How Mid Century Modern got started

For everybody this current summer time “Nor Easter” brings wet stormy days but for me it’s inspiration for this blog. While I hear the wind hauling out there and the rain making that relaxing noise when it hits the roof of my home; John and I are talking about what inspired the architects and designers to switch from the traditional lines of furniture, objects and buildings to the ones that began the Modern era. Why didn’t they just leave well enough alone? What inspired the leap into a new direction?
We have done a little bit of research and we know that everything started with some schools and programs to bring more art and design in Europe and around the world. So all the designers and artists who probably were already thinking outside of the box, were now encouraged to bring their ideas and dreams to fruition. Others suggest that with the turmoil of the 1930’s, the new fresh look of modern was a sign of hope. I can imagine it was almost like saying we can create something not war related that will bring happiness to the masses and when we come out of this we will have a chance to go on with our lives.
In regards to furniture and objects; we know that artists and designers brought the idea of stream lined functionality to the pieces by way of new materials and new material processing methods. Such as plastics and bent plywood. These new materials and processes brought costs down which made good design affordable and mainstream. Mainstream translated to more exposure, more interest and more demand. Many incredible works of art, furniture and architecture flourished during the 1930’s to the early 1970’s.
Alas, by the mid 1970’s the modern age became stale, gimmicky, poorly made and over produced. However, the true works of art and quality design never faded. And in 1983 when Cara Greenberg coined the new phrase Mid-Century Modern they all did shine ever brighter.
So cheers to the great people who dare to be different, think outside of the box and created something so great that we can all enjoy now!

SOWA VINTAGE MARKET

SOWA Vintage Market is the coolest place in the south end of Boston. South Boston is fast becoming the historic art and culture center of the city. The vintage market is on 460 Harrison Ave Boston MA. But if you have a GPS you can look for 369 Albany St Boston MA and you will be able to find it easier.
Great vendors come with new and amazing vintage items each Sunday from 10 am to 4ish. The variety is incredible; from Mid Century Modern furniture, to Danish, to simply vintage accessories. Gre-stuff’s spot this week is going to be full of 1950’s items; the accessories are going to add the perfect touch to your home. We are bringing pieces especially to fit the apartment / loft life style from the city. Not to mention the unique touch that will wow your family and friends.
During the weeks we’ve been at the market; it has been popping with people trying to get the best deals, looking for that perfect item that they have to have, dealing and learning from everybody else and of course having a great time.
So you shouldn’t miss it this Sunday August 15th, it is going to be awesome!

Documenting my travels and treasures

Why Mid Century Modern? Someone recently asked! Well I have always liked the look, the period and I thought that selling it would not only be fun but it could also put some money in my pocket. However, I didn’t want to be chained to a traditional store front operation. I wanted to do all of my selling online and I wanted my product line to be different, original.
Some of my friends were already running successful online businesses. They were buying product lines from clothier and jewelry wholesale companies. I didn’t want to be another seller of the same merchandise. I wanted my things to be original or at least limited.
So how did it all start? My boyfriend and I went to a flea market and I bought a very nice Polaroid camera from the 1940’s. Fascinated by the technology of the period I researched it online and saw them going for a reasonable amount of money. I had paid just a few dollars for it so I put it online and sold it and made a modest profit. Needless to say I was hooked to the rush of selling online. I needed to get more vintage cameras from the period. I started looking for other small items too, so I started collecting vintage kitchen appliances like coffee percolators, toasters, canisters and waffle irons and then sold them one by one. Then I added vintage radios, and then vintage fans and none of it was made after 1970. Way to go I thought! I was happy but, yes, there was a big but I wasn’t making any money; it was more like a hobby to fill my days.
So my boyfriend and I started thinking what if we get larger pieces like lamps, chairs, and small tables could we sell them? How do we ship them? And the logistics part came into action; we researched larger pieces and how to make them available to the market. The more we researched the more doable it became. And the more exciting it became. Our inventory collecting now included upholstered furniture, complete vintage bedroom sets, complete vintage dining room sets and complete vintage patio furniture sets and every bid of it sold and shipped on line. The beautiful pieces like Herman Miller, Milo Baughman, Heywood Wakefield, Knoll and Plycraft, just to name a few, now fill our inventory and our home. Eighty percent of our time is devoted to finding more great vintage things and we enjoy every minute of our treasure hunting.

Road Trip to Maine

I can’t believe it! I’m up at 2:30 am. I set the alarm clock for 3:30. I’m too excited to sleep. John my boyfriend is awake too! Ok, this gives us time to have a normal morning and not a rushed one even if it is the middle of the night. Feed and walk the dog, fill up on coffee, grab the GPS and we’re off, on the road again.
The traffic signals are all on flash. There is no traffic, just the newspaper delivery trucks and us. We slide onto the highway without a hitch. This journey will be an estimated 5 hours to Newcastle Maine. That’s just this side of no-where and the far side of too damn far. This trip was mostly on interstates but portions of it included old route one which is one of Americas first Maine to Miami highways. In the dawn light you can still see the architectural skeletons of old motels, diners and gas stations.


As we neared Newcastle the towns became villages and the stores became markets or produce stands on the edge of the roads. And the views became vistas. The morning was cool; the sky was a true blue and the grass greener than in Massachusetts. Up ahead on the left was our destination.
The first thing to do was to find the bathroom. The second thing on the list was to scout the inventory at this sale. We found many wonderful items from the 19th century but they are not what we are interested in. However, perched up on a plastic table was a beautiful “rare” Heywood Wakefield drop leaf table from the late 1930’s and right next to it was a stream lined desk also from the same decade. We purchased them then carried them out to the truck, strapped them down, got the GPS out and started our trip back home.
Traffic was insane, way out in the middle of nowhere, the vacationers where leaving at the same time that we were. There were license plates from Maine, Florida, Texas, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. We moved slowly for the first 6 miles and then it went smoothly and uneventfully. On one of the towns we passed through; we saw long lines of people waiting to order lobster in the little restaurants near the water. Then we found out it was “lobster festival”. We thought about finding a place not so crowded to have our lobster plate but the long lines and heavy traffic dictated otherwise.
We were tired, I was falling asleep in the truck and John had a headache, we needed food. So we stopped, grabbed a bite at a fast food joint and kept on going. We had entered Massachusetts already when we got spitting rain and decided to stop to tarp our load. We then drove until we got home, unloaded the truck and concluded our trip with our winding down routine; walked and fed the dog, took a shower and fell sound sleep on the couch in front of the TV.