A funny thing happened while going to a thrift store... Collection finds and how we get them...

[programcomputer]

Hello,

A new thought for us all.

Do you ever wonder if the things we colllect,( like vacuum's for example) are meant to be found? Or do you think that fate has a interesting way of intervening?

Let me explain more...

I have a very close freind that has forever BEGGED me to come and visit her. I only see her once in a blue moon and she said that she would like to see me before Christmas...if that was possible. I told her I would try to, but wasn't going to make any promises.

So I decided to make a pilgrimage to Charlotte to go thrifting in some of the stores out there, to find if possible a new TOY to have for Christmas. After Marty rolled his eyes at me and said not to spend "too much", on things we really don't "need", I was off with the checquebook.

I decided to go out and find something to buy on the 20th and on my way out there, I finally got the hankering to stop in my old hometown of Potterville and drop in to see Gloria, as she has requested a bijillion times to see me, and catch up. This was December 20st mind you five days before Christmas.

I called her on my cell to let her know that I was on my way, I was going thrifting in Charlotte after I saw her; and that I would be there in a few.

Gloria and Steve her bro. were my next door neighbors from 1979 until we moved in 1990. And Gloria used to babysit me back in the day, and so thus knew me as a smaller version of who I am now. She was sooo...very excited to see me, and during the call had asked to go "thrifting with me", and was kinda curious to what I was after....

Knowing the question wouldn't just "go away", I told her that I was looking for old vacuum cleaner's. She just laughed and said...well what else "HASN'T" changed about you in 20 years?
You and your old vacuum cleaners.....(She laughed pretty hard at me) I was like well you know I can never pass up an old vac, If I could ever find one.... She laughed again then she fell very quiet and I was like uhm you there?..She just said I guess I will see you in a few then right...I was like I'll be there in five minutes.

So I picked up Gloria at her house, and after being in the car for like five minutes she said...before we go to the "thrift store" I think that you might want to stop at my grandmas house? I was like...WHY?

She says, I want you to see Steve and say hi to him, and I think I may have something that you are looking for...After kinda staring at her for a quick second I was like..whaddaya mean you have "Something" that I'm looking for"? She said you'll see.

Gloria's grandma Vicki died two years ago, and left her house to her brother Steve who was a close freind of my brother. We got to her house, about 1/4 mile from where I wanted to go...and we went in to say hey and I was kinda glad cause I hadn't seen Steve in a coons age...and I was curious to find out what SHE supposedly had that I was looking for. I knew her grandma had a Kirby 505 as Gloria and her Grandma used to scare the hell out of me with it...chasing me and so forth, god I hated Kirby's then, it's was a psyc. thing I guess...I just hated their roar and fearsomeness. I figured that was what she "had for me".....

After going inside and seein Steve again, which I hadn't seen him since 1994, they both dissappeared out into the kitchen and after a few minutes of them kinda talkin in a muffled voice, with a few periods of muffled laughing they both re-emerged with Steve giving me some good old fashioned ribbing about my vacuum cleaner "fetish", and how "some things" never change.

I looked at my watch and said "guys I hate to be a b@#ch, but I really have to get going to this place 'fore it closes. Gloria eyes me and says...just wait a minute. She bounds up the stairs like she was a kid at the "Happy Elephant Daycare" and re-emerges with a box that I immediatly realized was a Singer vacuum cleaner box. It wasn't "sealed" as the top had been opened at one point...she stopped in front of me and said: "is this what your looking for"? And dropped it in my lap..causing me to kinda gasp as she crushed my person a tid bit.

I just looked up at her like someone had just handed me a check for $1,000,000.00 and said...where did you get this? A quick story was told about how her gram's kids (including Glor's mom) tried to get old Grams to replace the Kirby about 1975 at Christmas with this Singer Commercial Upright 2 speed as it said on the box... She never did. It stayed upstaris in a closet and was never used.

After just kinda staring at the box for what seemed to be a eternity, she says to me well doof, open it?

After a nother minute of kinda being just that, a doof : I opened the box to find the most stunning Singer vacuum that I had ever seen. The Chrome hood was visible first as I removed the top styrafoam, which gave me a view of the base unit with it's glossy black metal base,and grey bumper and a perfect still in package red and black cloth bag. The 35 ft cord was still glossy but a bit on the stiff side..but OH MY GAD.. The chrome handle and grey handgrip were perfect also...

