Friday, April 16, 2010

have you ever cried over a refrigerator??


I almost did today. And I am not a crying-kind-of-girl.

Did I ever tell you one of my favorite salvage stores here in my town is in a huge old brick warehouse...and in that warehouse they used to manufacture refrigerators waaay back in the day?? Well, I have a deep love for old industrial warehouses, I always have. The architecture, the huge freight elevators...the creaky wood floors, the 25 foot ceilings. They feel so well used and well loved to me. I love wandering through them.

The city of live in was once the manufacturing capital of the US - and yes, I am serious as silly as that may sound. Before everyone pulled up stakes a few years ago and high-tailed it for cheap labor in foreign countries just about everything you used in your home was made here in my city in little ol' Illinois. Every day when you open your kitchen cabinets, chances are your handles came from here...your washers, your dryers, your Rubbermaid totes, even your fine antique furniture. You name it, we made it here.

So, back to the story about my salvage store. It has a home in one of the formerly-abandoned beautiful old brick warehouses that used to manufacturer refrigerators. Today when I was there, I decided to ask more about the building. What used to be made there?...how many years it was open?...I just like to know the history of buildings. I have no idea why.

The story I was told was a short one, as the person telling me didn't seem to care one ounce about this building. So let me get straight to the part that made me want to cry.

When the salvage yard took over the warehouse a few years ago, the basement was still full of retro aqua, pink and yellow fridges.



BRAND-SPANKIN' NEW, and original to the 1950s.

The factory closed before they were ever shipped to a store.

There were over 100 of them down there, frozen in time.

So....guess what they did with them............


Did you guess??


They trashed every last one of them.

Trashed. As in garbage. As in perfectly painted, never used and scrapped out for a landfill.

Uh, HELLO stupid salvage people, did you ever think of putting them in your store and making about a million dollars on them??? Yeah, go ahead and sell scrap wood and broken windows for $2...and throw away the goldmine you had in the basement. Good idea!! (Yes, I said that all with sarcasm. Sorry. I am still a little bitter. I only learned this about 4 hours ago so have yet to get over it.)

Ugh.

Sick. Sick and very sad.

Do you ever get the feeling you need to run the world?

Today was one of those days I wished I could rewind the clock and take over.

(photos # 1& #2 - Coastal Living #3 - unknown)


66 comments:

  1. Okay I am feeling sick with you...are you kidding me!!! OMG, what is wrong with people! Yep I'm sick! My mom had an aqua refrigerator and yellow washer and dryer in her kitchen when they moved in in 1958.

    LeAnn

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  2. Oh Mary... Things like that make me so sad!!Some people just don't get it.

    What were they thinking??? To make matters worse, these people probably would have sold them for a song, not knowing their value, and we all could have bought one!!!!;-)

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  3. That's almost too hard to believe - I can't even fathom why they would do that. I guess laziness. I do have a yellow one that I bought at an auction a few years ago, it's in perfect condition and I was the only in a crowd of 100s that wanted it. Obviously, there were no bloggers there! :)
    At least you got to hang out in the building -

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  4. Oh say it isn't so! You have no idea how sick that makes me!!! Well, maybe you do. I want one of those so badly, it kills me!!
    ☺ Celeste

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  5. Oh that is such a gut wrenching story ! What were they thinking! Many bad decisions have been made in our world and this was one of them. Mel xxx

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  6. I understand your feelings - I would be exactly the same. In the UK it's the same 'throw away' mindset - it seems that only a small minority understand the need to recycle and cherish the 'old things' no matter how good it's condition. I really feel for you and your frustration.

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  7. I can't believe they trashed them. The money that could have been made and the happy people that would have purchased them. So sad.

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  8. That makes me sick. What a waste! You'd think they might have at least tried to sell them!

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  9. Hideously, terribly AWFUL! I feel the same way (maybe on a slightly smaller scale) when my mom sees things I buy at fleas and says something like, "Oh, my mom used to have one of those when I was growing up." "So, what happened to it?" pause... "Uh...we probably threw it away after she died."

    ACK!

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  10. I gasped when you got to the 'trashed them' part of your story. How short-sighted they were. Unbelievable.

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  11. Oh I would have a hard time getting over that one!
    Hugs, Diane

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  12. The least they could have done is donated them to Habitat or something! Thye could have made someone in need smile with a pink fridge. Some people have no regard for the past and things that will never come around again.

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  13. I would have cried too. When we get our forever home, I would love a vintage fridge. Pretty photos too!

    Have a great weekend!
    Michelle

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  14. ugh, let me guess MEN ran that place??? What issue of coastal living was that marvelous pink fridge in??? I must dig high and low and not stop till I have that issue!

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  15. Holy cow! That is crazy!!!!! I HAVE to come out and shop where you do!!!

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  16. OMG , are you kidding me! My heart just sunk to my belly!

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  17. WHAT?? I don't believe it! How stupid are some people!!! That's just not right.

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  18. Did he bleed very much when you punched him in the nose?

    Some people.... I try really hard to not think about the things my family members have sold or tossed over the years. My brother used to live with my grandma in MN and they had a......garage sale! My parents actually rescued a bunch of ooold photographs and documents the same grandma pitched after my grandpa passed away. But for a "salvage store" to throw out an entire basement full of inventory......crazy!!!!!!!

    Oy, oy oy...

