Double Duty

The old chewing gum commercial advertised that it was two mints in one. What an idea – two items for the price of one!  Redeux has gone one better. We’ve come up with two pieces that not only serve double-duty but are works of art as well.

First, is the long awaited Showers Brothers chest/desk combo. The second drawer of the chest actually folds down revealing a compact writing desk with cubby holes and a small drawer for holding stamps, pens, inks, etc.  This is a perfect furniture piece for those needing to maximize smaller spaces – with a dash of panache, of course (think NYC apartments).  This beauty has been given a warm chestnut stain and finished with a century-old formula of varnish to preserve it for future generations.

Secondly, we have now available the Hathaway piece. Many of you saw it in the shop awaiting “The Treatment”.  It has turned out beautifully. Originally a china or display cabinet with storage drawers, this piece makes a great bookshelf, too. It’s made of dark mahogany, with Hepplewhite brass pulls and has a very classic style.

Our mirror selection is expanding due to demand. We are featuring vintage mirrors and vintage picture frames with newly added mirror glass. Each has been specially selected for its beauty and uniqueness. Since everyone can use an extra mirror, these make wonderful gifts!

This past week we have discovered some great finds. Several marine prints, including one of the Port Jefferson Ferry, were obtained. Also, a complete framed edition of Pictorial Review, December 1932, is a rare find and would make a great art piece!

Our days are busy with giving each piece the special attention it needs as well as fine-tuning the shop. It seems that at Redeux nothing or no one can get away from doing double duty! It’s all great.

Thanks, again, to each of you for making this possible.

Hope to see you soon, stop by.

Bill

Redeux Saves Derailed Showers Brothers

How does a powerhouse of a company, seemingly doing everything right, go out of business in the blink of an eye?

That is the story of the Showers Brothers Furniture Company of Indiana. Started in the mid 1800’s, Showers Brothers made quality furniture and made several innovations in manufacturing including inventing laminating wood and were the first to switch from steam power to electricity. The company not only survived but thrived through depressions, the Civil War, WWI and WWII. So, what brought an end to this great company? Actually, it was two things. First, the cost of labor. As the cost of labor in the North rose, many companies moved to the South where labor was less expensive. Secondly, the motor vehicle and the highway system. Showers Brothers relied on the railroad to transport their furniture – often filling 16 train car loads of furniture daily. But, after WWII the highway system was expanded and trucks became the preferred method of shipping by manufacturers. Except for Showers Brothers. They stuck to the rails and quickly saw other furniture manufacturers fill orders more quickly and reach new markets not accessible by rail. Despite making furniture that would last several generations, the lack of understanding an emerging trend in American life caused this great company to go out of business by the mid 1950’s.

Redeux Vintage Furniture acquired a Showers Brothers chest desk a few months ago. Now that we have settled into our new shop, work has begun in restoring this lovely piece of furniture. Standing at just 41” tall and about 29” wide, the second drawer of this chest opens to reveal a writing desk, complete with cubby holes. Some of the work will be done in front of the shop. Stop by to take a look at the progress being made on this piece and to see what Redeux does.

This past week has been busy in many ways. So many new customers have come by and more and more  Friends of Redeux from the garage days have continued to come in to the shop. I will always be grateful for the support and encouragement from each of you. During this time I have also been able to finish a few pieces including an oak chest with carved mirror dating from the late 1800’s to very early 1900 ( picture at top); a rocker with stenciling and curved arms, probably made of maple, and different from most of the other rockers we’ve had in the past;

Also, a slant-top desk from Maddox Furniture and a very charming “small apartment” sized suite of living room furniture from the 1950’s. Made of maple, this suite consists of coffee table with rail, two matching end tables and a lamp table. It really is perfect for small apartments or rooms where space and function need to co-exist. Also, ready is an art-deco era floor lamp with cast "love birds" and Bakelight detailing and also a "printers box" from an old print shop in NYC - it makes a nice little curio/keepsake cabinet.  Lots of other goodies, too.

