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 ReadingAn Inching Along Radiator
Today, I glopped on the paint stripper and…stepped away for an hour. And when I stepped back? Wow, the work went much faster than it did the other day when I did not step away. So, a reminder: always let the stripper do the work for you. But patience is not something I have…
Continue ReadingShakespeare. In Kansas.
After I fed the goldfish, Gray pondered: To dive in? Or not to dive? THAT is the question.
Continue ReadingA Deluxe Home for Gray!
I am so excited! Yesterday, the absurdly expensive super-deluxe custom-made KittyMansion™ from catsaregods.com arrived! And I am thrilled that Gray loves it! I feel SO much better about spending $4,865! Wanna see? Scroll way down… …
Continue ReadingA Historical Curiosity
My online vintage lighting store. Large lighting manufactures would periodically sell off older stock. So, in 1952, Company X would sell off all its old stock from the 1930s or early 1940s. Smaller lighting companies would then buy this stock. Sometimes they would only put on a new label. Sometimes they would combine parts from…
Continue ReadingA Wheel-Cut Beauty
My online vintage lighting store. The fixture was rewired with gold plastic wire about twenty years ago. Before shipping, I will replace the plastic wire with cloth-covered wire which the fixture would have had originally. This is a normal practice for me as buyers often want the length changed. If I have…
Continue ReadingA Sweet Early Electric Pendant
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingLightolier Prettiness
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingFaux Poo
The right side of the faux oak is in pretty good condition. The left side is utterly ruined by water damage from a bathroom above (now removed). The whole house is filled with faux finishes, so it seemed timely to finally hunt down a faux artist to begin the process of restoring all the…
Continue ReadingA Pink Surprise
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingA Continuing Niche. An End In Sight!
For years, when I would stand before the niche and think about restoring the finish on all the oak, I would feel queasy at the thought of how much work this would entail. But, I finally just jumped in with the thought that a little bit every other day would be survivable….
Continue ReadingA Silvery Set
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingAn Aldersyde
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue Reading1920s Lovelies
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingMy New Baby!
So, I came home around 5PM and went out to feed the yard kitties. They were all acting strange. This is NOT a good sign. I looked around and saw several cats around Flash, who was standing still. With something in his mouth. Something furry. Shit. I calmly walked towards Flash. Then I yelled: FLASH!…
Continue ReadingA Thrice of Sheridons
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingA Curvaceous Reminder
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue Reading