The wild wild west of MCM

It's been another incredible week. The demand for MCM furniture is simply amazing. Having said that, I notice that the new season of Mad Men (series) starts this month on cable. That is what most people think brought MCM style to the forefront of the general public's interest.  I'm not sure of that as many have been lured by its gorgeous lines and beauty for many many years, long before the series started. Non-the-less it's nice that so many have become enthusiast because of the series.  Interestingly, my average client is a baby boomer. Not so with other sellers who tell me their clients are mainly thirty somethings. Go figure.

I have found more really classic examples of desks, chest of drawers, etc.  Just when I think that it would be fairly impossible to turn up any more wonderful pieces.....POW!   I walk into a thrift store that I have been in dozens of times before without success and then can't believe my eyes. It's what we dream of.....the mother load. I guess my advice to others would be, never give up the search as you never know what's in the next shop.  When you see it, buy it. It won't be there tomorrow. I've made that mistake many times and have learned that lesson the hard way, unfortunately. I realize that I am unusual in that I get to do this for a living (not even close) as opposed to those that only have the occasional weekend but the laws governing the search process are universal to us all.

I took a day trip to Boone, NC on Friday and was amazed at the amount of dealers that are painting vintage furniture (aka Shabby chic). As I've mentioned before, I'm not a great fan of this even though I have a few items in my shop. The sheer volume of painted furniture available is enormous. Curiosity in Boone has a huge business and sells 70% of their items on Etsy.com  They ship all over the world. They are really professional and I might add extremely nice. They have a physical store in Boone, NC.   Marion, NC also has several shops of quality and reasonable painted furniture.  So, if your looking......

I have visited and talked with several owners of vintage furniture shops this past week. Everyone has had an extremely good month selling all types of used furniture. It was at one of these shops that I found "the huge (6') fiberglass female bust' pictured below. Why did I buy it? Well, I'm like many MCM collectors,  I also like things that are VERY unusual and appreciate strange and one of a kind sculptural items. It's known as having a taste for the eclectic. I think this adds much to any decor if it is tasteful and in my own opinion adds beauty.  That is always my underlying goal. The unusual mixes well with modern furniture. I can't use this piece in my small home but hope someone will be looking for something out of the ordinary like it. Retail is sometimes a crap shoot.

I'd like to thank those of you that are following my blog. Thanks for the nice words and encouragement. Let me know what you think and please add to the dialog. Your input is needed and appreciated.

'til next time, keep the faith,
David

MCM re-purpose and vintage sound equipment

Well, it's been a wild couple of weeks in the MCM furniture business. Yes, I've gotton so busy that I'd even forgotton about a new posting.  Hard to believe.....a run on my business. Good. Good.
That is how popular Mid Century and Danish Modern furniture is at this time. Very strong, indeed.
Last week I found the most gorgeous MCM desk (really a sewing table) at a thrift store for $20. I immediately recognized the only difference in this piece and a desk was the removeable panel that used to hold the sewing machine. If it had been a desk the price would have been six to ten times that amount. I eagerly bought it and was impressed the way it cleaned up. I have re-purposed MCM furniture before making a coffee table from a MCM cedar chest and other not too difficult transformations. I like re-purposing and everything it suggests for our environment. It's cool and green.
I have also been mesmerized again by an old (40 years) hobby of mine in the past few weeks. Classic stereo receivers and turntables. I found a vendor in a Hendersonville antique mall that does nothing but vintage receivers and vintage sound equipment. I have has a wonderful set of matched Pioneer components that I purchased a few years ago at the Jockey Lot in Anderson, SC.   I enjoy this set so much that the thought of not having a backup has always haunted me. Well, just $100 took all that latent fear away. I was able to get another Pioneer receiver (circa 1960's) and a like-new Technics turntable. For those demanding the incredible quality of a 60's - 70's receivers/turntables only vintage equipment is acceptable. These components abound on Ebay and at very reasonable prices. But to avoid the very high shipping charges and get a hands-on (ear-on) demonstration buying locally is preferred. If you haven't experienced this equipment because you are too young and missed this phenom, you really will be blown away when you hear it. It's like nothing else you've heard. Also, you may already know this but records (yes, the old vinyl ones) have outsold CDs for the past few years. There's a lot to be said for the scratch and pop of vintage vinyl. Records are available everywhere....and they are cheap. Let me know what you think about this posting.

Will sign off now. Keep the Faith. David

Mid Century Modern Furniture -- New Blog

Welcome MCM enthusiasts to my new blog. I am glad you are here and strongly suggest that you get involved and add to our mutual interest(s) in all things MCM. Hopefully we can share and become better educated collectors. I wish only to acquire the best designed and constructed pieces available for my (your) home and office. I'm sure that is your goal too. Together we can learn the ins and outs of collecting. Your input is absolutely necessary as we journey together and all bring something to the table.
I will update and/or post to this blog as often as  I can (at least weekly)......with inspiration from our mutual enthusiastic partners. So again, please comment and share your expertise, comments, ideas and suggestions, hopefully others can and will.
I love MCM as well as Danish modern and even new contemporary pieces. I tend to mix them in decorating my home and office. I have found some very good sources for acquiring just the right piece I need.   I'm sure you have your secret places too. That's OK, we won't disclose our secrets here.
We will suggest the obvious though (ie) antique malls with a propensity to have MCM dealers, thrift stores, charity stores, etc. I have a weekly tour of my favorite haunts that sometimes surprise me with really rare pieces and at prices that are also ridiculous (ridiculously low).
I'll also share my defeats and triumphs. I am still reeling from the loss yesterday of a drop dead gorgeous fiberglass table and four chairs. I was second in the door and the first person got it. Disaster!
I'll add some interesting photos later today and hopefully you'll have questions and educational answers for me and all. Let's enjoy our time together and become better collectors/users.
David