Ready For A New Home

Everything for sale in my shop has a history. There are things that are unused, but they were all previously owned. Nothing came from the manufacturer to me. Sometimes I know the history and sometimes I can guess.


Way back, probably in the early 1900s, A Worcester family purchased a brand new buffet. As a cherished piece of furniture, it was lovingly maintained - dusted and polished. It occupied a place of pride in the family diningroom where we can only guess how many Thanksgivings, Christmas dinners, birthdays and dinners with friends it observed over the years. It held the best silverware, linens and china and, probably, some prized glassware nearby, ready to set the table.


Everything changes, including fashion. In later years it was no longer stylish. Most likely subsequent generations didn't value  it in the same way as the original owner. In any event, at some point, the buffet fell out of favor, no longer a prized family possession.

Part way through the process.

I found it in the basement of a home in Worcester in the fall of 2009. There is no way to know if that was its original home. When I first saw it, it was paint spattered and ink and water stained. The doors were in six pieces each. Evidence of someone's efforts to repair them was there. One center panel was stapled and the other was duct taped. An attempt to re-glue the frames was made using rubber cement. Nevertheless, most of the original hardware was there; its beautiful serpentine front was intact and the backboard was also present. So, I bought it with the idea of maybe refinishing it - someday.

Each step of the way revealed more beauty until, finally, even I was surprised at how good it looked.

Ready to go home.

Now, it is ready to be cherished again in a new home with a new generation. And yes, you can say that it was lovingly restored.