicans…
Continue ReadingGadzooks! PART II.
Is this an original 1894 feature? Or were the boards repurposed during the circa-1921 conversion? This seems to settle the question. The shellacked boards atop my kitchen joists are likely original. As such, they would be the only original 1894 interior bits I have found in the structure. Stay tuned…
Continue ReadingResurrecting a Gill
My online vintage lighting store. The intrepid Cody brought to my attention to a 1930s Gill chandelier about 2 hours away. The chandelier looked so very sad. My heart went out to it. Obviously, I had no choice. I had to save it. I drove the almost 2 hours with…
Continue ReadingA Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With…A Fourth Step
Both windows originally looked out under the 1921 porch so they would have received almost no light. And no direct sun. But now, with the porch gone, west sun pours into the basement. I love sunlight.
Continue ReadingGadzooks! A Discovery!
Huh? Huh? Huh? My first thought: The kitchen was originally the ‘barn’ wing of the 1894 carriage house. Are the shellacked boards the original ceiling of the barn, set atop the joists? My second thought: Why though go to the trouble of shellacking the boards to look nice, but not the adjacent…
Continue ReadingA Dazzling Set
My online vintage lighting store. I’ve never seen clear glass slip-shades before! The effect is dazzling! Thanks, Cody! My online vintage lighting store.
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