Secondhand Surplus

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Freestyle Pickn'


For those of you that are not familiar with American Pickers on the History Channel, freestyle pickn' is a term used when you see something you like in someones yard, and you stop, knock on the door, and ask if they are willing to sell whatever it is that you were interested in.
Today was my first freestyle pick. If you remember my anniversary gift, you know that my husband has been a picker in the past. Not me however, I have eyeballed many a front porches, but never had the nerve.
Today was my day. I had many times before seen this lonely shell chair parked in a backyard, while on my way to a loved thrift store. Sitting in the rain, piled with leaves, amongst an array of walmart patio furniture, out of place, and not being loved for the modern classic that it is. I had pulled around to the front of the house a few times, loosing my nerve each and every time.
Today, with not a whole lot of luck at the thrift store, I told myself I was going to leave a polite note about how I would love to buy the chair and my phone number, and hope that something would come of it. Well, lucky for me there was someone outside, and I was able to jump out and profess my love and beg and plead to bring the chair home with me, to live out the rest of its days warm and loved inside my house. The woman laughed and thought it was funny that I had such an interest in her patio furniture. She said it was her fathers, when he was alive and had run out of room for it in her house.
So, my promise of loving the chair they way one should love an Eames design(and a crisp $20) and the chair is mine. I did a little cleaning with vinyl conditioner, and you would never be able to tell this chair had lived anytime outside.

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