I’ve been in the market for something to store my Women’s Wear Daily newspapers in lately since my stack of papers has been piling up (and it’s quite frustrating when I bump into my side table and they scatter all over the floor)!
While looking online for something to put them in, I came across the Vintage Wood Rolling Cart at www.urbanoutfitters.com available for $139.00. It’s a unique piece that’s apparently crafted from wood used from packaging materials for the U.S. Army during the Gulf War.
I like the idea of recycling an old wooden box and using it for storage; but for some reason, I feel ‘rare’ finds such as this loses some of its ‘exclusivity’ when you buy it from a mass retailer like Urban Outfitters.
Don’t get me wrong – I think it’s great that they’re offering vintage finds such as this & others because many people 1.) don’t know where to search for rare, refurbished pieces like this, or 2.) don’t have quality vintage shops, antique stores or flea markets near them to find these found objects. But I prefer to find them myself.
Seeing this salvaged storage case online sparked my inspiration and sent me on a treasure hunt to find something similar. While Chicago has a lot to offer for vintage clothing & accessories, I feel the city stores have little to offer when it comes to old-fashioned furniture and home decor. And when I say I’m searching for vintage I mean – I’m searching for vintage. Vintage floral print fabrics, fine bone-china, tarnished silver, and sturdy, solid oak…real old-school stuff that has stood the test of time and has a story to tell (not Crate & Barrel circa 1995).
Yes, it takes time to sift through all the second-hand stuff, some of its junk and some just not my style; but when I spot something that catches my eye, usually hidden underneath it all and probably full of dust…I’ve often found my diamond in the rough – my treasure. Whether it’s a hand-painted gold trim serving plate or a delicate ceramic vase, a worn-in, woven horse blanket or a beautiful silk scarf with hand-rolled piping around the edge – it’s my treasure.
Since my home goods hunt was at a halt here in Chicago I waited until my most recent trip home to Minnesota. While back, I stopped by Pines-n-Tiques, the antique store down the dirt road from my house. I only had 15 minutes to browse through the two-story barn-turned-into-store, but in that short time I found this…
My “new” old ‘Oak Grove Dairy’ wood box is exactly what I was looking for! It’s the perfect storage case for my WWD’s and furthermore, this functional piece even holds a few family ties! Oak Grove Dairy was an old dairy creamery not far from my hometown. It’s since shut-down, but when I was growing up and my dad was milking cows, that’s where he sent all of his milk to be processed.
Seems as though I just saved myself a little piece of history…and some hard-earned cash – my wood box was only $15 bucks! Thanks Urban Outfitters for offering up your rare, vintage finds, but for now, I’ll continue to search for my own :)
Are you a second-hand shopper? Where does your treasure hunt take you?
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