SPRING 2013 MID CENTURY CONTAINER PHOTOS

LEGACY IMPORTING

 is Announcing the Arrival of a Fresh 40' Handpicked Container of Mid Century Modern Furniture from Europe

We're excited to unveil the first container of 2013!  This handpicked load comes straight from Western Europe.  Over 250 High Quality, Unique, and Timeless pieces for your Home, Office, Restaurant or where ever you need a great addition.  50+ Credenzas from $400, 20+ Sets of Chairs from $250, 10+ Dining Tables from $300, 20+ Chests and Dressers from $250, 25+ Coffee Tables from $250, 20+ Mirrors and Occ. Furniture from $50 and A Selection of Art-Deco Cocktail Bar Cabinets from $300!!  This load is STACKED with great gear, all in great shape!  I do my best to find pieces that you , your family and friends will be talking about!!

Check out the photo collection at our FLICKR SITE 

and see all the great gear that will be available!!

Please feel free to Contact Us with any questions you may have about the collection. Give us a call at 510-205-0647.

The Sale will be to EVERYONE, First Come First Serve!!  

NO SIGN UPS and NO EARLY SALES.  

We accept CASH, Credit Cards, NO Checks please.  We can help with local delivery and no need to remove gear that day.  We can make arrangements.

The Eternal Hunter of Kitsch

Interesting Item of the Week

Issue #1

Antlers?....

In every hunters cabin or den is a trophy of their conquest and triumph over the elements and nature, a stately mounted rack of an Elk or Moose, maybe a Mule Deer.  If we were in Texas or Oklahoma it could be a set of Steer Horns on the Cadillac, but since I am in Portland, Oregon I am just going to talk about the plain old bleached Deer Antler that is in every store, including mine.

Recently, flipping through a interior design magazine my attention was caught by a painted wall mirror done in black and white checkerboard  about 3' x 5' with a huge molded deer head and antlers placed smack center in the piece.  I think every hunter in the world kinda got a bit sick at that moment.  How we progressed as a decorative society.  Now, unusual mounting are not new or uncommon, this new design trend definitely tackles new ground.

Found now in every dive bar or boutique shop of some sort hangs a set of polished out and bleached rack of deer antlers.  Maybe this hearkens back to a more primitive time when we had to hunt for our food.  Now we hunt for different stuff - the Rare and Elusive Kitsch animal.   As a guy who has grown up in the marketplace, I have seen many a trend come and go but this one blows me away.  Goes to show that there is always something to learn or be open to.

So when you are out there on the hunt or the prowl....remember, that special thing that sets you apart from your neighbor or friend is out there.  Happy Hunting!

Wow...Its been a minute, and so MUCH has changed

   Finally back to sit down for a moment to catch my breathe.  Between being on the road, getting in a relationship, changing business infrastructure ( lousy big phrase so early in the post...), and opening a retail store front I need a break. Or at least a day or two away from it all.    Where to begin.....

         Back in about June a friend from afar in real world and the cyber world we through a series of events connected up and now I have a great friend, partner, cigar smoking buddy and just all aroung supporter in my life now, Thanks Kelly, love ya.  Also somewhere in the I began to search out some new horizons with business and I switched up suppliers ( gotta love jealous competitors) and found myself wanting to do more with my day.  Through another series of weird events I now have a Vintage Department Store that's open 7 days a week and will so have a internet e-commerce piece and an event oriented theme to play with now and for the next ten years!!!   So much for drinking coffee and smoking cigars all day....  

        Anyways,   just wanted to stop by and say Hi.  I will take the time regularly to talk about stuff as always.  Hopefully most of the time nothing to heady just relating about stuff and things.  Tomorrow , a new feature - Interesting item of the week !  Look forward to our journey together in this absurd world of consumerism and need ( had to be a bit cynical, but tongue and cheek at the same time....come on you know its true)  Take care.  Happy Hunting

Find the store at www.facebook.com/vintagedesigncollective and let us know what ya think or how we can help!