I must have looked like Ralphie opening up the Red Ryder becasue both of them stood back from me giggling just as Ralphs father did....BUT OH it was beautiful.. I just looked up and said....I can't take this...it was your grandma's. Gloria said to me....well I couldn't think of another person that I would want to have it....You the Vacuum queen for god sakes.

After a few minutes of thanking them..Gloria said well...wait a second. And Steve plopped down next to me on the couch and said..."but wait, theres more"... Gloria came back from the kitchen pushing along the SAME old Kirby 505 w/ its attachment box that I used to be sacred of and said...you can have this one too. Mind you it was all orig and has the original crate box.

I about cried.....guess what was under MY tree this year..And It cost me nothing. I hugged both of them like fifteen times and basically chatted like a school girl. After a few hours of remembering, we got on our way back to Gloria's to drop her off. On the way back, I told her how happy and proud I was that she wanted me to have her grandma's old vacuum cleaners.

I put together that Singer the minute I walked thru the door. I told Marty to make himself a TV dinner, went Immediatly to the basement to my workbench and replaced the belt... Ironically I had on that would fit the old being horribly dry rotted and it fired up like gangbusters. I vacuumed the whole place with it...then removed the slide at the "bottom" of the bag and dumped it out onto the paper, just like the Kirby...which BTW is in better shape than the one I had, and my old one will become a parts machine...as I will be restoring Gloria's Grandma Vicki's Kirby as soon as Im done de-christmatizing my house tommorow.

As I said in the beginning:

Do you ever wonder if the things we collect( like vacuums for example) are meant to be found? Or do you think that fate has an interesting way of intervening?

What are your situations of how you found that special something??? Anyone care to share?

Pic's to come BTW....

Chad

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Wonderful Story Chad:

"WOW" Chad, what a wonderful Christmas Gift that made for you, especially with making the effort to see your long-time Friend's and having the most wonderful Gift that anyone could ever have given to them, to cheerish and have such a wonderful memory of such a great circle of Friend's.

I seriously have to admit that before I finished reading your wonderful Story Chad, I'm in Joyous Tears, Crying Happy Tears thinking about how lucky you are having something like that happen to you. I can only wish and hope that we all can at some time get to have such as nice kind of surprise similar to yours happen to us as well. Congrats and definately you will no doubt enjoy these "Treasure's" for ever and with the memory of the Grandmother and Friend's.

Peace, Happiness, Holiday Luv and Hug's, Steve

 

[drmitch]

Paralel universes, alternate deminsions, just another day in the Twilight Zone! I love old vacs too, Chad

 

[goatfarmer]

So how are the thrift stores in Charlotte? Did you ever make it?

kennyGF

 

[westytoploader]

GREAT story

Thanks for sharing that with us...stories like this are very uplifting. I'm also a vac person, and if someone showed me an MIB vacuum from 1975 I'd practically faint.

That's also amazing that you have the Kirby 505 you remember as a child! Gotta love that styling! I remember my aunt's 1980 Kirby Tradition when I was 3 and acquired it in 2000. Unfortunately I wasn't thinking when I gave it to the thrift store this summer...I'm really starting to regret it.

--Austin

 

[tolivac]

Kirby 505

I can remember a similar machine-My mother says it was pruchased in around 1951 when I was born.It was in existence until 1972-when it got lost in a flood.That vac travelled all over the US--was part of an Air Force family.Sometime the attachments got lost before the flood.Was a neat machine-used it to clean my room every week!Now looking for model of that type-either the 505,or 510.

 

[laundromat]

appliance

Chad,I know just how you feel! Sometimes when I am home from work and trying to decide where I want to ride my bike,I usually wind up at some neighborhood where there's a washer or some other major appliance just wagging its cord to see me!I just recently found a Eureka upright made like their Sanitary models which have the stainless steel "beet and swwep"rollers instead of the cheap plastic ones.It's all red and chrome and the bag has a pattern of tiny tornados!It's called the "Hot Shot"and is styled like their older basic models.It really does a great job and all I could find wrong with it was it needed a new bag(F&G) and a new belt.I also have 4 Royal uprights from 1958,1962,1963 and 1966,2 Rainbows 1978 and 1984,and 3 kirbys 1965,1967 and 1978.I gave my Aunt Kathy in Maryland a Eureka vacuum I found at a Goodwill for $10 It was actually a red hassick and it has a hinged lid.I opened it to find a never used Eureka cannister vac.with all the attachments!!!!!!Because she always finds stuff for me and sends it down,I sent that to her and Uncle Alvin because their living room has furniture to match the hassick!!!She loves it!Uncle Alvin saw the hinges were rusted and replaced them with new ones.They both buy used motorhomes and rebuild them ,use them to test them out, then resell them.I hope you have lots of suction with your new toys!!!LOL

 

[programcomputer]

Thanks...and no......

