"With junk, timing is everything"…read more
It was meant to be. Here I am driving around looking for something very specific, with no specific destination in mind, and one of said item catches the corner of my eye as I'm driving down Highway 5 into Ball Ground. Well what do you know? They had exactly what I was looking for, in the size I was looking for too! Was it meant to be? Well, I bought it and took it home*
*What was I looking for you ask? A vintage, cast-iron, 70" claw-foot bath tub. By vintage, I mean REALLY vintage. I did some quick research from my pocket computing device, and based on the numbers cast into the tub, it was from 1897. I walk inside to see what the price was, and we made a deal! All of the match feet were in the tub, and to be expected, the tub was rough, so the price matched the condition. The gentleman I spoke to was direct, courteous, and willing to deal on the price a bit.
When I said that I took the tub home, what I really meant was that I took the tub to a tub refinisher shop immediately. They even commented about the condition of the tub, and the vintage as well. With a little luck, and sweat-equity, anyone can find these rusty gems. With places like Rife Salvage around, I think my imagination could run wild... at least until my bank account caught up.
Places like this need to exist today. Otherwise, items like what I bought that have a story, and real intrinsic value are lost. People need to be able to stick "junk" outside their shop in hopes of finding new owners to tell new stories for the future. We still stop in about once a month to see what else they have that we possibly could rehab or reporpoise (sic).
These guys are great to deal with, and are constantly rotating stock of items. Support the local guy!