Bringing the world's journey into the neighborhood

       Just a little bit ago reading an entry from my friend Jill's food blog ( The Unmanageable Oven ) and was quickly transported to my old stomping grounds of East Oakland, CA.  The other day I was able to take her and some other friends to a great place to eat in the hood, the La Pinata truck on Coliseum Way.  I have been eating there since 1986.  The food is authentic and the setting, well, you just have to see it for yourself.  Fighting for table space with the pigeons is part of the whole deal there.  Anyways, the point is this, traveling all over the world searching out cool stuff to bring home for people to enjoy in there homes and spend the rest of my time talking about it in all the great local spots in my neighborhood.  Jill reminded me that we don't necessarily have to go very far to feel transported to somewhere else.  Sure I want you to come home to throw your keys down on a side table that came from a small village outside Brugge, Belgium and think to yourself - wonder who else has done the same thing? but really I just want you to enjoy your family or friends or love one who's waiting for you on the other side of the door.
        
          Working hard and raising kids, nurturing a family, tending to a garden, spending to much time on a hobby that is quickly becoming all consuming and most importantly to me - shopping for the ultimate space saving answer to all your design wishes in an bedroom suite, we must not forget to experience all that is available to us in our neighborhood.   Many people probably came before you to make the place in which you live a destination for someone else.  Now that my home is in the NW, I am constantly finding out a new fold to the community here. Sure there is a funny TV show thats makes the tongue in cheek aspect of Portland laughable to the locals.  Really this place is important to our culture as Americans.  The Lewis and Clarke trail, logging industry, heck NIKE, ADIDAS, INTEL, PENDELTON, and the Food Cart Revolution are just a few highlights of the area. A true outdoor spirit here, an adventurous spirit!  Even if the adventurers wear tight jeans, throw back glasses or ride a bike everywhere, I make light but you got to see it for your self, kinda like the pigeons I mentioned.

         Here I find a real comfort in all that is around me.  The trees, mountains, rivers, valleys, parks, and so much more!  When talking with people about where I live there is a great exchange of information and ideals.  They tell me about the old corner store and the hidden gem of a restaurant and the right place to go to get your vacuum fixed and I regale them about the journey the buffet they just bought from me took.  Usually an even trade but most of the time I get uplifted and inspired to search out the adventure they shared with me and my hope is that one day they will do the same with the story I just told.  Life is quite revealing sometimes.

       So thanks Jill for the simple reminder to enjoy all that surrounds you and take in the enjoyment of the people and places in which I live.  This is where I know I can best be of service and help.  Even if I got jump on another plane, train and taxi to find you the Hallrobe that will solve all your problems!!

Until next time....got to finish watching March Madness!!
        

A year off to find the next new and there it goes!!

        Some say the all journeys start by taking the first steps.  I am finding out that this journey is only taking shape by looking back at the last few.  So much emphasis on the future and what's next, why?  From where I sit its only by taking stock in to that which has passed by do I even get a glimpse at what is coming down the road.  Most folks are so caught up in the speed of things - new model, latest version, coolest widget, and my personal favorite - new title for the same old thing!  Me, I just want you to buy my stuff so I can get back to smoking a cigar.  I really do enjoy what I do, finding things and uncovering stuff, trying to understand what does it all mean,etc....

        For he most part this last year has been quite a revealing opus for me.  Being on my own for the first time in business has been quite the challenge.  No one really to run things by. At least no one with out a vested interest in what I am doing.  My customers are the best, we work really hard to find out what is coming next so that they can get on to whatever they want to be doing. Sometime though, I have to stop and realize that we are on opposite sides of the income battle. Perfectly fine...my job get the money, there job, keep the money.  Fun stuff and totally acceptable! These are the truly fun volleys.  What I am saying is, that when an idea crosses or passes across the table, my long time partner is not there to debate with.  I do miss the team effort I once had.  Now I get to make all the decisions myself.  That is a lot of pressure.  Don't screw up or you might have to go get a job..that is not acceptable!

       Ranting is done.  Down to business.  Hold on, my tea is cold....be right back.

       Thats' better.

        So the post-WWII trends of all the traditional stuff is far behind us and the Mid-Century Moderns are have been in full swing for at least ten years, if not more.  I spend all my time talking about simple, clean lines, utility, and many other things, like "Who designed this?...or "Is this from Denmark or Sweden.....phooey if you ask me.  Most people want the look but can rarely afford the name.  Get real with the pocket book I say.  Many of the back and forth between me and my clients are about what will do for the price point and how many should we bring into the market place so as not to drown out the effect.  Totally boring.  Necessary but boring.
       Where is the new money, Where is the market going, and How do we deliver the message are the fun ones if you ask me.  Recently I launched a new electronic tool for my customers ( website plug:  legacyimporting.com)  Shameless but hey, you work on yours and trudge through all the tech and see how you feel!  Breaking away from the classic way of the message - outdoor markets ( still do them), call people on the phone by looking up there ad in the yellow pages ( get out your 4G and Google it) and having a garage sale ( wait let me check my CL Ad, Ebay Store, website, blog, twitter, FB,...get my drift) has brought me into the new Way of the Market Warrior ( trademark this for later).  I like it all!  Very exciting, never knowing exactly when the phone will ding with a $ amount.  I can watch all the free reporting and trends ( no more hiring out those costly consultants to talk with those costly CPA's, thanks QuickBooks and Google).  Now I can spend more time hunting down that elusive animal know as the HOMERUN!!  You know the ones the TV shows are always showing you on those shows about all this.  This is for another time though.  Okay, calmed backed down....tea is so helpful.

