I told you all that Buck bought a house. It’s a total fixer-upper. If you missed that blog post, you can see it HERE.
When he bought it the garage was filled with old cabinets and cupboards. He was going to throw them all in a dumpster but I encouraged him to see if I could sell some.
I ended up contacting The Twisted Sisters to see if they wanted to buy and resell anything. They are the sisters that put on the vintage sale I always go to. They ended up offering to buy this kitchen sink and cabinet set.
The set is kind of cool. It’s totally from the 40s or 50s. It’s metal with a cast iron top. I can totally see someone redoing it and then putting it in a cabin. The top was in good shape. The bottom under the sink had a piece of stainless steal put in to cover the place where it had rusted but the fix-up job was done very nicely.
Karl took my van to Buck’s one day and delivered a table and chairs set I had found at the thrift store for him. The set is relatively new. The top just needed some touch-ups. It was only $65 for the set. He’ll probably use the chair as is and then reupholster them once the kids get beyond spilling age.
Anyway, while Karl was at Buck’s they loaded up the metal kitchen counter set and brought it to my house. I contacted the gals and ended up delivering it to their house.
As they were unloading we were chatting. One of the gals said, “Remember that cart that I showed pictures of on Facebook?” I said, “Ya!” She said, “Well it didn’t sell when we were at the vintage sale in Clear Lake over the weekend. Are you still interested in it?” I said “YES!”
Here’s the story…Lisa had posted some pictures of the goodies they were planning on taking to the vintage sale in Clear Lake Iowa. I had seen this cart and was interested. I asked about it and half planned on going to the sale to buy it.
I ended up not going and was a little bummed and missed out.
I had an idea of where I wanted to put it but wasn’t sure it would fit or how sturdy it was. I didn’t want to drive the hour+ drive to get it. So I didn’t go. But, now that it was here and I could just grab it, I was interested and told her I would take it.
Their trailer was still packed so I waited while they unloaded part of the trailer to get to the cart.
Lisa said that she thought it was likely a cart from Woolworths. I am guessing she’s right. There were price stickers on the inside of it.
I brought it home and decided to immediately test it where I thought I wanted to keep it. Right here in my living room. I’ve been wanting somewhere to store the quilts we regularly use for television quilts. This is perfect.
Previously they were stored in a vintage box I bought from Twisted Sisters. It turns out that the box fits perfectly on the bottom shelf of the cart. I think the plan is to store more quilts in the bottom. Goodness knows I’m always looking for places to put out quilts for decoration.
I’m so happy with the purchase…so happy it fit exactly as I hoped it would.
Now I want to get the Fall decorations and fall quilts out so I can cozy up the room. I know my decorating style with primitive, antiques, and rusty-crusty isn’t for everyone but I sure love it and this piece was exactly what I was looking for.
Speaking of finding exactly what one is looking for…this story continues. My friend Gloria lives a couple of towns over from me. She also loves the sales that the gals host and she drives this way to attend them. We were chatting the day before the sale.
She asked if I was going. I said yes but later because I was driving Kalissa to the doctor. I explained that it was no big deal because the gals restock all of the time. I sent a picture of my thread organizer that I purchased after a restock. I just love this. Sorry for the dark picture.
Then Gloria asked if I had seen Twisted Sisters in Clear Lake. I said no I didn’t go but ended up getting something that was there. Then explained about my trolley cart and how I had sold them Buck’s sink set.
I ended up sending the picture of the sink that I showed you at the beginning of the blog post. Gloria wrote back, “Oh darn. I wish I had known you had that. I would have bought it.”
Gloria also told me that she was interested in the green workbench she was hoping to convert into a cutting table for her sewing room. You can see it in the photo below. I love it!!
The next day I got a message from Gloria while I was in the waiting room at Kalissa’s doctor appointment. It said she got the green workbench and she bought the sink set that originally came from Buck’s house.
Gloria sent more pictures the next day. She and her husband had scrubbed and REALLY cleaned the sink set. Can you believe the difference?
They had a friend that is going to paint it and give it a fresh coat of paint. Eventually, this will make its way to their cabin. Last I heard, if the cabin gets a remodel, this will be the new kitchen set, and if not, it will be the fish cleaning station. So fun!!
I thought you would all love the roundabout story about the adventure of Buck’s vintage metal sink. The gals at Twisted Sisters thought the story was pretty fun too.
The Twisted Sister sales are my absolute favorites. They hold sales in the Spring and Fall. I always find a treasure or two…and prices can’t be beaten.
I have to laugh; my grandparents put that same sink into the farm house I grew up in during the 1940’s. My mother hated it and was happy to ditch it and install modern custom cabinets in the kitchen in the mid 1960’s after the sink rusted out. I remember how hard it was to keep clean as every spot showed on that white finish. 50 years later I move into a house with white custom cabinets and they are hard to keep clean also. You just can’t win.
Jo, I am with you. I love well used and loved items and will never change my style. I have to limit myself from thrifting to often. Orphan items follow me home too often. My hubby and I are in our 70’s and need to part with some of our treasures so our son won’t be left to do it. He is not into all of our “old junk” and I do not want it all to end up in a dumpster. I love your son’s dining set — mid-century modern for sure.
Funny thing, I was just talking to a designer at a kitchen store and said that was my dream sink. I would want a similar cabinet but the one I remember had a chrome chevron or wing insignia on it. I lived in two cottages in the 70’s that had that sink.
I’m with you Jo, I love Prim and will never change, I can never get enough! I love everything you share with us! My favorite thing to do is to go to thrift and antique kind of shops!!! Thanks for sharing all you share with us!
LOL! The kitchen sink cabinets your friend bought were similar to the “up-grade” in my mother’s kitchen when I was a kid! Now I wish I had the glass door cupboard with the little sliding latches the “new” cupboards replaced! What goes around, comes around. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
JO That cart would be extra fabulous with a red paint job.
I have a cast iron sink with double drainboards from my parents house. It hung on the basement wall so we moved it home & my husband built a base for it. OMG it’s heavy ! Now its my potting table in my garden shed and I love it so much. I had a guy here buying some things and he wanted it for his outdoor entertaining area but it’s “not for sale” ! It cleaned up so nice with a pumice stone.
We had that same sink cabinet in our church kitchen. It had very little rust on it and I think it was put in the dumpster with all the other rubbish when we did the remodel. There was also one of those sinks in an apartment my mine mom and I lived at in the late 1970’s. I never liked having just one sink. I like double sinks to wash dishes in.
Hi Jo, I worked at Woolworths’ in SC back in the 60’s and that cart looks like the one the office gals used to push around. I have no idea what it was used for because I worked behind the lunch counter (we didn’t have carts behind the counter) but the cart was upstairs in the office each week when I clocked in and got my pay envelope (that was back when you were paid in cash each week). Wow, the memories that brings back.
What a great story, Jo, and congrats on the new quilt holder cart!!
So fun to read about the wheeling and dealing of someone’s trash, but another’s treasures! Buck will end up with a very cute house. I like your house decor – just looks so livable!
Love the story!
Hi Jo, We also had one in our kitchen in the 60’s when I was in high school. Quite a while later, mom remodeled the house and likely it too got trashed. I would have liked a lot of things now that they trashed back then. Glad the cart was there for you to buy. Looks neat in that corner with your quilts in it.
Love, love, love that cart! Don’t paint it. It’s wonderful just the way it is :)
I use to love to go to thrift shops and yard sales, but as I’ve gotten older (I’m 75…YIKES…how did that happen?? haha), I’ve stopped going because I’m just plain lazy. Sigh….
When’s the next Sew With Jo day???