 
Coming up soon will be several bookcases, all are very striking.

 More mirrors will be added to our regular offerings. So many of you have requested them that Redeux will now feature vintage mirrors and also mirrors made from vintage picture frames.   Each will have its own history.

Hope to see you again soon.

Best regards, Bill

Grand Opening a Success!

The Grand Opening of Redeux Vintage Furniture this past weekend was a great success!

Many of our old friends from the “garage days” stopped by to say hello and their reaction to our new shop was 100% positive.  Folks visiting Redeux for the first time were amazed at our selection and value.  It was a great time and several suggestions were made and will be introduced to the shop as soon as possible.

There’s no doubt about it, the new shop is comfortable and we’ve had a few folks ask about having a place to sit. Talking about the furniture, the old manufacturers, the history of the pieces themselves seems to just come naturally at Redeux. So, we’re going to make it more comfortable to do so – and have coffee available, too.

More accessories, please.  Our selections of prints have been a great hit.  Pam Geiger’s prints of her oil paintings and our vintage prints have added a new dimension to Redeux and the reaction has been great. We’ll add vintage prints to our list when going our treasure hunts. We’ve also had requests for us to carry more lighting.

With so much going on with setting up the shop you might wonder if any new pieces were finished. Oh, but of course!

A Maddox Governor Winthrop style slant top desk has been finished. Made of mahogany, it is in very nice condition.

Two rocking chairs are now available. A nicely painted and stenciled Nichols & Stone is an elegant addition to any room. An older, spindle back chair with wonderful patina is also ready for a new home.

A nice tall side table with turned legs has turned out rather well, too. While working on this piece I nearly had to put in a call to my dentist to help with the extractions! Nails – lots of them – had been added over many decades to stabilize the legs. In taking this baby apart it was discovered that it was likely hand- made. It is now back to close to original shape and is lovely.

Lastly, the antique desk that I mentioned in the last blog is being sold in a new way – a Silent Auction. Just something a bit different for our Grand Opening. The desk appears to be from the early 1800's.  Come take a look and place your bid!

Please note our new hours and the shop telephone number: 203-522-5588.

Hope to see you all soon!

Best wishes,

Bill

Hanging Cows

Down to the wire. 
Less than five days to go until Redeux Vintage Furniture opens at its new location:
3008 Fairfield Avenue, the Quarterboard Row building, in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport.

These past two weeks have been wonderfully busy. Painting the shop, ordering supplies and cleaning were the necessary things. Finding furniture and then more furniture was the fun part. Finding just the right things to have at Redeux has been quite an adventure.

While restored American vintage furniture will always be our focus, the size and amenities of our new shop allows us to now offer some other very interesting items. One of our best “finds” has been the work of American artist Pam Geiger of St. Augustine. We discovered Pam’s work last month while visiting America’s oldest city.  Her use of color and choice of subjects is incredible. We are honored that Redeux will be offering signed prints from artist Pam Geiger.

Another artist whose work will be seen at Redeux is our friend Elizabeth Rattigan. Elizabeth brings a dramatic flair to folk – inspired painting. She has been kind enough to begin teaching me the art of stenciling on furniture. Her efforts (and mine) can be seen on the dresser that has begged for the right touch for some time. The result is a two-colored star on a black background. Very, very nice. When you stop by the shop ask me about having something stenciled. This will be offered on only a few, particular pieces.

In addition to the work of Pam Geiger and Elizabeth Rattigan, Redeux now also has vintage prints and other arts and crafts work which we have found on our treasure hunts - including the cows, which will be hung soon!

But, not to worry. Redeux is not turning into something completely different. You have come to expect Redeux to have interesting and useful vintage American furniture that has been restored, refurbished or resuscitated. Affordably. We will continue to do so. That is my passion. So, when you come in during our “Grand Opening” some of the goodies you will find:

A beautiful secretary desk made by Mastercraft Furniture of Iowa and first sold, many years ago, by Lee Brothers Furniture of Bridgeport! This baby has come home.