         What does it all mean is the quite the question here.  I feel lucky that being a forth generation junk man gives me a perspective that few have.  I have watched trends come and go, so fast and so many times I have learned to slow down, think globally and act locally.  Asking myself all the time  - What can I really do? What can really affect?  and do a good job at that.  I don't need to be the biggest but I do want to be the best at what I do for the people I do it for.  Role with the new way of doing things - matching old school hard work and new school fancy fangled E-commerce tools.  The excitement of this new horizon gets me thinking and makes me back concentrating on the core issues, like is my tea cold and that cigar earlier was awesome, but I digress, sorry.  What I want to say is this - How are people living there life today, what do they need to accomplish their task in life while enjoying the fruits of the labor they do.  Thats me in a nutshell, thinking of you and how to be of service!

            I leave you with this:  Embrace the new, never loose sight of where you been, hold on to those experiences and the joys and pains of life.  Search out what works for you and think - How does this affect the world in which I live.  The challenge is always this - Is the legacy I leave one that adds to this life and benefit of others?   Tall order but I know that we can do this.  To the great unknown I go, you go and we go....

tea is getting cold again and I think me FB needs attention,
    

Why are we in love with Zero's?

        Let's go back a bit to take a look into the Marketplace culture say about 3000 to 4000 years ago.  Let's put ourselves into ancient Sumerian lands, what would be modern day Iraq and the Saudi Peninsula, where the Tigris ans Euphrates Rivers go out to the sea.  Here we would find some of the first constant and functional market places in the modern world, as people new it then.  Here one would be able to find everything that was needed for life.  Life would eased by the ability to share a commonplace for a common purpose of trading goods for their needs.  A new, more uplifted life was beginning to evolve.  Time was being spent pursue great endeavors, such as developing writing, art, sciences, city development and the improvement of commerce.  A settled life was taking hold and a new manifestation of daily life came into play, a need to amass wealth in the form of possession.  When I say possession, I mean the acquisition, display, and hoarding of people, places and things.  In this case we will only deal with the junk and stuff.   The ability to house and collect the triumphs of mankind has as many reasons as there is stuff.  What I am hoping to spark a thought about is why we believe that the effort one puts out today is so much different in todays world as it was then.
         In a period of time we live in today, where Need has very little to do with our lives today. We commonly show shallow pity to those who truly have needs, like food, clean water, shelter and health care by dropping a few coins into basket somewhere or giving a hour once a year to serve food in a kitchen.  In this way we justify our selfish lives by displaying our perception of successes to those who we perceive to not be successful at all.  Many of us do it more subtly by dropping hints to where we bought something or how much we spent on it. Even in that ancient marketplace, there was some proclaiming to be the best and you didn't get the right item unless you bought it from them, regardless of how that person lived their life or how they were able to deliver the item to you.  For the first time in our buying culture the average buyer is more aware of the nuances of the marketplace and the quality of our modern western life is pretty darn good and very complete. One doesn't need to be a Sultan or King to have ice in their possession these days.
           I spend my days searching the globe to bring merchandise into the marketplace for many people to buy and sell.  I do this in such a manner to help those acquire these goods to improve their life, either by giving them something they need for the home or to help provide a pathway to earn a living to help them get the what they need for their family or themselves or the involvements of their lives.  What seems to be the big question I  often get, is How do I know what to sell something for? or How do you know how what to pay for something?
          What this article is about is not what I do specifically but to help one think about why an item might cost what it does based on how it is delivered to you and by who.  Can you support someones effort to provide the service and pay what they ask.  Or can you choose another rout.  What about if one chooses to pay and acquire goods you would not necessarily have for yourself.  Maybe they paid more or you got a perceived better deal.  What's the difference.  I will tell - Can you truly be satisfied with what you have chosen for yourself or will you be preoccupied with what someone else did.   Please don't misunderstand, it is important to keep a level playing field in our culture so that we constantly are improving our lives so that we have can share in that as we leave this existence.
           Let me be honest with you, I buy and trade goods to make a profit.  This profit is making the way for me to provide for my family and contribute to my community and the culture in which I live.  I have been honest with myself about why I need to accomplish a certain financial goal.  Do I need to arrive there for the sake of the money or for the more noble ends of Family, Community, and Country.  Can I sleep well knowing that my efforts today move this forward.  Did I find myself angry or upset do to someones else having more zero's than myself?
               I offer this.  Take a moment a review your life.  Find that which you moves your life forward.  Consider how you contribute to yourself, your family, the community in which you live, and the society you participate in.  Mostly, I wish you to be thoughtful of  your actions and attitudes towards all people in the market place.  Never try to count another one's money or take stock of their possessions, for their endeavors are not yours.  Be aware of that which guides you and buy the junk and stuff you want for the needs you have.  See you soon and take care.