Thanks everyone for the nice replies. Im real fortunate to have them as I am of all my old vac's. I'm preppin the 505 for cosmetic surgery this weekend..I'll keep you all posted on that one..

Ken,

Uh no...never made it to any of them that day. Charlotte is the Eaton County seat and many old persons live in that area, so yeah the findings there are actually better than you might imagine. Kinda like if you were to take a stroll up to Niles to the Museum District downtown. Charlotte is by no means a Niles, but I have found MANY of my vintage vacuum cleaners out there.

The fact that this Singer was still NIB, yet opened, still amazes me. I have it sitting on the trunk at the end of our bed so I can see it. Marty thinks I have lost my fu%^ing marbles and has stated that if the vacuum is in the bedroom after Wendesday night, he won't be.

(DISCLAIMER)- I am not trying to be dirty or offensive here for all those who may at this point think I may be...I'm simply stating that I can't stop lookin at it as it is by far the coolest vacuum cleaner that I have ever owned...and I have owned me alot of vacuum cleaners.

ANYWAY, I guess in all fariness I've become more of a vacuum cleaner collector, than a appliance collector. But, becasue I have owned alot of vintage washer and dryer's before, I feel that I can relate. Besides my 1-18 set that is up in Flint, I have no vintage washers in my house at the present( unless you include my Space-Mates)....not becasue there isn't room, but becasue I have to remain sane and respect the fact that my partner is NOT cool with me draggin home old washers and dryers anymore...let alone vacuum cleaner's.

The fact that I have a room downstairs devoted to the display and preservation of about 75 vacuum cleaners, and him not thinking that he is involved with a complete loo loo is cool, but I just have not seen any( washers dryers), and to be fairly honest my back can't take me dollying one down the stairs...and I just havent seen any as of late.....Lansing SUCKS in this regaurd.

The 505 BTW is stripped down and I will probably buff out the body on Saturday. Yes I will be going to my sis's house to get her Digital so I can take pictures and I will post when I can.

Gloria called the house a few days ago, when I was at work...and of course Marty told her what a ginormouse kid I have been pushing around my Chrome Black and Red Singer.....and that I havent stopped looking at it since I put it together. I don't sleep with it ya'll...well... er... Not technically anyway...LOL

Yeah this is the first time that I have found a vacuum that actually has a past to it since my old freind closed his vac shop in Lake City Mi a few years ago, where I came into several vintage machines. I guess it's all in who you know and if your there when the time was right.

( A final Sidebar)- Gloria told me a funny story that I SERIOUSLY cannot remember: She told me this tonight about the Kirby 505 and why it was cool that I have it..

1. Remember that I was 6 years old in 1980
2. She was my babysitter and spent ALOT of time in her moms house....
3. She lived kiddycorner from me
4. I was SIX years old..

Apparantly one day Glor was watching me over at my house and my mom came home from work early. Gloria's mom's vacuum had broke which I can remember was a base model Eureka two tone blue, loud as hell (fan was prob broken) and she was using the Kirby, that Glor's grams let them borrow, I know this becasue I could tell a Kirby tone from two blocks away and who owned one ( my next door Neighbor Mrs. Wright for example had a Classic II that I became the owner of a few years ago when she passed).

So anyway's-

Gloria and her mom had left to go to the grocery store, and I apparantly went over ( after sneaking past my mom, which was a feat within itself) and went up into their house, found the Kirby and started vacuuming. I was vacuuming their living room when they forgot something and came back ( which I diddn't know).

Her mom wasn't real thrilled that I had just "let myself in", but knew what a nutty kid I was, that I liked vacuum cleaners and that "NO harm was being done" and was apparently more impressed with my vacuum lines in her living room carpet than the ones that she had just left a half an hour before. I diddn't get yelled at , but I was sternly told that it wasn't ok to just let myself in to someones house when they weren't home even if you know them well...

But then she let me continue to use that same Kirby and vacuum out their car as punishment!!!!...

I really can't remember this, but her mom happened to be over, and with her explanation of what happened that fateful summer day in 1980 ...slowly it came back to me. I did do this.

Oh well...

Regaurds

Chad