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From Flame to Flicker: Inside a Working Neon Shop

You walk into a neon shop expecting nostalgia. You leave thinking about chemistry, electricity, municipal zoning codes, and 1940s craftsmanship. That’s what happened when I toured Morry’s Neon, a family business opened in 1985 by Morry and his son Glen, a business built on a neon legacy that began in 1946 when Morry first started bending glass. Established the same year America decided diners, drive-ins, and optimism were perfectly reasonable things to mass-produce, Morry’s has

Route 66 at 100: Why the Centennial Is Igniting a New Era of Retro Road Trips

As the Route 66 Centennial approaches, something interesting is happening. This isn’t just an anniversary tour or a nostalgia lap. It’s a full-scale reawakening of interest in the American road trip—one rooted in history, preservation, and the lived experience of the road itself. The centennial is acting like a spotlight, illuminating not just the highway, but the stories, architecture, roadside culture, and communities that grew up along it. And people are paying attention. Travelers want

Los Angeles Potteries: A Whimsical Walk Through Mid-Century Ceramic Dreams

From our retro coffee table to yours comes a great book – an awesome gift or something to pour over in our own home! Suppose you’ve ever spotted a cookie jar shaped like a hamburger or a canister set with tropical fruit motifs and thought, “I remember that design!” or “I have to have that design!”. In that case, you’ll want to get your hands on Los Angeles Potteries: A Collector’s Journey through Artistry, Craft,

El Cortez Hotel: Where Vintage Vegas Still Lives

Opened in 1941, the El Cortez Hotel & Casino is one of Las Vegas’s oldest operating casinos — and one of its most authentic. In a city obsessed with reinvention, the El Cortez is a rare survivor, maintaining its vintage spirit while still feeling alive and relevant. Preservation That Matters In 2013, the El Cortez earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s easy to see why. The building’s Spanish Colonial

Mixing my worlds

If you read my “other blog” you realize I love to stitch. I’m a crazy quilter and a self-confessed fabric-o-holic. However, I think I’ve found the perfect blend of my love for midcentury style and my love for fabrics. This past Friday I had the chance to help a gal in our neighborhood mount a piece for an exhibit of these wonderful fabrics: The design is by Lucienne Day, who is one of the most noteworthy British designers

Guest Post: Home Office Essential – The Eames Office Chair

A home office isn’t an essential space for all homeowners but, for those who get to experience the privilege of working from home, it is nothing short of essential. It just isn’t possible to work effectively at home unless you have a space dedicated to it. Working from home is becoming increasingly prevalent in the 21st century as technology improves and makes it a much more streamlined process, so more and more of us are

Lighting of the green at the Boots Motel!

We’ve been watching the restoration of the Boots Court Motel in Joplin, Missouri for years, from the “Save the Boots Motel campaign”, until they reopened in 2012 and we got to visit and check it out in June 2011. This latest, and possibly the last piece of the renovation not only highlights what a great job they’re doing for preservation of the motel, but for renovation all along Route 66! “Bringing back the neon” was

Usonian Inn, Wisconsin, for Sale

We love to spot great preservation efforts, and in this case, The Usonian Inn LLC, originally named the Rest Haven Motel, is already on the National Register of Historic places, however, what a deal: Location: E5116 Hwy 14, Spring Green, WI 53588 $655,900 Turn key operation, excellent investment. Spring Green’s first original Taliesin inspired Inn. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s apprentice, J.C. Caraway. Green cert., 11 unit motel with prime Hwy 14 frontage. All units tastefully