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.
Before. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingPeel Away
Pray for me.
Continue ReadingWanna Meet My Whirlpools?
This is year #12 of my owning the Cross House and it feels like a miracle to at long last have some decent appliances in the kitchen. I put them on a 12-month payment plan! The two images are deceiving as they give the indication that the kitchen will be sleek and modern….
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue Reading727 Mechanic Street, Emporia, KS
Recently I wrote about a house I photographed in 2016 but never posted the images. Well here is another such house! And this story is both tragic, and a classic example of the old saying: No good deed goes unpunished. I had long been aware of 727 Mechanic. It was adjacent to a sea…
Continue Reading825 Exchange Street, Emporia, Kansas
825 is one of the finest houses in Emporia, yet people drive…
Continue ReadingInchin’ Along.
The new Master Suite at the carriage house will consist of: Foyer. Spa-style bathroom in the turret room and with two closets. Large walk-in, windowed closet. Linen closet. Bedroom. The new closet will…of course, dahlink…have a surface-mounted crystal chandelier in the center and will be quite glamorous. I think closets should be…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingIsland Color Suggestions
In my recent post about resuming work on the kitchen, I wrote: “The island will also be blue. What shade of blue I do not know. Suggestions?”
Continue ReadingAnd So The Kitchen Begins
In March, 2021, I presented my super-duper super-revised kitchen plan. I had planned to move ahead with the kitchen, but my order for the island cabinets kept getting OUT OF STOCK notices. After 6 months I cancelled the order. A year later I noticed that the cabinets were now in stock but the prices had…
Continue ReadingThe NEED List
A few days ago, Cody asked: “what else does the Cross House need in terms of lighting?” This is my reply. THE ENTRY HALL. DONE RECEIVING ROOM. DONE. PARLOR. DONE. LIBRARY. DONE. PEACOCK POWDER ROOM. NEED. KITCHEN. DONE. …
Continue ReadingInchin’ Along
The small amount of work shown between images #1 and #2 represent about two weeks of Baby Step work. If I had Justin doing the work, this all would have taken half a day. And this, this, is the new Slow-Motion Ross manifested, as I detailed in my year end post. What matters…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue Reading