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. FABULOUS! DAZZLING! STRIKING! The metal is brass. The chandelier is an impressive 23-inches wide (from candle to candle). Of note is how…
Continue ReadingSanta Lisa #3
My online vintage lighting store. Both fixtures were in horrible condition. It is obvious that each was stored away for many decades, as they were caked with dust and dirt. The surface-mounted fixture was also…argh!!!!…painted brown at some point. I have yet to remove this. The chandelier was…
Continue ReadingSanta Lisa #2
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingSanta Lisa #1
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After. Golly.
My online vintage lighting store. Kenny found an old light. He sent me an image. I recognized it as a 1920s surface-mounted ceiling light by Moe-Bridges. But…oh dear. The fixture is was CAKED with bad white paint jobs. Rather than, quite sensibly, passing on it, my heart ached. Could I possibly restore it? …
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 ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingPrepare To Gasp!
My online vintage lighting store. Moderne is an aesthetic which developed as Art Deco waned in popularity. The Moderne aesthetic was relatively short-lived, and reached the height of its popularity in the late 1930s. Emerald City, in the movie Wizard of Oz, is Moderne gone Hollywood. Many lighting fixtures labeled Art Deco are more…
Continue ReadingA Quickly Moving Mission Beauty
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingMini Bling!
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingAn 1890s DAZZLER!
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingKismet. 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…
Continue ReadingAn Egyptian Beauty
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingDeco Dazzlers
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingA Sweet 1920s SET
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingA Fleur-de-lis Pendant
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingPorcelier At Its Best
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue Reading