Gorgeous vintage finds

Do we have some great vintage items in store for you at the moment...

We went vintage scrounging last week and here's a taste of what we found:

• A gorgeous patined c1950 pressed metal toy horse by Mobo, known as the Bronco. Made by Sebel & Co. in England (yes, the furniture company). POA

• Arguably the first portable gramophone, known as the Crescendo Junior by Decca, in a fibrocite brown case. Fully functional, great big sound from the sound box. Equipped with countless needles, record cleaner by Brunswick and an album full of old records. Lovely and rare in such good nick. POA

• Great assorted industrial and trades items, from cabinets to drawers, hand-held lights and stacks of trays and boxes.

• Really cool fans are back in store now too (pink step ladder and small fan now SOLD):

• And finally, another peek at our lovely candle, cloche, greenery (herbs, cyclamens), cleaning items holding bench with the Heather botanical chart in the background:

Vintage industrial finds

  

We are so fortunate to have fresh salvaged vintage industrial pieces in our shop. This now includes a cream metal medicine cabinet that would make a great bedside table, to little colourful spare parts drawers and a 9 pigeon hole unit on wheels.

And against our pianola wallpaper wall we now have a lovely vintage story going on with a rustic timber ladder, a wrought iron bed head (bedhead is SOLD) and our rusty door:

Loving this cooler weather too!

New look manufactory

We had a great evening last Thursday when local traders, suppliers, locals and customers gathered to celebrate the re-opening of the manufactory.

Ambience of a musical nature was provided by Robert Le Mal on his beautiful piano accordian. With the warm evening and background music, we could have been just about anywhere in Europe on a summer's evening.

But you know what? I was content to be in Thornbury, Australia.

So if you haven't dropped in to see the new-look manufactory yet, here's some pictures to get you racing over ...

Pretty neat, huh?

I must also make special mention of a few new items we are now stocking. It is really wonderful to have the shop space to increase our giftware range to include:

• a fragrant range of True Grace walled garden candles
• beautifully crafted Redecker dusters, vege brushes, cleaning cloths
• Smith's Rosebud lip balms (5 flavours) and salve
• Omega shave cream and shaving brushes

All sitting alongside the beautiful Murchison-Hume cleaning range.

Vintage window dressing in February

This year at the manufactory we are presenting our window displays differently. We plan to offer a wider range of items on a month by month thematic basis. 

For example, we could display a garden party in March, a winter wonderland in July, a Fathers Day workshop for September and of course, Christmas lights in December.

During each month, we will offer several special core pieces for lay-by purchase. Other accompanying items will be available for immediate purchase. The lay-by pieces will be available on a first in, best dressed basis. These items will then be available for pick up at the end of each month.

For example, our February Retro-Botanical window display has the following core pieces available as lay-by items:

• pair of retro footstools (one is sold)
• fun, pair of retro stencilled chest of drawers (POA)
• Mignon type-sleeve typewriter, made in Berlin, c1924 (POA)

Window display items available for immediate sale are:

• stunning botanical charts, 10 different designs available (10 sold, more available in store now)
• bakelite intercom phone, retro camera, kitchen canister tins
• classical new teacups, available in 6 colours
• beautiful bell jars, 35x20cm

Here's a close-up photo of the LHS window bay. One of the core pieces available for lay-by is this funky stencilled chest of drawers. Please note: this is not a piece for the serious retro collector, it is just for fun:

And a close-up of the RHS window bay. This details the second stencilled chest of drawers available for lay-by. Also in this window bay is one of a pair of retro footstools and the Mignon type-sleeve typewriter:

Stay tuned, as we will blog the window displays for you every month. If you are quick, you can snap up a great range of items.