It Just Makes Me Smile

One of the final vignettes at Second Hand Rose.

Mr. Flannery

Racing to the Finish Line

I have all the big pieces in place for the February sale at Second Hand Rose. I have items stacked and jammed and prodded into my space. Kind of like getting 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5 pound sack. While the others have seamlessly blended their elegant roses into stunning displays, my hogs have been penned up in a bursting at the seams presentation.

Even with my less than elegant displaying technique the stuff looks pretty damn good. I'm about 95% finished. I have a couple of things to hang from the ceiling, a couple of boxes of smalls to smear over the big items and a couple of hours of pricing and tagging left to do.

There are two warehouse carts (the carts that Restoration Hardware sells for $1095) both made by Nutting Truck Co. of Faribault, Minnesota.

One of the carts is a nice medium brown color and the other is almost black.

The carts are stacked and then prodded under the slate top lab table with its newly painted aluminum colored base.

The cabinet has four doors, shelves and a bottom drawer. The brass stars and cowhide inserts are unique.

Industrial lights have been made into a double hanging pendant, perfect for over a center island or counter.

There is a Bohemian crystal chandelier. In the background is a red wrought iron rocker with great vintage fabric stacked on top of the cowhide cabinet.

In the other corner is this railroad file cupboard. It still has its Chicago & Northwestern inventory tag on the back.

I finished another vintage pallet top table. This one is on an aluminum painted base from a dental office.

A large 1932 commercial coffee grinder in the shape of a coffee pot. (And it works).

A milk crate filled with white painted letters is under the pallet table.

Some more signs and boxes are stacked on the floor. And to the left is a great little serving cart from an architect's office.

Wood carved angel overlooking the space from the door frame.

And above the doorway as you exit, a different kind of angel.

Mr. Flannery

They're Often Confused

When we were just kids there was a tv commercial where a woman compared her dish soap soothed hands with those of her teenage daughter. The soap did such a great job on her hands (with no mention of the cleansing of the dishes) that the mother proclaimed the "we're often confused". My stupid little brother then remarked "I bet that they are".

Anyway, I was at Walmart today and I remembered to bring my camera into the store. There is signage on the main doors that has been intriguing me for years. It seems that Walmart too is often confused.

Mr. Flannery

More Set-up at Second Hand Rose

I have started with the back layers in my space at Second Hand Rose. Lots of interesting stuff for the February sale, with a definite industrial edge to the presentation. Things are still stacked in the aisles, but I am gradually building out from the walls and corners to get ready for the sale.

One of my favorite pieces, a coffee server cart from an architect's office.

These matching botanical prints were framed in the 1950's. There is a curiously shaped gold frame mirror to fit where the sixth print belongs.

Another favorite, a wood airplane propeller. I think that it will hang from the ceiling in the center of the space.

Black slate topped lab table with aluminum colored base. Over a cool almost round red table (another architect office find). Over one of two Nutting Truck Co. warehouse carts that will be displayed.

O0000hh la la. A folk art nude that would work well over a Western theme bar. (You can find almost everything at the occasional sale).

Bohemian crystal and amethyst chandelier.

A tall railroad file cabinet complete with the Chicago & Northwestern tag on the back.

And a Lobay industrial light perfectly hung over the lab table.

I still have a lot more to do, but I am very pleased with the direction that I'm headed for the February sale.

Mr. Flannery

Maybe They Will Fit in the Shop

I went to an auction at Dave Miller's on Thursday. (I know, that's a big surprise). I found a couple of pieces that I hope to incorporate into my space at Second Hand Rose for the February sale. I already have 2 Nutting warehouse carts, 2 industrial coffee serving carts, a pallet top table and an 8 foot long laboratory table in my 9.5 by 7.5 foot space. I am pretty good at stacking and jamming, but these pieces may have to wait for some sales to open space.

This cabinet has panels lined with brown and white cowhide and big brass stars.

The wrought iron rocker may end up stacked on top of the two warehouse carts. (Which are already stacked one on the other).

Its going to be an interesting sale, especially if the bottom warehouse cart sells first.

Mr. Flannery

Starting for February Sale

We had January off at Second Hand Rose, but now the February sale is appearing on my radar. I want to change up my space almost completely. So on Monday I emptied out my space. I boxed up a lot of smalls and hauled the bigger pieces to storage. I pulled the new pieces from storage and brought them into the shop. I'm going at the redo in stages and I hope to refrain from jamming myself up with too many pieces in my space that I have to dance around while trying to set up.

