The Bakers Rack that Almost Wasn’t

Last weekend my sister and I went to an estate sale.      The antique furniture was gorgeous but way out of my price range.      As we were leaving we noticed people walking around to the back, so being nosy like we are we went to check it out.

A screen porch across the back of the house was loaded with “junk”.    I was more in my element now.      Amazingly I spotted a wrought iron bakers rack which was covered with years of dust accumulation.  It was marked $50.00.     I asked the gentleman conducting the sale what his best price was  and he replied $40.00.    As I was about to whip my wallet out and hand the man two twenties, my sister says “let’s think about it”.    I thought maybe she had spotted some major defect that I hadn’t seen, so being the good little obedient sister that I am, I walked away from what I thought was an incredible deal.    As we neared the car, she said “I think you can get him to go lower.”        I am thinking, are you kidding me, but since she has a knack for getting good quality stuff at rock-bottom prices, I went along with it.     We ran an errand and then went back to the sale to purchase my bakers rack only to find they were closed.    Uh oh.    Big sis was in trouble because I wanted that bakers rack.

The next morning I got up early and headed back to the sale and thankfully the bakers rack was still there.    I offered the man $30, batted my big brown eyes at him (actually my eyes are green but I liked the alliteration of the b words), after a moment’s hesitation he said yes, he loaded it up for me because it was HEAVY, I took it home, cleaned it up, and was very happy to see it fit perfectly in the spot right where I wanted it.     Finally, after all my rambling on, here is a picture of the bakers rack that caused me so much angst and could have caused a serious rift in my relationship with my sister if the deal had gone sour.

I am still in the decorating phase….haven’t quite decided what I am going to put on the shelves yet.    Do you have any creative suggestions on what to place there?

Love the scrollwork on the sides.    The rack is in almost perfect condition except for two finials missing on the front.   Even the old somewhat discolored glass shelves are in good shape.

If you are still reading my novelette, thank you for sticking with me.     Please allow me to to share one more story before calling it a night.     A customer told me the recently deceased woman and former owner of this bakers rack was known around the neighborhood for being somewhat eccentric.     She kicked her husband out but went and got him and brought him back home when she discovered he had cancer and took care of him for the rest of his life.      He died one night, she bathed him, dressed him in his finest, and called the funeral home the next morning to come get him for burial.     She was insistent that he be taken straight to the cemetery and not be embalmed because he didn’t want anyone to see him naked.     I bet this if this bakers rack could talk, it could tell all kinds of tales.

And with all the money I saved, I went out and bought a shiny red convertible.   I wish.

Have a great week!

Marlee

I am linking to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm.