Coffey anyone?

Continuing with the theme of really cool stuff I’ve found completely at random, this week out of pure dumb luck I stumbled across a beautiful set of Kent Coffey Perspecta bedroom furniture. A total case of being in the right place at the right time. I landed the 3 piece set which is in almost perfect shape for the ridiculously tiny sum of $150 bucks. When I’m old and grey and recounting my great thrifting adventures with park bench passerby’s, I will for sure regale them with this tale.

Honestly I have no idea if other people are interested in the Perspecta line. Though a cursory Google search does bring up some Etsy and eBay listing, I think most people seem to prefer the similarly styled and iconic Broyhill Brasilia stuff. I’ve never been one to follow the mainstream though. Always carving my own weird path of destruction and mayhem. 

Please excuse the poor photos. The old bedroom furniture was still in the room then I snapped these. Not a lot of room to maneuver.

The General and Me

The GE

I’m coming to discover a difficulty with writing a blog about one’s house is that, from time to time, nothing interesting is going on. Seriously, not a thing has broken and nothing is in dire need of change. Hopefully I don't curse myself by saying this, but my house is great. 

And there’s more to this great house than the things I fix and acquire. Lets talk about some of the wonders I’ve already surrounded myself with. For instance, anybody know what it’s like to live with a late 40’s GE refrigerator? I do and let me tell you, its not for everyone. 

Cons

Size. I get the distinct feeling people in the 40‘s ate much more fresh food than I do. This GE, a gleaming white beacon of times past, is barely large enough for a child to trap himself in. Distasteful jokes aside, it is really small. Only about 5 feet in height and 3 feet in width. It’s not bad for just me and my girlfriend but if I had a family of any size I would need something much bigger. 

Freezer. As it is I’ve picked up a cheapo deep freeze to compensate for the world’s most adorable freezer cube thats nestled in the corner of the GE. It’s perfect if all you need to freeze is two ice cube trays and one bag of pizza rolls. Don't even consider fitting a frozen pizza in there. The GE strictly forbids it. 

Pros

Strangely Efficient. Honestly though, size seems to be the only draw back. Everything else is great. It looks incredible, it keeps my food super cold, it’s surprisingly quiet and really not that expensive to run. 

Sweet Sci-Fi Noises. When you open and close the door it makes some of the coolest noises ever heard. It’s like something out of an old sci-fi movie, right when the frosty horrors are sealed safely shut with a WHOOMP and a CLACK of the door.

Party Pleaser.  It's always a good time when someone sees it in your house, too. My favorite experience so far was from when I first moved in. The HVAC guy stopped dead in his tracks and stared at it. After mumbling an unidentifiable curse word, he turned around, looked at me, and said “don’t tell me that thing actually still works. I just had to throw out a 6-year old fridge and you have one older than my father.”

Chamber of Thrift

 As an avid thrifter, I’m always on the lookout for new places and events where I can pick up some of the random retro junk that sets my heart aflutter. I recently discovered Sidney Street Sales. 

 They are a fantastic group of people who put together a once a month super sale. Located in an old church, the atmosphere adds to the fun of rummaging for that perfect item. Pictures of new items are posted on their Facebook profile, which gives you a glimpse of the treasures to be discovered. One such picture was sent to me by a friend who apparently knows my taste in odd furniture quite well:

Sidney Street sales original photo

 The picture displayed what was possibly the most loud, gaudy and tacky sofa set I’ve ever seen. That’s coming from a man who owns a set of lime green velvet parlor furniture. The sofa was a gold velvet sectional with carved wooden accents. The love seat was round with similar wooden accents. I decided right then and there that the sofa would be mine. About an hour later I recanted my decision as there was no chance in hell I’d ever get it. 

 Sidney Street had made the photo their profile background and there was a swarm of interest in the comments section. Ever being the optimistic, I noticed that Sidney had an exceptionally large amount of good looking mid-century sofas to choose from and I would be sure to get something I’d love. 

 I made plans with friends, marked the date and time in my calendar and began counting down the days. As time slowly passed, Sidney Street posted more and more beautiful pieces all at incredible prices. For reference’s sake, I’d put their prices above thrift store but well below resale shop. Very affordable. 

 The day of the sale finally arrived. I woke up at what can only be called stupid-thirty and jumped out of bed with entirely too much enthusiasm. Grabbing my requisite crappy breakfast of energy drink and toaster pastry, I started my beat up truck while praying the cold winter night air wouldn't cause me trouble. Luck was on my side and the high millage engine coughed and wheezed into action. 

