THE CHANDLER’S STORY

Cast Iron Base and Steel Chair History

If you grew up around Milwaukee in the 80’s, you probably remember Solid Gold McDonald’s in Greenfield. Opened in 1981, the one-of-a-kind 50’s and 60’s themed destination was filled with Rock n Roll memorabilia from the owner’s personal collection. Buddy Holly’s shirt and family photos, Paul McCartney’s signed Rickenbacker guitar, a signed Richie Valens record and Marilyn Monroe’s autograph were just some of the items on display! Sadly, it was sold, closed and remodeled in March 2011 to make way for brass, glass, flat screen TVs and wifi. We met a couple in Waterford, WI, who had a long table and six chairs from this piece of Milwaukee history. They had been friends with the owner, and it was a gift for their children. The set served as a craft/play table in the basement, but, with their children moved out, they were happy to hear that the set would get new life yet again as The Chandler.

Leather Seats and Cushions

When Midwestern yacht owners want custom select leather hides for the seats and benches of their summer cruisers, they call a marine upholstery business in Waukesha County. The selected hides are tanned and dyed per the boat owner’s specifications. There is often usable scrap after the orders are filled that went into the garbage for years. They also discard extra memory foam when jobs are completed. But we know a seamstress who works there. She rescued some pieces of both, and we’ve upholstered your Chandler’s seats with that same memory foam and premium leather.

Granite Table Top

We met a retired carpenter on a layover in Minneapolis on the way home to Milwaukee. It turned out we were on the same flight. One of his last jobs was a remodel on Big Cedar Lake. The owners had no use for some granite countertops, so this gentleman took them for a personal project. But he never got around to using them. He loved the idea of these pieces becoming table tops, and we agreed on an exchange. We cut and polished them for your Chandler so you can share years of intimate meals or steal your own quiet moments with a morning coffee.

Tie-layer to protect and attach Granite Top

There’s a thriving metal fabricator in Dodge County that receives truckloads of steel on 10’ x 5’ pallets. There are more species here than we’ve seen together in a long time: red oak, silver maple, black walnut, hickory, ash, elm and beechwood to name a few. Most of it is destined for a fire pit. But we’ve rescued some to build The Chandler for your home.

The munson’s story (SOLD)

Table-Top and Seat-Top History

Milwaukee played a key role in the fortunes of the Professional Bowlers Association Tour when the Miller Brewing Co. signed on as a tournament sponsor in 1966. The Miller High Life Open remained a prominent stop on the PBA Tour for decades. Bowling’s popularity continued to grow through 1980, when the American Bowling Congress had over 9 million members. Milwaukee alone had more than 100,000 sanctioned male and female bowlers.

Sadly, bowling’s mass appeal has waned. The last new center to open in the Milwaukee area was Root River Lanes in 1981. Many have closed since then ... including AMF South Park Lanes at 305 North Chicago Ave., South Milwaukee. A developer is turning It into a youth indoor soccer field. But some of the bowling lanes found their way to a small business owner in Mequon. He planned to use them on a home remodeling project that never got started. So he sold us a 20 foot section. Pros, amateurs, friends and families had countless hours of enjoyment on these very lanes. And now, you can bring a piece of that home with the Munson ... to create more memories and history.

Bar Stool Bases History

We came upon a barn sale near Garnavillo, Iowa, held by a first generation American. His parents emigrated from Mexico in 1969. The gentleman’s grandfather had owned a small hotel in Aguascalientes (about an hour from Mexico City). The patio had a dozen ornate, hand-made iron bar stools in the courtyard. The hotel owner gave four of them as a parting gift to his son and new daughter-in-law. A year later, the couple’s first son was born in Iowa. These stools served their family well for decades: in the kitchen of their family apartment, in the rec room of their first house, and in the screened in porch of the dream home they built in 1987. In 1999, the stools were passed on to their son and enjoyed by his new family for many more years. But by the time we found them, they had seen better days. They were covered in rust and peeling layers of paint. We told the man we’d try to restore them. He was thrilled that someone was interested in their story, and that they would be given new life to serve yet another family for years to come.

Legs, Table-Top Trim & Seat-Top Trim

There’s a thriving metal fabricator in Dodge County that receives truckloads of steel on 10’ x 5’ pallets. These are no ordinary Pinterest Project pallets. They’re all hardwood with thick beams and top boards. There are more species here than we’ve seen together in a long time: red oak, silver maple, black walnut, hickory, ash, elm and beechwood to name a few. Most of it is destined for someone’s fire pit or wood stove. But we’ve rescued some to build the Munson for your home.

The Phoebe’s Story (SOLD)

(SOLD) Bistro tables originated in smaller Parisian cafes. Some say the term originated in 1914 occupied Paris when Russian officers shouted, “Bystro!” (loosely translated as “hurry up” in Russian) to servers. Others say it comes from a popular early 20th Century Parisian aperitif called a “bistouille” made with coffee liquor. Whatever its origin, we’ve come to associate the Bistro with small meals served in a casual, intimate setting. We aimed to bring this same ethos to your home when we designed the Phoebe. It is one of three similarly themed bistro sets in our Coffee With Friends limited series

Table-Base History

We met a lovely lady in Kiel, Wisconsin who had collected manual treadle sewing machines for three decades. She loved her treasures, but was moving to a smaller home. The legs on your Phoebe were her oldest item. This cast iron base was made by the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Company for its New Family No. 8 Sewing Machine, manufactured in Bridgeport, CT between 1876 and 1887.

Granite Table Top

We met a retired carpenter on a layover in Minneapolis on the way home to Milwaukee. It turned out we were on the same flight. On one of his last jobs, a few years prior, he had done a remodel on Big Cedar Lake. The owners had no use for some old granite countertops, so this gentleman took them for a personal project. The counters had holes for plumbing and were odd sizes, and he never got around to using them He loved the idea of these pieces becoming table tops, and we agreed on an exchange. We cut and polished them for your Phoebe so you can share years of intimate meals or steal your own quiet moments with a morning coffee.

Wrought Iron Chairs

We came upon a barn sale in Sturtevant, WI. The owner had dozens of pairs of wrought iron chairs. Most were painted various colors, and all the paint was peeling. While the majority of the pairs had the common, circular lines we often see in wrought iron chairs, there were a few more unique pairs. We chose this particular set to compliment the rectangular lines of your Phoebe.

Seat Tops and Tie-layer

There’s a thriving metal fabricator in Dodge County that receives truckloads of steel on 10’ x 5’ pallets. These are no ordinary Pinterest Project pallets. They’re all hardwood with thick beams and top boards. There are more species here than we’ve seen together in a long time: red oak, silver maple, black walnut, hickory, ash, elm and beechwood to name a few. Most of it is destined for someone’s fire pit or wood stove. But we’ve rescued some to build the Phoebe for your home.