This weekend we grabbed our wallets and our cameras, and headed over to the annual Remnants of the Past at Madonna Convention Center. Strolling through booth after booth, we found everything from ancient Oriental archways to vintage lace from France. If we could give you a run down of all the lovelies, you'd be scrolling for hours-so see for yourself next year! Instead, we'd like to spotlight just a few vendors we had the pleasure of interviewing....
BAIER METAL ART
Allow me to introduce Bill & Leslie Baier, a lovely local couple from Atascadero. Bill has worked in air conditioning & heating for Pacific Air for 35 years, to keep himself busy during the work lulls he builds these amazing galvanized metal signs. He starts with galvanized metal, forms it to the shape he wants to create, drills holes for the lighting, pours muriatic acid (yikes!) over the metal and let's it soak for 15-20 minutes, then comes the dangerous part - please, do not try this at home, leave this to the professionals - he pours bleach over the metal which causes lethal fumes (yowza!), then he hoses it down with water, torch heats it which brings out the beautiful colors of rust, then he puts vaseline over the areas that he does not want to be painted, paints the metal, torches it a second time (oy!) which causes the paint to bubble up and crackle, then he strings the electrical wiring for the lightbulbs. Sheesh, pretty crazy, right? Take a look at his project portfolio here, his recent work includes the signage for Sunset's Savor the Central Coast event! Bravo Bill & Leslie!
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| Leslie & Bill Baier of Baier Metal Art. |
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| Lighting bolt by Baier Metal Art. |
INDUSTRY HOME
We got to meet the lovely Kate from Industry Home, a new brick and mortar shop in Santa Barbara specializing in furniture, lighting, and incredibly curated vintage finds. Her team includes five talented members - an electrician, a carpenter, a welder, a designer, and a glass artisan. Kate was bursting at the seams with passion, authenticity, and creativity. Her goods were oozing with unique craftsmanship, history and Americana charm. Here is a snippet from their website if you'd like to learn more about what they do >>> "Industry Home saw a need in the marketplace for locally crafted furniture and lighting along with a carefully curated mix of vintage finds, referencing our unique American story. Each piece is thoughtfully designed and built with both a sense of history and our client’s own needs and wishes in mind. A visit to our store allows a private client, designer, restaurateur, architect or contractor a view into our aesthetic. It is possible to purchase any piece directly off the floor or one may work with our design team to create any custom item they envision. Industry Home believes that every job, whether it be a restaurant’s lighting, tables & booths, an interior designer’s unique piece for their client, or a parent’s vision of the perfect bunk bed for their child’s room should be given passionate attention to detail, timely execution and excellent value and quality from design creation to completion."
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| Kate of Industry Home. |
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| Light fixtures from Industry Home. |
FUN JUNK
Last, but definitely not least, is a store who traveled far down the coast to be here. Just a hick from Washington, this vintage veteran was happy to share his life story with us, as long as we didn't share his name. He began buying and selling antiques over 40 years ago-mainly old advertising signs and George Ohr pottery-until finding a niche in vintage clothing-selling Levi's jeans overseas-before vintage clothes made a name for themselves here in America. He owned shops in Frankfurt, Santa Cruz and Seattle before settling into his current spot in Olympia, WA, and travels monthly to the Alameda Flea to sell his finds.
He has a taste for treasure, and while some junkers rely on computers to tell them what is on trend, he banks on his experience and taste. For instance, Fun Junk takes antique love tokens and replicates them by hand stamping newer coins-he is not "just stamping metal circles with letters." Disappointed some of colleagues willingness to follow trends rather than set them, this hick from Washington makes a call for innovation and true treasure hunting. Since we had found ourselves an industry professional, we took the chance to absorb some sage wisdom: "The neorsis of this is that we're addicted to the find." In a world full of mimics and copycats alike, this guy is the real deal. Will he ever stop (yo)? We don't know.
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| Fun Junk. |
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| Fun Junk |
Here are some booths and goods that caught our eye...til next time, thanks Remnants of the Past!
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