All Found. All Vintage.

We’ve all been there. You find that great deal posted for sale. You get all excited. You read down a little more. You realize it’s a billion miles away. Thoughts of going on a wild road trip to get it cross your mind, but you eventually come to your senses and go on. This weekend I decided not to come to my senses. Things escalated quickly.

It all started innocently enough. I saw a couch posted for sale in a Facebook group. I contacted the seller, thought the price was good—and then realized it was over 100 miles away. I was tempted to abandon the idea and the seller seemed almost sure that I would. But the woman selling the couch sounded like she might have more mid-century goodness to share and even a neighbor with a garage full of things. I looked up the area and found a rich trove of thrift and vintage shops, so I decided to make this into a buying trip.

The sofa would have fit in my SUV, but I was concerned that it wouldn’t be big enough for anything else. After researching rental options, I decided to go with a minivan. After all, it seems like we can get anything in Tammy’s van. But about an hour before I planned to leave, the rental company called to inform me they were overbooked and had no vehicles available. Crisis! I scrambled around and ended up renting a huge cargo van from U-Haul. Overkill? I was afraid it would be—until the first stop.

As it turns out, the couch wasn’t the only thing the seller had to sell. The lady selling the couch turned out to be a very friendly fan of mid-century modern style. She was getting ready to move and was planning a garage sale for the next day to shed a few pieces she’d picked up and didn’t quite have a plan for. I was so happy to hear that, just like us, she had hauled these things home from tag sales, garage sales and even out of dumpsters—we’re not alone.

A little pilling won’t stop me

First there was the Kroehler couch that started all of this. When I first saw the posting I thought it had great lines. It’s not the cutting edge of mid-century design, but it is kind of the perfect classic sofa shape that works in any scenario. The double button detail on the back really makes it for me. The seller’s aunt—who also had a garage full of treasures for me to look through—was not quite sure why anyone would like the fabric. But I kind of love it. It’s a dark avocado tweed with flecks of brownish-grey. It’s in great shape without fading, stains or wear, just a little pilling that a giant lint-shaver should take care of.

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