As the flu pandemic raged, a desperate call went out in Richmond, VA, in the fall of 1918. White doctors needed volunteers, particularly nurses, to help care for the endless flow of sick patients at…
Category: Businesses
Store signs leave a huge impression
Posted in Advertising, Businesses, history, and Signs
When I saw the broom holder with the attached Bond Bread metal sign, I knew I had found what I was looking for. The wooden holder was exactly what I needed to store the vintage…
Interesting array of old things
Posted in Businesses, camera, collectibles, and Home
My walk-through at the auction house wasn’t turning up any noticeable gems on this particular day. But I’ve been going to auctions long enough to know that items sometimes hold a story and a history…
Palmer Hotel assures it is fireproof after Great Chicago Fire
Posted in Advertising, Architecture/Buildings, Businesses, Equipment, and history
The aged envelope bore a large heading above a drawing of the Palmer Hotel in Chicago. The pronouncement would mean nothing without knowing the hotel’s history. “Only Fire-Proof House in the United States,” it blared.…
The weather-beaten chest caught my eye because it was so beat-up. The wood had long lost its brownish color, and the thing looked to weigh a ton. It had heavy iron handles on the front,…
A boxy cash register to keep employees honest
Posted in Antiques, Businesses, and Equipment
The wooden box had seen better days. Someone had ruined its beautiful natural wood by painting it white, and now the aged paint was peeling in spots and the brass plate on top was tarnished.…
A hot-dog cart to start your own street business
Posted in Businesses, and food
Now that’s something I don’t see very often, I thought as I approached the hot-dog cart among the vintage and antique furniture at the auction house. It looked as if it were fresh from the factory, without a…
I don’t know Jeniece Andrews or Natalie DuBose, but I do feel for these two women whose livelihoods were upended in the aftermath of the grand jury’s decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the…
What was the Wilmington Dry Goods store?
Posted in Advertising, Businesses, Clothing, Home, and Women
Friday at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources to help them determine the value of their items. Today, though, I have a question of my own. I was…
A lovely time clock from an earlier era
Posted in Businesses, and collectibles
Looking around, I spotted two men chattering in front of a beautiful antique clock like so many I’d seen at auction. It looked to be an elongated wall clock with the dial prominently displayed at…