More of everything is coming to Junk and Howe - we have a ton of amazing vintage items that have yet to be put up in the store. You won't have to wait long to get your chance at getting your hands on some wonderful "new" Pyrex - more beautiful and useful dishes are arriving to the Junk and Howe store shelves as early as this week. We've sold a few of our favorite Pyrex dishes already, and we know that as soon as these new ones are revealed they'll go fast as well.
This all doesn't even include the Pyrex gems we're keeping for ourselves! Pictures to come soon for everything. Until then, take a gander at a few vintage ads and a couple screenshots from films/commercials where Pyrex is featured in a scene. Enjoy!
If you didn't know, we're on Twitter - go follow to get first word of our sales and other announcements.
We have just added some items to the Junk and Howe store for spring - a little of everything! And there's more to come next week!
If you've never seen it, and like film noir or French films, take a look at Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle Rouge, starring the impressive Alain Delon (also in Le Samourai by Melville). Not only are the acting, writing, and directing outstanding, but stylistically it's wonderful to watch. It's on Netflix's watch instantly until 3/1. Saw it was going away and thought we'd pass it along as a recommendation.
During my research on Spaulding Ware, I came across a blog called Retro Chalet. I sent Ira Mency an email about the Spaulding find, and she was kind enough to write about it and Junk and Howe on her blog. Retro Chalet is not only an informative and interesting blog, but also a store (at Etsy) – both are very cool and worth checking out. From a ton of vintage melamine to print block letters, there’s a “wow” waiting at each click.
Junk and Howe likes to make you happy. Sales make everyone happy. We don’t put items on sale because we have too many of them, or because the items are worth any less than their price tag says they are worth. In fact, we price everything to sell.
When you visit Junk and Howe, you know you are going to get a deal on something very cool – something you’ll receive a compliment on – something you’ll use – something you’ll be reusing. You’ll leave with a smile, and maybe even wide, excited eyes. At best, you’ll have a well-made item – classically designed, always in style, and made in the United States.
UNTIL FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011 AT 4PM CST:
20% OFF ALL WINTER WEAR!
The entire country has seen the cold, crazy weather in the last couple months. It’s still winter, and it will be for another month, at least. Get a coat. Get a second coat. Get insulated. Get layered. We have some amazing winterwear! Everything in our sale section has been marked down 20%! You have until Friday.
“What a piece.” That may mean something different to whoever is looking at whatever. This is a recurring feature, in which we will spotlight certain vintage items that we feel are noteworthy and cool - classic. Function, use, quality and design. Made in the USA. This is what Junk and Howe searches for, and this is what we find.
Luggage. If you go anywhere, you need it. Samsonite and American Tourister are household names when it comes to luggage. Once fierce American-made rivals, today they are both owned by the same company and mostly made outside the United States.
Samsonite advertised and sold their first piece of luggage at Macy’s in 1918, and became famous for their “Strong Enough To Stand On” slogan during that time. It was started in Denver and run by Jesse Shwayder, who brought in the rest of his family. Such things aren’t always a good idea, but it was a picture of Shwayder, his three brothers, and their father all standing on a wooden plank resting across a row of their luggage that helped gain attention for the company, eventually pushing them to the top luggage company in the country. By the 1970s, they were making their bags overseas.
Sol Koffler wanted to make durable luggage for affordable prices. He set out to do that by opening American Luggage Works in Providence, Rhode Island in 1933, which eventually became American Tourister in the ‘40s, after World War II. The company did well for the first few decades, but exploded in the 1970s due to an ad campaign that featured a gorilla jumping up and down on an American Tourister suitcase. In actuality, it was a man in a gorilla suit, but the impact had been felt and seen. By the early 1990s, they sold the company and began making luggage in other parts of the world.
The old luggage is still durable, and built to last – especially the hard shells. The larger suitcases are ideal for road trips. They’re big enough to carry two people’s things – great for a relaxing, simple getaway weekend. Pare down and get out of town. Sounds like ad copy. Or use them for storage - perhaps to store seasonal clothing or files. Stack them in a room and use them for decoration at the same time.
The smaller of the sets – especially the American Tourister carry-ons and train cases – are great for so many occasions and uses. Use them as your carry-on bag for the plane – they’re small, light, and resilient. Use one or the other as an overnighter, day tote, gym bag, make-up case, sewing kit case, art supplies storage, and so forth. Like the briefcases and medium-sizes, the train case is perfect storage for a musician – cables, microphones, pedals, etc. Know a friend, lover, or family member who’s a musician or artist? These kinds of things are the perfect unique gift – even for yourself!
There are tons of brands of vintage luggage out there because there were boutique shops and smaller, regional companies. And of course, there are brands like J.C. Higgins, which was the sporting goods brand by Sears & Roebuck. Or Louis Vuitton, which is French designer luggage and an obvious mention, so I’ll spare you. Whichever way you go, a quality vintage suitcase can get you there – safely, and in style.
Visit the Junk and Howe store and see what we have waiting for you. Here's a few directly:
Here it is - the Spaulding dinnerware set. It's not complete - it's 49 pieces out of 55 - but most of it has never been used and it's still in its original box. The price tag says $66.40. That was 1960 or before. With inflation, today that's a $489 melamine dinnerware set. Lawdy.
For the record, it's missing everything on the right side of the inventory list except that it still has the one large server platter. The rest are crazy 8s - dinner plates, soup/cereal bowls, dessert bowls, bread and butter plates, cups, and saucers.
Made in the USA - "Chicago 18, Illinois"
So, while I'm researching, here are the pictures...
We visited Fat Nye, Slick, and Mudville this weekend. We had presents waiting for us when we arrived. One was a Spaulding melamine dinnerware set - still in the original box, with only six out of 55 pieces missing. Amazing. Pictures will be coming very soon, but we haven't decided whether we're going to keep it or not for ourselves. This is a constant challenge for us at Junk and Howe.
We do have pictures of some other items we picked up on our snowy weekend of junking in central Illinois. A lot of kitchenware, ranging in style, era, and use. We even picked up an old Wilson T2000 Tennis Racket - the kind Jimmy Connors used to use. If you don't know who that is, well, you probably won't care about the racket. If you do, you may know just how cool this is.
My favorite piece is the Yorkraft, Inc. (York, PA) "Please Don't Shoot the Piano Player" wooden sign, stamped 1957 on the back. This is an item that was produced to look like it was from the late 1800s. 54 years later, it's now an antique itself. The badge of wood that seems to have been shot out of the face of the sign was not factory made. To add even more character to it, someone long ago lightly painted esses to make the sign read "She's doing the best she can" - instead of "he," as originally intended. I can only imagine the story behind it.
STARTS: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2011 AT 1 PM CST ENDS: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2011 AT 1 PM CST
We’re going to give you a chance to walk away with the deal of the month! You can be the envy of everyone who paused to say “cool!” or even "favorited" these items. Only five items, and for such a limited time. Happy junking!
Click on the items to see more pictures, descriptions, and to buy them at the Junk and Howe store!
