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.
A Beauty by Gill Glass
Gill Glass & Fixture Company was located on Amber Street in Philadelphia, and occupied most of the block between East Tioga and East Venango Streets. The factory backed up against rail lines, as was common, and there would have been a rail spur leading directly to Gill loading docks. The Gill buildings are extant, although…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingSlip-Shade Beauties!
During the 1930s a new type of lighting fixture appeared on the scene using slip-shades. Slip shades are glass shades which “slip” into place. These were the very acme of modernity, and such fixtures became wildly popular. They still are. And are normally quite expensive. I rarely offer slip-shade fixtures. Partly, because they are so…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue Reading1920s Luscious by Moe-Bridges
Two brothers, Henrik and Ole Moe, helped to found the Milwaukee-based Moe-Bridges lighting company in 1919. Later friction among various shareholders resulted in the brothers leaving the company in the late 1920s, and founding Moe Brothers Manufacturing, or Moe Light. The Moe-Bridges Company continued, however. In 1943, the company was renamed The Lighthouse, and then…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingOh baby, feeling MOD? Feeling GROOVY? Feeling COOL?
Do the 1980s have any aesthetic value? I am uncertain. However, the 1970s had some pretty cool stuff happening, visually. While I restore vintage lighting, my cut-off era is the mid-70s. This is because by the late 70s lighting design got really dull. I do not recall ever offering a fixture from the 1980s, even…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingA Beauty Reborn
For years, years, I had a light fixture in storage. It had been repainted in many many many zippy colors. Just dreadful. I suspect hippies were the culprits. I knew that buried under all the color was a lovely 1920s pan-style fixture. I just had to strip it to reveal the hidden beauty. But every…
Continue ReadingA Rare Beauty by Porcelier
Once upon a time there was a lighting company called Porcelier. For many decades the company created extraordinary lighting fixtures made of porcelain and glass, and these fixtures were sold across the land. This magical company closed in 1954, and their fixtures are today greatly desired. I have a fondness for Porcelier, and delight in…
Continue ReadingStunning Slip-Shades
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue Reading