My first task was hanging my large tambor door piece on the wall. The building wall is very thin and a nail or screw will pull out with just a picture hanging from it. The tambor door was used like a mini garage door in an old telephone company switching station. The door would keep dust off of the switches and would be rolled up for access to work on them. Now the door will be adding a unique backdrop and a place to hang items.

The door is almost 8 feet long and 6 feet tall. It was a real puzzle to get it screwed into place all by myself. I think that it looks pretty good.

I also set up my high school lab table. It originally came with a light oak colored base. I painted the base aluminum to give the piece a much more industrial sort of look.

This Nutting warehouse cart is still in storage. It will come into Second Hand Rose in the next couple of loads. I hope to put a coat of poly on it before it is covered with other items for sale.

I brought in a bunch of botanical prints and a folk art nude oil painting to get hung on the walls before too much furniture gets placed in my way.

Mr. Flannery

Burl Walnut and Horse Hames

I went to an auction last Sunday. It was terrible. I got there about a half hour after it started (caused by a delay induced by a Meeker County Deputy Sheriff who wanted to discuss my speed). The place was full with lots of people standing around and sitting on the furniture that was eventually going to sell. I sat next to my friend Steve and his wife Jan in the very back corner of the room and ate the Subway sandwich that I brought with me. I didn't even look around until the sandwich was devoured.

It turned out that the sandwich was much more important than any of the goods that I had to look at. There were piles and piles and boxes and boxes of stuff, but not the kind of stuff that I find interesting. I saw nothing that I would even bid on.

About an hour into the auction they sold the 20 or so guns that were listed. I don't buy guns because I do not know anything about them and they are too expensive to start learning at an auction. About half the crowd left after the guns were sold. I decided to make one more tour of the place before I too departed. There, in space which was recently vacated by the butts of gaukers, was a cool little table. It has a 2-3 inch thick slice of black walnut burl mounted on legs made from steel horse hames and fitted with horseshoe feet. Now I had a reason to stay at the auction for a few more hours.

The top is dirty and has some holes filled with some kind of plastic filler, but it is going to look great after a good sanding and a few coats of some kind of clear finish.

Mr. Flannery

Global Warming Ain't Bad for Everyone

I usually spend most of the winter complaining about the terrible weather that we must endure here on the tundra. I have said that global warming would not be bad for everyone. Well this year, thanks to some Spanish guy (El Nino or something like that), we are getting a small peek at what global warming would be like if it actually was happening. I can report that in terms of the tundra, global warming is wonderful.

We have effectively avoided the first month and one-half of this winter. The lake is frozen, but only in the bay, the main part remains open. There is no snow on the ground. The solar gain has reduced my heating bill to less than 20% of last year. And today I worked outside spray painting some furniture.

The bay is frozen, but the ground is bare.

I painted the base of one of the slate top lab tables a sort of dirty silver or aluminum color. Babe even approves of the paint job.

Of course I did my nails (and my fingers up to the second knuckle) so I have a Tin Man sort of presentation.

I bought this walnut base at the auction on Sunday. It works perfectly under one of my vintage pallet tops. I painted this base the same silvery color today too.

And all I have to say is 51* in Central Minnesota on January 10th is more than OK for me.

Mr. Flannery

Auctions - Failures but a Light at the End of the Tunnel

This is a tough time for auctions here on the tundra. Usually the weather makes it impossible to have on-sight farm auctions and anything outside is limited at best. The dealers and other auction goers are getting hungry because there are few events to feed us.

I attended two auctions last weekend. Both of them took a couple of hours of driving and a tank of gas to get there. I went to get a few specific pieces that were listed. The furniture really intrigued me and would fit well into the industrial bent that I'm headed into.

The first was this lawyers stacking bookcase. It was interesting, especially with the first level step back. However at $660 it was beyond my limits.

The second was this 32 drawer file cabinet. I was the underbidder at $525.

Then there was this homemade rotating hardware cupboard. The base is fantastic. Again I was the underbidder at $745.

So the long trips were basically unproductive. Hours on the road, dollars through the gas tank and none of my desired items in my truck for the trip home. Interestingly my week was productive not at the live auctions, but online.

I bought these spotlights on-line. They are from a 1937 LaFrance fire truck. I am very happy with them and they probably will not be leaving here too soon.

The most interesting piece is this glass taxi cab light. Again, it will probably be on my shelf for a while rather than in either of the shops.

Not many auctions to attend the rest of this month, but I'll keep searching on-line for the strange items that I like.

Mr. Flannery