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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Stuff happens

When you have a store, you have to expect breakage. It happens.

We found that out when we closed the garage door on a Carter scoop chair. And when a box of globes for a sputnik lamp fell off the top of a cabinet. And when we broke a leg off a credenza. You pick up the pieces, repair what you can and don't cry over spilt milk.

Recently a Raymor table lighter got a chip knocked out of its base. I'm sure the friend of ours who accidentally brushed it off the table was a lot more upset about it than we were. After all, we've broken enough of our own stuff to have developed quite a forgiveness for that sort of thing...and a clear understanding that it's part of doing business.

However, I'm happy to report that the little table lighter has fully recovered and is back on our shelves, as beautiful as ever. I followed the instructions for repairing chips that I found on modish.net, and they worked perfectly. (So stop feeling guilty, Matt. No harm, no foul.)

Here are before and after photos:


The chip

Close-up of the damage

The repair in progress

The finished repair

8 comments:

  1. I've always loved that color combination...

    Nice job on the repair!

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  2. Forgiveness just helps to maintain peace of mind doesn't it? Amazing repair! Gorgeous lighter too!

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  3. Ahhh, you hate to hear it even though it's inevitable. I'm almost crying over the squished Scoop chair - my favorite! Nice job on the lamp repair. You can't even tell!

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  4. @Rhan: The squished scoop chair went to the chair hospital the next day, and it was saved. There wasn't a mark on the top of the chair. It pushed the legs right up into the bent plywood, and the furniture repairman had to rebuild it layer by layer. It's the scoop chair that's in my living room...and pictured on the right hand side of this page...so all is well. :)

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  5. i remember you mentioning this breakage..beautiful piece looks wonderful all healed!

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  6. Hi Dana,

    I am so thrilled to hear that you were able to repair your scoop chair. Mine just was damaged by a careless sitter - the leg tore out of the bent plywood. Can you recommend any furniture repair shop in Austin, and/or let me know who repaired your chair?

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  7. @lonestarvegetarian: I had mine repaired in a little town outside Fort Worth, and I didn't have a very good experience with them. They told me my chair would be ready in 2-3 weeks and kept it for months...and then got impatient for me to pick it up when it was finished. The job they did is cosmetically satisfactory, but they told me it would never be strong enough to sit on again. I'm not familiar with any restorers in Austin, but if you're willing to bring your chair to Dallas, I can wholeheartedly recommend Hank Tosh. Mid-century furniture is his specialty, and he has a reputation for outstanding work. His website is toshmahal.com. If you visit his site, you'll be amazed at some of the pieces he's brought back to life, and the reviews he's received will show you why I recommend him so highly. He just finished a credenza for our store, and it sold instantly!

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