Monday, September 10, 2012

__It happens.

No matter who you are, no matter what kind of merchandise you carry...and no matter how careful you are...if you have a store, breakage happens. However, it might not always happen as dramatically as this.

I offer for your examination a gorgeous Italian coffee table we had in the store on consignment. Look at that great swivel magazine rack underneath.


Vintage Italian coffee table with swivel magazine rack

But that was then, and this is now...


The swivel magazine rack is literally all that's left.

My SIL was looking down at his computer when the table came down, and he thought someone/something was coming through the plate glass window. He said the explosion of glass was so magnificent that it was almost worth it...if it hadn't scared him half to death, reduced the breaker to a sobbing, inconsolable heap on the floor (really!)...and if the table hadn't belonged to someone else!
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21 comments:

  1. SudhaSeptember 10, 2012 at 2:54 AM

    its really sad to see something break...vintage/antiques ..even more...the move saw a broken lan e aclaim guitar pluck in our case...irreplacablity makes the breakage even more painful

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dana@Mid2ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 3:51 AM

      Yes, I think the fact that you can't go to Target and replace it makes it sting a lot more.

      Delete
  2. Mr. ModtomicSeptember 10, 2012 at 3:21 AM

    I was putting up some wire shelves in my booth a week ago - using a power tool to turn a screw - when I shook the dividing wall between my booth and my neighbors. I heard the clinking of small items then the distinct "crash" of thirty dollars out of my pocket for the three "hummel" type items that I sent to their doom. Oh yes, I paid for them. I ain't gonna have THAT hanging over MY Karma!

    So how do you work this out? Who eats the cost of the table? Insurance?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dana@Mid2ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 3:54 AM

      Fortunately the person who had left it on consignment was a friend of ours, so Joe gave him what he had in it...out of pocket.

      Delete
  3. Mr. ModtomicSeptember 10, 2012 at 3:22 AM

    ...And how on EARTH did they manage to break that rather sturdy looking table?!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Dana@Mid2ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 3:58 AM

      I think the person actually fell down on top of it, and it virtually exploded, just like a windshield does. Miraculously, the person didn't get a scratch.

      Delete
  4. Ton S. September 10, 2012 at 7:09 AM

    Whoa... unbelievable. Oh well, sh_t does happen. I'm sure you're all saying, "Okay, moving along..."

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Dana@Mid2ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 12:21 PM

      Yep, at this point, that's about all you can say. I don't think this Humpty is going back together again, so fretting about it is pointless.

      Delete
  5. jamie@midcenturymaniaSeptember 10, 2012 at 9:11 AM

    Ouch. We had a thick glass table top go through one of our picture windows...double whammy! Glad nobody was injured Dana. What a shame.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Dana@Mid2ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 12:23 PM

      OMG...a table and a window in one swoop! That's horrible! See, it could have been worse. I'll take that as a silver lining...LOL

      Delete
  6. Mad For ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 10:46 AM

    Ouch! I cringe at the thought. Just glad no one was hurt.

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    1. Dana@Mid2ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 12:24 PM

      I can't believe there was no blood involved with this one. Fortunate indeed!

      Delete
  7. nickarmadilloSeptember 10, 2012 at 12:03 PM

    Well, that sucks. You all paid for it out-of-pocket? If I was that customer, there's no way that I'd have stuck you all with the bill. You break it, you buy it.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Dana@Mid2ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 12:33 PM

      Actually, my SIL was doing a good turn to a homeless guy who had come in asking for work. He was paying him to clean the store windows, and somehow the guy tripped and fell onto the table. Ooops...no "you break it, you buy it" with that guy, so my SIL paid for it.

      Delete
    2. susieSeptember 10, 2012 at 1:38 PM

      *Ah* that sounds so painful I actually cringed a little.

      Delete
    3. Dana@Mid2ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 4:14 PM

      Yes, the whole ordeal was pretty painful for everyone concerned.

      Delete
  8. nickarmadilloSeptember 10, 2012 at 1:31 PM

    Oh man, that's awful! I can see why he was so upset then. Poor guy(s). That was awful nice of your SIL and the seller.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Dana@Mid2ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 4:13 PM

      I think it upset Joe more that the poor guy was crumpled up on the floor bawling than that the table got broken.

      Delete
  9. MickSeptember 10, 2012 at 1:49 PM

    I would just like to state for the "record" 'I didn't do it, wasnt me!' How terrible, and such a beautiful piece.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Dana@Mid2ModSeptember 10, 2012 at 7:23 PM

      Mick, I'm sure you have a good alibi for the time this happened and at least a dozen Casablanca members who will vouch for your whereabouts. LOL

      Delete
  10. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2012 at 8:05 AM

    ouch, that stings. Just glad no one was hurt. That old glass can be brutal, I'm kinda fearful of all our windows with our crazy kids. We have only had one break so far. The culprit was a heavy plastic princess wand, that was thrown at the window. We do have about 4-5 birds hit our glass a year and yesterday a squirrel came running full force at it, but so far they are soft enough not to break the glass.

    ReplyDelete