Permanance, A idea long passed its time

    My apologies friends, I had intended to get back to you sooner but I got caught up in, well, .....  Maybe this was the lesson here.  I started this deal as a commitment to myself and to those who wish to share their thoughts on Junk and Stuff and already I was moving on in life just after the first installment.  Really?..  This is indicative of a real problem we have in this society of consumption.  We buy something today and tomorrow its already served its purpose or we are bored with it or some new shiny bobble comes along with a new button or catch phrase and we are off to see the Wizard ( Sorry for the bad joke, but I think you get my point).
     The biggest reason I deal in secondary markets is simple, I am a misfit and live in the land of Misfit Toys.  So I take it upon myself to be like Santa and bring all the perfectly good junk and stuff to all the little girls and boys who understand a reasonable vantage point from which they live.  Kinda of cool , right!
      I am often asked, What is the best or What is worth the most,  questions I just hate to answer because there are so many right answers to those ideals.  I generally respond with: What are looking to accomplish with this purchase.  Then I recommend an answer based on the situation.  If you really want me to throw something out there, you will just have to wait a bit.  I will get to all that, I mean shucks, a guy has got to make a buck, don't He?
      Looking back over the last 20+ years of selling stuff and helping people I realized a few drastic changes to how we live in our world today, especially here in the good old USA. I have never lived in another country but have traveled to many to do what I do. We like now, and newest, and we like to tell people where we purchased it and for how much.  Oh, heres my favorite - I ran out this morning and bought a whole case of them, they are going to worth a bunch.  They already stopped making them and I need to be at the store next week to get the new stuff..  PATHETIC, if you ask me.  People we need to slow down and ask ourselves, do we really need 4 or 5 of something.  And really, how often should you be replacing the Sofa or the Dining Set or buy some new Tools.  Most of the time I go into a house and find that most of the junk and stuff is not even used or even better is the main issue here -  You bought cheap stuff based on a look,  and now its not worth any thing because not only you have moved on from the stuff, so has everybody else. You know , but wont admit it, because you stuff is worth more than the 100 other examples found on Craigslist or EBAY!
      People, slow down a bit.  Save up a few bucks and look deeper into what you really need and why you need it,  Look into buy a better quality for a more reasonable price.  Buy the things you need that will last you more than just this Fashion Season!  Please don't get me confused here.  I am all for progress and the trades. I just wish we were not so caught up in the big fiasco we seemed to have created.  Impersonal if you ask me,
      Try shopping at the local market, the neighborhood furniture store, small family run businesses that put the idea of permanence into all that they do.  You will be surprised at what a little cash money and some loyalty to the idea of buying things that make sense and still give the ability to say 'Look at this cool .." and "have you ever been to that store on...they are just awesome people and have just the best stuff, sure its used but who cares, I love it"  
      I love small business people and the people who support them.  Please help to create a bit of permanence here in the market place.  We need to be connected to others in more ways than just our junk and stuff.  Support those who will ultimately be there for us, the Customer and User of said Good or Service .When those Massive, Impersonal Big Box Retailers decide that its time for something new for you to buy, give it to them and send them a wave goodbye, because you cant go to breakfast on Saturday mornings with them.  Got to go, having lunch with the guy who owns this really awesome Cigar Store, He always makes time his friends!!