Thursday, June 16, 2011

The great debate

Several months ago, about the time we opened the store, my SIL and I hit one of the several Salvation Army stores in town. I was sitting in the truck with the boys, and he came out and said, "You've got to go inside and look at a table I found. I'm pretty sure it's something good."

You know that feeling you get when you don't really know what something is...but a little voice tells you it has to be a designer piece? Well, that was his gut instinct, and he was right.

He had found a Lou Hodges table that was signed and dated, along with four MCM chairs that didn't really look like they matched the table. Some quick research confirmed our suspicions that the chairs had formerly gone with some other set, so we paired them with a mid-century table we had picked up at auction for a song and sold them as a set for a tidy profit. The orphan Lou Hodges table has been sitting in their garage ever since.

It's a massive butcher block table from the mid-1980s that is of a little later era than we usually sell in the store. Also, after the initial "rush of the find" wore off, we realized that it's in a little worse shape than we originally thought.

Now that it's time to move the last of their belongings from their sold home, my SIL is having a raging debate in his head. Move the Lou Hodges table to Dallas and pay someone to repair a crack in the top, try to sell it on Craigslist "as is" to someone who will love and restore it...or haul it to the curb and wave goodbye to it as they leave?

I think the final option was mover's fatigue talking. After all, this wasn't a mass-produced piece. It was a fine table that was crafted by hand, and it deserves more respect than that.






Lou Hodges table
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6 comments:

  1. Nick KlausJune 16, 2011 at 2:30 AM

    That is a tough one. Hoping it goes to someone who'll take care of it is good and makes things easier in the short run, but giving up something you're attached to is hard. It's a beautiful table. In either case, hope the move goes well.

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  2. Mr. ModtomicJune 16, 2011 at 3:01 AM

    Oh, I got it! Problem solved! Just put out on the curb in front of MY place! Ta Da!

    For real, I vote fix it and sell it...even if you do the fixing yourself. Couple of clamps, a little wood glue and some minor refinishing. No biggie and it goes to someone who will appreciate it beyond it's capacity to keep a bowl of Cheerios off the floor.

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  3. Tanya from Dans le LakehouseJune 16, 2011 at 8:59 AM

    Definitely don't curb it! Either fix and sell, or sell as is. With so many handy DIY'ers these days, I'm sure you can find someone willing to give it some TLC.

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  4. 1950s Atomic Ranch HouseJune 16, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    Sell 'as is'. Then curb it if there are no takers, but there will be. :)

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  5. BarbaraJune 16, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    Personally, I think you should sell it to me.

    I can't see the crack - is it really horrible? I'd have it fixed. You cannot curb that piece.

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  6. Dana@Mid2ModJune 16, 2011 at 6:46 PM

    Actually I don't think the crack is all that noticeable. The previous owner tried to glue it and didn't do a thoroughly professional job. I've been trying to call my daughter to see what the SIL decided, because they close on the house tomorrow. No answer. The fate of the table is in the balance...

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