A Victorian plant stand with an etched design on top.

Twin mahogany compact bookshelves. Also, a painted bookshelf with storage area.

A maple gate-leg dining table with two leaves. Nice!

Several dressers in various woods.

A slant-top (Governor Winthrop) antique desk probably dating from 1800-1840. Very nice condition - a rare find!

A beautiful cherry tea cart. Excellent condition.

Well, I’m not going to spoil the fun. You’ll have to see our All American Collection in person.

Come to the Redeux Grand Opening: Friday April 1 and Saturday April 2.

I’ve really missed you this winter. Looking forward to seeing you again, soon.

Bill

Changes

Change. It’s the uncertain certainty. We never know when it will come, or where it will lead us.

For the past two years I have continued making changes to Redeux Furniture. In a sense it has changed me, too. It began as a hobby. Soon, finding old, often distressed pieces of American furniture and restoring them became a passion. Learning of the companies and people that made each piece was a continuous lesson in America’s history. Trying to improve my skills in restoring made me appreciate more the skills of those that first created. And of those that so generously shared with me their knowledge of bringing furniture back to life. Now, Redeux will have the biggest change yet.

Several weeks ago an opportunity was presented to me to turn Redeux into what I had often hoped for – a real shop. A place where I could work year-round. A place where the furniture could be displayed properly. A place where a better selection of accessories could be offered. All in keeping with my vision of Redeux: Vintage American furniture and accessories brought back to life and offered for sale at fair, reasonable prices. Now, that hope will become a reality.

Redeux Vintage Furniture & Accessories is scheduled to have its Grand Opening the weekend of April 1st !  The new location of Redeux will be 3008 Fairfield Avenue, Quarterboard Row, in Black Rock on the Fairfield / Bridgeport line. 

Just 3 miles from North Benson Road, the new Redeux shop will have plenty of parking and is close to many area amenities: Timothy’s Ice Cream, The Field and Ash Creek Saloon restaurants, theatres, etc. My neighbor in the next door shop will be Framemakers Custom Framing and Gallery, which is also re-locating to Quarterboard Row. 

With my change of location I can increase my inventory of furniture, offer a selection of lighting, vintage pottery and decorating accessories as well as several other items. The focus, of course, will always remain on the furniture, bringing it back to life and finding it a new home.

These past several weeks I have been busy searching for furniture in anticipation of filling the new shop with lots of great finds. It has been a success! While there are plenty of pieces still awaiting the Redeux treatment, there will be a nice selection of furniture ready for a new home on Opening Day. It will be absolutely the best variety of pieces yet offered by Redeux!

Also, during this time, I have been making wood stain from the old Black Walnut tree that was at the top of our driveway. Using a water base, we’ll soon see how this stain works. I’ll also try experimenting with waxes using natural additives to give particular pieces a very special look. Thanks, again, to Master Restorer Gary Wood, for his latest class on vintage wood finishing. And, at last, I have been getting stenciling lessons on how to use traditional stencil styles on wood furniture. These special pieces will be a new offering at Redeux's new location.

The pieces pictured in this blog have been given a custom blend of oil stains and topped with a century-old formula of varnish that should hold up very well. The darker table with the flower-shaped top had long ago been painted a flat, unattractive brown. Taking a chance (you never know what is under old paint!) the paint was removed using a very gentle stripper. What was revealed was beautiful mahogany wood that had been painted over the original shellac, thus sparing the wood from any real damage. What a treasure! The small side table with shelf is made of nice maple and is beautiful again. Both will be at the Grand Opening!

I’ll keep you posted with further updates about the Relocation and Grand Opening of Redeux Vintage Furniture & Accessories!

Looking forward to seeing you soon.  Thank you for helping to make Redeux such a success!

Bill