Midwestern Midcentury

The Eclectic Gourd in West Des Moines Features Midcentury Modern Antiques

 
During a recent business trip to West Des Moines, Iowa we visited the historic Valley Junction district for lunch (at The General Store Eatery!) and discovered three antique stores that feature mid-century modern furniture and accessories.

The lamps and shades above are in the Eclectic Gourd.  While the shop is not exclusively MCM, owners Ed and Sheri have stocked it with a higher than normal percentage of modern items at reasonable prices.

I have more pics of this store to share in future posts!

Eclectic Gourd Antiques & Fine Art
226 5th Street
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515.274.9955

Midwestern Midcentury is Back!

We are back!

We have been in production all summer on a new documentary.  Our travels have allowed us to photograph mid-century modern homes and to visit several cool antique stores that specialize in MCM furniture and accessories.

Stay tuned for a flood of updates!  Well, it will be a flood by my usual standards. : )

Shown above: A Okay Antiques in the historic Valley Junction area in West Des Moines, Iowa.  More interior images from this and other retro stores coming soon!

Geneseo Antique Store Features 1950s Buffet that Doubles as a Dresser

In my continuing effort to highlight Midwestern antique stores that carry mid-century modern furniture and accessories, I present C & S Antique Mall in Geneseo, Illinois.

We spotted this nifty 50s Kroehler buffet and left the store with our new treasure.   A steal at only $135!  Don't we already have a buffet?  Yes!  My plan was to use this piece as my dresser, and it works beautifully!

The the drawers work great for socks and belts while the bins below are ideal for t-shirts and small folded items.

I don't know much about Kroehler furniture, but there sure seems to be a lot of it around.  According to the original info sheet included with the buffet, Kroehler was the "world's largest furniture maker."

This particular piece is part of their "New Idea Group," Suite No. 328 in Patina Walnut.

Dealer number 13 was my lucky number!

C & S Antique Mall
705 West Main Street
Geneseo, Illinois 61254
309.944.9700

No website!  Shame on them. : )

Tiled Vintage Table in the MidWestern MidCentury House

One of my readers wrote and asked if I knew where to find mid-century modern furniture in the Midwest.  I asked her if she minded if I responded on the blog.  This will be the first of several posts on this subject.

Lots of Midwestern antique stores have a few MCM items hidden in their inventory, some have special MCM sections, and fewer still feature primarily MCM wares.  I will share our favorites and I hope you will tell us about yours.

The table above was marked down from $10 to $5 (I would have gladly paid ten) at Country Fair Mall in Coal Valley, Illinois.  MCM furniture and accessories are always available, but you have to search high and low for them.  Ah...the thrill of the hunt!

This little table caught my eye because the inset tile was similar to tile on the floor of our lower-level laundry and utility room...which is just around the corner from where this table sits.  Also, did I mention it was cheap?  It does need a little love, so I will spray-paint the metal legs when I have the time.

What do you think?  Pretty close, huh?

I know this table isn't a major prize, but remember this is the same antique mall where we found our MCM hutch, classic West Bend penguin ice bucket (a mega-bargain at under $3), and the cool MCM serving dish.

Happy hunting!

Country Fair Mall
504 West 1st Avenue
Coal Valley, IL 61240
309.799.3670

Tell them MidWestern MidCentury sent you!