 Along the way I picked up my friend Adam who as a peruser of random stuff can always be trusted to go along on crazy thrifting adventures. Arriving at our destination we were pleased to see there was almost no one else there. Only two other people where insane enough to get up this early in hopes of being first to enter this chamber of thrift.

 Suddenly, I realized I had a chance to get the sectional that had first led me to this place. I had a damn good chance! All I had to do was locate the sofa and remove its tag before anyone else. This was a tag sale after all, I only needed a simple tag to claim my prize. I quickly turned to my cohort in crime and suggested we update our battle strategy. Our new plan was to casually wait in line, sip our coffee, and at the appropriate moment, meander in buying whatever interesting things we come across. Ok, ok. I know, not what you were expecting, but I do this for fun. I don't resell. I’m just out to have a good time looking through vintage stuff. I can have a good day even if I don't buy anything.

 Thankfully, this day I was able to part with some of my hard earned money. When the time came, we were let in and I did what I always do. I took advantage of my 6’5” stature and scanned the room looking for something awesome to catch my eye. Bingo, there it was... 

 I could see the gold velvet gleaming in the morning sun. Attempting to remain calm, I headed in its direction. I could hear people spilling in behind me. If someone shot past me to get there first, they deserved it. I kept waiting to get pushed out of the way, but it never happened. I continued to causally walk towards my prize and suddenly I was there, tag in hand. The excitement set in and I whipped around to show Adam, only to see a group of strangers, all sad that some beardo beat them to their delicious golden sofa. I felt a little like a jerk. Instead of expressing my excitement to my missing friend, I did a little victory dance for the people I beat out. 

 Attesting to the quality of people you cross paths with here in St. Louis, no one yelled at me or started a fight. They just congratulated me and we began reveling in tales of our thrifting adventures. I count myself fortunate to be part of a community of such kind strangers. I also feel pretty fortunate to be the proud owner of a stellar vintage sectional and love seat.

The sofa and love seat in their new home

Let there be light

 Round these parts, weekends mean project time. This weekend was no exception, in fact I got a lot of things accomplished. Most of which have nothing to do with my mid century house, so I'll skip those bits and show you all something of interest. My new(old) kitchen pull down light. 

 As covered in a previous post, many wonderful lighting fixtures exist in my house. Everywhere there are things that not only supply light but also some serious character to my surroundings. The only place that was lacking was the kitchen dining area. At some point years ago a disgusting, bland, chandelier was put in. Nothing about it matched the house. I can only hope it was a quick fix for something that stopped woking. 

 Being on a budget I decided I would for now pass on my dream of owning a Sputnik lamp and see what else awaits me on the pickers heaven of eBay. Low and behold with in an hour of searching I found the perfect piece. 

 Like a wood and golden rocket ship this marvel now hovers above my kitchen table. There are lights on the top and bottom. They can be on all at once or separately. I tried googling the tags on the light but Ive come up with diddle squat. Only that the company “Imperialites” who made it also made a bunch of other lights. Thanks internet. Oh well, all I care is it looks awesome and feels like it belongs in the house. 

Gifts

 How do I know my house loves me as much as I love it? Because like an adorable girlfriend it leaves me hidden presents to find. Like just now, I was cleaning the main bathroom and tucked away in the corner I found this:

 It’s a Miller Ice Cap. Brand new, never used and still in the box. Next time I suffer a bump to the ol‘ noggin settling a disagreement with my knucklehead friends I’ll be able to soothe the pain away.  

DE LUXE

 Sometimes things you don't need come into your life and you can't stop the insatiable desire to make it yours. Last night was one such occasion. I am now the proud owner of a Kodac Deluxe Photo-Hobby Outfit. A completely unused one I might add. The box top has seen better days but nothing on the inside has been opened. It even still has the tag from a no longer in existence photography shop. Extra cool seeing as how much I love St.Louis history.

 The shop was called Bader's Artist Supplies and Cameras. Located at 1113 Locust St, it seems to be a dentists office these days. Besides the tag from a long defunct camera shop the kit includes everything the amateur photographer could need. Paper, chemicals, trays and even an enlarger of sorts.

 It would be so much fun to bust this all out and set up a "darkroom in my own kitchen" as the box says. Sadly, it would pain me to much to break the seals on the unopened boxes. Not to mention the chemicals contained in those bottles have probably found new ways to kill me over their years spent stored in a dingy basement. I'll just suffer and gain what enjoyment I can from letting it sit on display. Smiling when I walk past it.

For extra fun here is a link to an original add for the Kodac Deluxe Photo-Hobby Outfit.