    Julie M., who rescued a rusty old vintage fridge from the yard of the bungalow she moved...and still plans to go back and look for its door!

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  19. oh they probably had the same mindset my mother in law does....that is is just garbage, "why would I want that ugly #@$@.....she throws away 300 dollar dresses and gold jewellery....she is retarded and so were those people. just because THEY don't like they think everybody else would not like it...I cant even think of the things my mother in law has thrown away , while my jaw is on the ground.

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  20. How horrible! Lets all grab our shovels & start digging! just kidding...partly.

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  21. ok- didn't really think you would say they trashed them at the end - i hoped for sure they would have gone to some great loving homes -
    ugh, how sad!!!!

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  22. The mind boggles!!! they could have sold them a hundred time over, just amazing...
    alicia

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  23. That's just wrong! Had to be a man...because most women would have found a use for them. ANY use! So sad. (maybe the "garbage" people had mercy on them...and they're out there some where.)

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  24. That's gotta be some kind of crime...maybe you can make a citizens arrest...lol.

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  25. Unbelievable!! That aqua one is dreamy! So sad :(

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  26. Oh, no! What a horrible thing...I feel just like you. What the heck is wrong with people? Perfect, pristine "antiques" that would command top dollar and they threw them away?! Right now I am feeling sick at the thought of having to replace my house windows (circa 1954) with icky new "no personality" ones. I was born in the wrong time. Btw, I just happened upon your blog from another...where in Ill. are you? I'm originally from Ill., too and my heart will always be Midwestern.

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  27. That is so sad- I'd just want to know which dump they took them too- to see if I could go dig in that trash for one. The ones in the pictures are gorgeous.

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  28. Thats horrible!!! I've been hearing that alot lately. Most recently, how a local religous community purges every.last.bit of food in their house for a yearly holiday regardless of the exp date and it must be burned. How sick is that? Give it to the homeless, less fortunate, shelters whatever, don't burn it...and like the refrigerators rutherlessly disposed of. Sick.

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  29. no woman would have sent a brand new pink refrigerator to the dump. Guaranteed. My boyfriend just got back from helping his friend- friedn wanted him to take this chair to the dump. Boyfriend, having learned MUCH over the past 5+ years, brought it home. Black leather rocker, on black metal circle base, kinda modern style, less than 2 years old. We gace it to our daughter's boyfriend for his house. Nicest thing. Too much money is not good for anyone.

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  30. Great photos in your post! Now I'm just wishing I had one of those fridges! Some people are so silly!

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  31. Oh Mary~I hear you what a shame sad, sad ..................sad! Ugh is right, What are people thinking "save the world" should be their thought and the vintage Refrigerator.

    ~Cheers Kim

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  32. i love your line..."Uh, HELLO stupid salvage people." It does break my heart :(

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  33. I would've come all the way from San Diego to get them and brought them to URBAN BARN! So so sad.....

    http://www.urbanbarn155.blogspot.com

    Come visit us!

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  34. Oh that makes me sick too. Were you not tempted to high tail it to the dump to see if you could salvage them? Someone at the dump may be walking around now with a huge cash wad due to the stupidity of those guys. :)

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  35. I cannot even imagine...that aqua one...would have my name on it!!!

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  36. Are you fricken kidding me...you certainly need to go and run that place that is for sure. I cannot believe that, just can't....I would have bought one and had it shipped to me!!!!! :)

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  37. Tragic. I've always wanted an old fashioned fridge!

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  38. Oh, man...that is so sickening!! I love those old appliances. Your photos are beautiful.

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  39. maybe if you told me the name of the dump they were taken to...we could go at night and start diggin?
    just a thought.
    You could dig and i'll stand guard;-)
    xo

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  40. or....better yet...
    i'll drop you off and pick you up in the morning.

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  41. That is such a tragic loss! I too fell like crying.
    I recently bought an older one at a garage sale... I am hoping to get it rebuilt...but to think of one already to go and in possibly a fun color to boot!
    Some people!
    Have a great evening...try not to think about it...although I now think it may haunt me.
    ...donna

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  42. Now you have me rethinking my dream kitchen! What a poor business decision on their part- I'd bet some set designers would have loved to get their hands on those! A friend of ours once had to help hunt down an old ice box for a movie set.
    such a shame! off to google vintage kitchens:)

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  43. Ugh - I would DIE to own those appliances!

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  44. That story kills me, it also reminds me of the time that an old pharmacy in my town needed the basement cleaned out. They hired my friend's teenage son who proceeded to smash many giant antique apothecary glass jars to get them in the dumpster. That one still hurts, Lori

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  45. I have a 1960's era aqua stove and I love it. I can only imagine how excited "Ruth" (the previous owner) was when she picked it out. Yes, it takes a long time to heat up but I've never needed a repair man! They made things so well back then. It's a shame that those weren't appreciated. Even if you don't like something yourself you can at least understand that someone else would appreciate it!

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  46. Can't say that I blame you for being a little bitter. That is just sad:( Oh the money they could have made and the people they could have made happy!

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  47. That's a complete crime. My friends are shooting a documentary and caught a Goodwill truck dumping tons of furniture. They said they confirmed that Goodwill actually dumps everything that has not been sold after a certain number of days. So much for good will..

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  48. Total craziness. And a salvage yard of all places? Yes, I think you should run the world. At least the vintage portion of it.

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