Spring has finally arrived in Centerfield. After a few false starts the weather has warmed up a bit. Up until now, the sun had only made a handful of appearances. Instead, the rain, thunder and wind have been with us for the last couple of weeks. As the climate eases, we're going to ramp up the renovations to the storefront and the workshop in the barn. Unsurprisingly, the barn swallows have already begun to settle back in the rafters of the empty storefront. I guess we'll have to work out some sort of arrangement.
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| The old Antique Restoration Service storefront circa 1976 |
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| Mr. "O" |
It was the middle of Winter when I began Antique Restoration Service. In 1976, I moved all my woodworking equipment into a austere retail space on St. Paul Street in between the town of Irondequoit and downtown Rochester. In the Spring, nice weather permitting, the store served as an open workshop where any passing bystander on the sidewalk or a potential patron in the doorway might admire my finished work on display while the work in progress sat atop the work bench. Right next door, Mr. “O,” as he was affectionately known, displayed aging photographs in the front window of his office. At 92 years old, he was in the process of compiling his personal history into a memoir. Years and years before this photo was taken, Mr. O had established O’Connell Electric, a major player in the burgeoning energy industry in the first half of the 20th Century. In one of his photos on display, he posed alongside Thomas Edison and George Eastman -- an extraordinary portrait of accomplished businessmen. I am still humbled to have shared the same side of the street with Mr. O. His lasting impression upon my perspective on business and entrepreneurship has influenced me in many meaningful ways. |
| View to St. Paul Street from the shop's wall phone shortly after opening. |
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| Within months the shop filled with exciting projects from mostly returning customers or their gracious referrals. |
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| Another view of the shop -- notice my traveling office/briefcase set up on a drop leaf table. |
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| Preparing to re-carve missing elements of a mended mahogany chair. |
As I mentioned before, setting up shop in the countryside poses its own challenges. Although the weather is similar in both settings, the past two months of cold wind rushing over the open fields had me frozen in my tracks. In the barn, dust, debris and discarded junk have accumulated in the walls, on the ceiling and all over the floor for decades and cleaning up that mess has been a real chore. The cinder block exterior of the storefront has been exposed to years and years of weather and portions of the concrete floor are crumbling away. The plan is to work hard into the summer, when we will be able to restore these spaces into a solid foundation for the new Antique Restoration Service. Check back with us in the coming weeks to see more pictures of both past and present progress.
