My husband and I jokingly refer to ourselves as professional recyclers, but it is really what we have done for the last 30 years. We owned and operated an automotive recycling center for over 20 years, and opened our antique store during that time also. We have had the antique store for 17 years, but for the last 8 years we have been exclusively selling antiques.
What is your favorite era and why?
I can’t say that we love one era of time more than others. We appreciate quality and workmanship. We appreciate folk art and handmade items. We appreciate the quirky and odd in the world. All these things can be found throughout history, so we try to confine ourselves to looking at one era at a time. We do love metals. I suppose this comes from our time recycling cars and scrap metal. We spent years rescuing things from the crusher pile- items that still had life in them. Steel is such a comforting thing really- it seems to defy time. Just lately, we were lucky enough to find late 1800s screw type metal fence posts. They are 130 to 140 years old, and are better quality than just about anything you can buy today. They will last another 100 years and still be useable.
On the other hand, doesn’t one have to appreciate that piece of glass or antique book that has managed, by good stewardship, to survive intact? The fragile items that survive are just as amazing.
What is your favorite item in your shop at the moment?
We love the Marbro Harlequin lamp we have in our store. It is a piece of pure whimsy. It serves no purpose other than to make us feel good. Yes, you may get a few lumen from it, it may brighten a dark spot in your living room, but that could be achieved by much simpler means. He was made just to make us smile. What can be better?
The cast iron fencing urns are timeless.
The Last Whole Earth catalog is really a politcal statement of the times.
The Robert Kennedy autographed photo is something I will never have again when it sells.
There is so much out there that is still useful, beautiful, and that we can learn from. We seem to have made it our mission to save it; at least some of it!
Ted and Vanessa also own two other Etsy shops.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MattiesMenagerie
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LostTreeMan
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Great getting to know you both better! What a fun shop you have! I wish you continued success and lots more treasures in your future!
LOVE getting to know you via this interview, Crooked Joe's. I'm thinking it'd be great to spend some time and swap a few stories with you both. Anyone who loves metal and thinks of themselves as a professional recycler sounds right up my alley! Best wishes for plenty more interesting adventures in recycling!